23

C—3.

remains 22-49 chains to complete the driving of the tunnel. When this is completed a large quantity of water will be required to work the different claims. The total amount paid by subsidy for this work was £2,463 ss. 9d. The following statement will show the revenue derived from sales of water, and also the cost of maintenance, for the year ended 31st March, 1897 : —

It will be seen from the foregoing statement that the value of the sales of water for the past year amounted to £3,502 175., as against £4,106 lis. 3d. for the former year, and that the cost of maintenance was £1,786 15s. 9d., as against £1,943 Bs. 7d. for the previous year. This shows a decrease in the revenue last year of £603 14s. 3d., and a decrease in the cost of maintenance of £156 12s. lOd. In addition to the sales of water, the value of free water supplied to the claims which did not prove payable to work during the year amounted to £613 os. 6d. The average number of men employed in claims worked with water from this supply was 90-33, and the approximate quantity of gold obtained by them was 5,455 oz., representing a value of £21,264 10s. Deducting the value of the sales of water from the approximate quantity of gold obtained, it leaves £17,761 13s. as the earnings of the miners, which is equal to an average of £196 12s. 7'4d. a man per annum, or £3 15s. 7-Jd. per man per week. The total cost of this work up to the end of March last amounts to £41,463 165., and, deducting the cost of maintenance from the value of the sales of water for the year, it leaves a profit on the working of £1,716 Is. 3d., which is equal to 4-137 per cent, on the total cost of the works. The reason the sales of water amount to so much less than last year is that the price of water was reduced from £2 per sluice-head per week to £1 10s. from the Ist June, 1896, so that there was only two months of the year at the higher price. [For table showing result of working Kumara Water-race for fourteen years, see page 25.] Waimea-Kumara Water-race. The Waimea and Kumara Water-races have been considered as separate races, though this is not the case. The object of showing each separately is to give an idea of the value of each in proportion to the capital expended on the different works in connection with each branch. They may be termed separate water-races, but the supply of water to the Kumara branch is dependent to a great extent on the Waimea branch. If these races were held by different individuals there would be a far greater scarcity of water at Kumara than now occurs, and at the same time there would be more water in the Waimea Eace than could be disposed of. However, when the deviation of the Waimea Water-race is completed, and the branch constructed to Goldsborough, the whole of the water in that supply will be utilised at Callaghan's and the middle branch, and it will only be when there is surplus water in the Kawhaka Creek that there will be a full supply in the Kawhaka Eace feeding the Loop-line Dam, which stores the water for the Kumara field. The whole of these water-races are under one management, and worked as one concern. The following statement will show the revenue and expenditure on the whole of these works for the year ending the 31st March last: —

Month. Sales of Water. Cash received for Sales of j Water. Expenditure. Outstanding ! Number Ap '^' ( ™" Moneys at : of OnnnHtv the End of I Men em- SS^ViF each Month. ! ployed, t^^ed. Value of Gold obtained. 1896. £ s. d. 286 13 4 307 0 0 166 9 6 387 13 8 318 10 7 310 7 4 356 16 4 322 8 10 144 13 3 £ s. d. 322 3 1 241 0 0 246 0 0 376 12 6 313 14 0 327 16 3 406 1 10 118 0 0 300 0 0 £ s. d. 157 12 10 140 1 1 150 17 4 159 19 0 145 14 10 134 17 10 149 13 2 136 6 6 146 2 3 £ s. d. 138 0 2 162 11 8 132 13 8 143 2 4 122 9 11 118 5 2 128 0 9 239 17 5 120 0 9 Oz. 430 460 250 585 570 505 535 485 220 £ s. d. 1,677 0 0 1,784 0 0 975 0 0 2,281 10 0 2,223 0 0 1,969 10 0 2,086 10 0 1,891 10 0 858 0 0 April .. ... May June July August September October November December 103 99 98 98 97 93 92 86 82 1897. 319 1 3 284 1 3 299 1 8 260 6 4 287 10 0 238 13 9 149 17 2 ; 152 3 10 163 9 11 160 13 9 147 0 7 174 2 8 83 83 70 495 440 480 1,930 10 0 1,716 0 0 1,872 0 0 January February March Totals and average .. 3,502 17 0 3,437 17 9 j [l,786 15 9 90-33 (average) 5,455 [21,264 10 0

Month. Sales of Water. I Cash Outstanding received for : jh—b-ju™ Moneys at Sales of i expenditure, the End of Water. each Month. Number of Men eraployed. Approximate Quantity of Gold obtained. Value of Gold obtained. 1896. £ s. d. Iipril .. .. .. 341 7 6 tlay .. .. 374 2 11 une .. .. .. 236 8 8 'uly .. .. 476 11 2 Lugust .. .. .. 373 10 7 September .. .. 366 15 8 )ctober .. .. .. 422 8 3 November .. .. 393 7 9 December .. .. 197 8 3 1897. anuary .. .. .. 869 12 8 February.. .. .. 359 4 7 .larch .. .. .. 411 13 5 £ s. d. 393 1 10 308 8 4 292 9 3 464 14 6 382 18 9 382 8 3 482 2 7 191 7 6 330 19 6 £ s. d. £ s. d. 226 6 8 146 10 5 214 10 4 171 1 11 215 14 8 140 8 11 213 13 2 150 17 7 : 197 14 0 130 5 2 186 3 8 125 0 5 192 7 2 135 16 0 182 0 8 247 12 8 198 3 2 135 16 0 176 177 177 174 158 153 158 145 142 Oz. 560 628 420 807 725 665 720 695 379 £ s. d. 2,184 0 0 2,439 4 0 1,638 0 0 3,147 6 0 2,827 10 0 2,593 10 0 2,808 0 0 2,710 10 0 1,478 2 0 332 6 10 356 15 0 342 2 9 235 16 5 173 1 6 201 3 0 154 15 10 218 4 1 i 184 15 6 131 162 141 633 666 800 2,468 14 0 2,597 8 0 3,120 0 0 Totals and average .. [4,322 11 5 4,259 15 1 2,481 17 0 157-83 (average) 7,698 30,012 4 0