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Buffalo Mine (Area, 10 acres 1 rood). —This land comprises Montgomery's freehold, in the old Buffalo Settlement, and is situated on the range towards the head of Courthouse Creek. During the year 350 ft. were driven on the main reef, and a leader of gold-bearing quartz was found on the footwall side of the reef, but no quartz was crushed. Four men were employed. Good Enough (Area, 13 acres 3 roods). —About 300 ft. of driving has been done by the company, but no quartz was crushed. Two men were employed. Southern Star Mine. —The Southern Star Gold-mines (Limited), of London, are the owners. A considerable amount of prospecting work was done on the ground, of which Mr. Pearce, the mine-manager, gives the following account : — The Queen's reef is situated on the east end of the property. The reef dips west into the Southern Star Mine. The intermediate level on Queen's reef has been extended 61 ft. by two men, with very good prospects of gold. The country-rock here looks very promising. Driving on Queen's reef, south end, the low level has been extended by four men 168 ft., with very promising results. There will be over 100 ft. of backs to the surface to be stoped out. Driving on same reef, north end, the low level has been extended by four men 110 ft. We have met with fair results whilst driving. The main cross-cut from Queen's reef level will meet the intermediate level on the west side of the property, so that the mine will be able to be worked to greater advantage. This has been extended, by six men, 65 ft. The country-rock is very heavily mineralised. The Queen's No. 2 leader, south end, has been extended by four men 24 ft. in the last two weeks. The cross-cut for No. 3 leader, and also Pearce's No. 1 reef, has been extended by two men. A cross-cut has been driven 168 ft., driving on No. 3 leader 70 ft., and also a branch leader 50 ft. We passed through other leaders, most of them carrying low-grade ore. The No. 1 cross-cut for No. 1 reef (Pearce's) has been extended by four men 271 ft. The country-rock here is very heavy, and requires to be well timbered. The intermediate cross-cut for Pearce's No. 1 reef has been extended 199 ft. to the reef, by four men. Six men have driven along the line of reef 163 ft. In the cross-cut the countryrock was very short and tight. The intermediate level will meet the west cross-cut on the other side of the hill, so that the quartz can be conveyed by this route to the battery. The rise from intermediate level to surface has been extended, by four men, 49 ft. on the reef. The Southern Star general low level has been extended, by four men, 299 ft. Here the country - rock is very patchy, with hard bars, making progress slow. The total length driven on this level is 1,705 ft. Mining timbers have been cut out of the bush from trees growing on the mine property to the following extent: Cribbing timbers, 269; props, 392 ; slabs, 3,169; caps, 372 ; toms, 120; and sleepers, 298. Roads have been made on the mine to the extent of about 7 chains. A road to the machinery site of about 15 chains has been made, at a cost of £140. Two rooms have been erected on the mine, to be utilised as office and store-room. Two men are employed in the smithy, and the miners are under the supervision of a shift boss. There have been no accidents during the past year. Success Mine. —This mine has been energetically worked during the year. The battery of ten stamps was conveyed to the ground and erected in close proximity to the low-level adit. The following particulars with respect to this and the New Hauraki Gold Properties Mines have been supplied by Captain Hodge, the general manager:— Success Gold-mines (Limited). —The nominal capital is £50,000. The area owned by the company is 15 acres 2 roods 6 perches. The total expenditure since registration to the 31st December last is £10,809 14s. 2d. The number of persons employed has averaged forty-three. The greatest depth reached in this company's operations is 260 ft. below the surface. The developments have been conducted at various depths by means of seven levels. The reefs on the property vary in size from 6 in. to 3 ft. wide, and are composed of quartz, much associated with iron-pyrites. The reefs are intersected by floors of pyrites considerably oxidized. The company have done a considerable amount of development on the property, and have crushed 493 tons of quartz, which gave 209 oz. of melted bullion, realising £600 ss. lOd. In James's level, on the line of James's reef, running east and west, a cross-course was encountered having a dip westerly. The same cross-course was intersected in the deep level at a point near where the deep level intersected James's reef. All east of this cross-course the rock is composed of a compressed hard andesite from which large quantities of gold have been raised from the surface to about 30ft. below No. 3 Success level. On the western side of this cross-course referred to the rock is a moderately hard andesite. This also has produced a fair quantity of gold. The lines of development now proposed by the company is to sink below this level both in the decomposed and hard andesite rocks. The reef-formation maintains its uniform size in the deep level, and it is highly probable the reef will again be fed by similar floors of pyrites, as the rock so far as reached is very largely charged with it. If this is so (which there is no reason to doubt) there will be good chances of discovering fresh runs of the precious metal. The other developments of the company are conducted in following up the line where good runs of gold have been raised in the upper series or sections of the property. The company owns a ten-head battery, with four berdans, worked by a portable boiler of 20 nominal horse-power and a horizontal engine, 14 in. diameter cylinder, with a Pelton wheel to work the battery when water is available. A large chamber has been cut on the ground at the site for sinking a shaft, and machinery is on order to conduct sinking by compressed air. Judging from the well-defined walls of the reef going below the deep level and the character of rock, deeper working promises well to discover a permanent and payable reef in undisturbed ground below this level. Between this deep level and James's level the reef pinched by a horizontal hard-class rock, say diorite. It is satisfactory that below this to the level the reef gradually has increased in size, is assuming its uniform formation, and the walls are getting well-defined ; to say the least, the development below this level is a very important matter for the future of the company. New Hauraki Gold Properties (Limited). —This property comprises an area of 182 acres 2 roods 28 perches, 14-J- acres of which is a licensed holding, the other portion being freehold