a—_

taken up for dredging is about a hundred and thirty; and although this industry promises to be attended with success, it will be wise on the part of those who intend to embark in it to ascertain first what certain prospect of success exists in particular localities, before incurring the cost of building dredges. It is frequently the case in the initiative of quartz-mining that expensive machinery is erected for the treatment of the products before sufficient work has been done to ascertain what the probable value of the material to be operated on may be. It is to be hoped that similar errors will not be made in the dredging industry. Accidents on Dbedgkes. The high percentage of fatalities amongst the men employed on dredges (1 per cent.) during the past year has rendered it necessary that provision should be made to insure that all requisite precautions should be taken for the safeguard of the lives of the employes, and it is proposed to introduce legislation dealing with this matter during the session. Accidents in Gold-mines. In the Auckland District three fatal accidents occurred; in the West Coast District four, and in the Southern District two, exclusive of accidents on dredges. The total number of fatalities was 14, and the number of miners engaged 14,198, which gives a proportion of about one per thousand.

DIVIDENDS. The following Table shows the Dividends paid by New Zealand Mining Companies during 1897 and 1898.

7

Dividi inds. Name of Company. 03 . w ft .Q w so CO Amount of Capital actually Paid. No. of. Amount Paid up Shares of per Issued. Share. Share. Capital. 1897. 1898. Sha e r r e.j Total - Per Share. Total. Auckland. Hauraki (Limited) New Zealand Crown Mines (Limited) Royal Oak of Hauraki (Limited) Waihi (Limited)* Waiotahi (Limited) Waitekauri £ £ £ 8,000 10,000 £ 80,000 20/ 30/ 20/ 12,500 32,000 300 160,000 18,000 143,000 106,667 15,000 100,000 160,000 6,000 143,000 20/ 20/ 20/ 64,000 750 14,300 Nelson and Westland. Keep It Dark Quartz Kumara Long Tunnel Sluicing Mont d'Or Mining and Water-race Sluicing (Limited) 20,000 8,000 12,000 6,208 7,433 10,800 20,000 16,000 12,000 20/ 10/ 20/ 16/24 9/34 18/ 2,000 1,298 2,400 Otago. Molyneux Hydraulic Clyde Dredge (Limited) Enterprise Gold Dredge Ettrick Gold Steam-dredge (Limited) 3,850 2,000 2,500 f •• 1 3,840 2,000 1,937 A 5,690 B4.310 80 2,000 f 2,500f 1 2,000+ 2,500 6,000 3,000 j 5,000}. (10,000f 4,000 I •• 1,000/ 20/ 20/ 20/ 20/ 20/ 20/ 20/ 20/ 20/ 1,000/ 20/ 15/6 20/ 20/ 20/ 20/ 15/ 8/ 20/ .. I5,800 858 1,013 465/10/0 400 500 Golden Gate Dredge (Limited) Golden Run Dredge (Limited) Golden Treasure Dredge (Limited) Jutland Flat Waipori (Limited) 2,500 4,000 1,500 2,500 4,795 1,384 2,000 5,194 3,739 143/16/0 15,000 4,000 }'- 1,500 Otago Gold-dredging (Limited) Sandhills Dredging Blue Spur and Gabriel's Gully Consolidated Sluicing (Limited) Moonlight Sluicing.. Phoenix Water-race Sluicing Roxburgh Amalgamated Mining and Sluicing (Limited) 4,500 2,000 1,300 125 1,000 | 89,066 2,000 1,500 j 29,152 30,000 1,352 1,500 12,737 f 3,500§ j 82,298|| 2,000 1,000 j 15,000} |l4,152t (10,000 J \ 14,000f (A 12,000 J B 6,000 (C 5,513 20/ 20/ 20/ 30/ 20/ 20/ io/10/ 20/ 20/ 20/ 20/ 20/ 17/6 30/ 18/ 20/ 10/ 8/6 20/ 4/9 3/10 }" I" )- }" 4,078 400 225 841 750 Upper Waipori Alluvial Dredging 12,000 5,950 600 Morning Star Quartz 24,000 2,575 8,241 Sew Hoy Big Beach (in liquidation) .. 1,925 * Total amount of dividends paid by Wai Ordinary. ihi Compai ly to date is £276,501 to mtributon I. ; Vendors. §P: reference.