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The Maori Dream Special Claim came to grief a short time ago, being sold under warrant of distress. The Irene Company has done a fair amount of work, but the special claim is now under protection. Great Mercury. —This was the first licensed holding granted at Kuaotunu, and a good deal of gold has been taken out of it from time to time, but it has been worked by fits and starts, and not continuously ; regular crushings have been more frequent of late. At Mahakirau and Mercury Bay the mining has almost collapsed. Mr. T. H. Taylor has been most energetic in prospecting in this part, and deserves that his Great Marlow Special Claim should be a success. The Colorado Licensed Holding is in full swing. Bobert Fitzrnoriarty and A. B. Butherford are doing some prospecting work. O-pitonui District. —This is freehold property belonging to the Kauri Gold Estates (Limited). There are nine special claims of 90 acres each, and an enormous amount of capital is being expended in developing this part of the district. A good iron tramway has been laid between Whangapoua Harbour and the Opitonui Township, distant about seven miles, the trucks being drawn by a small locomotive. Extensive crushing plant is being erected, and as good prospects have been obtained a great future is looked forward to. As I stated in my last report, a great want is felt by the Coromandel people of a proper public quartz-crushing battery for testing purposes, and I feel confident that many of the mines would pay if reasonable tests could only be made handy to the claims ; but when the ores have to be sent to the Thames or Auckland the miners have to think twice before attempting even a trial crushing, the cost being so heavy. On the whole, 1 may state that mining generally in the Coromandel district is in a very healthy state, and steady and persevering dead-work and prospecting is being vigorously carried on. The large monthly yield of gold speaks for itself. Te Aroha Sub-District. —The mining in this portion of the district is pretty well at a standstill, the Great Western and one or two of the Beid Campbell's properties being the only ones upon which any work is being done. The future hopes of nearly all the claims in this part of the district are bound up in, and depend to a great extent upon, the success of the Bey. Mr. Campbell's treatment of the ores by the process which is about to be tested. A plant has been erected, and is nearly completed; a short time should therefore show whether the treatment proposed will be successful or not. At Waiorongomai very little work has been done except at the tunnel, which is now in about 1,260 ft. The air-compressor for working the drills is practically complete, but the water-power is not yet available. I am afraid, unless some process cheap in nature is discovered, there will not be much activity in mining in this locality. I have, &c, The Under-Secretary, Mines Department, Wellington. B. S. Bush, Warden.

No. 3. Mr. Warden Boberts to the Under-Secretary for Mines, Wellington. Sic,— Warden's Office, Tauranga, 29th April, 1898. I have the honour, in compliance with instructions, to forward the returns required, and to submit the following report on the portion of the Hauraki Goldfield under my charge. This being the first report I considered it advisable to include a summary of the incidents connected with the opening of the field : — Immediately after the area of the Hauraki Goldfield was extended as far as the Kaituna Eiver, in the Tauranga County, a number of special claims were applied for on Crown lands adjoining the boundary of the block known now as Fleming's Freehold. Prospecting operations had been going on in the locality with intermissions during the previous twenty years, and, although many reefs had been discovered and worked upon, little or nothing resulted. The boom of 1896 caused speculators to give a little of their attention to undeveloped fields, and there was quite a rush of prospectors to the Tauranga County. At the present time a number of special claims are held, but it is only on the following ones that any work is being done, viz.: Te Puke Gold Beefs (Limited). This company, although not actually registered at the time of writing, will, no doubt, be so very shortly. The property consists of 1,087 acres of private land, and was originally known as Lee's Thousand Acres, and later as Fleming's Freehold. The company has a nominal capital of £20,000 in 160,000 shares of 2s. 6d. each. A cash working capital of £2,500 has been provided, and as it is intended that the workmen should work for half cash and half shares the amount mentioned is equal to £5,000. Only about 300 acres of the 1,087 are considered to be auriferous, and five separate reefs have been located. The main lode, known as Fleming's reef, has been cut through in three places, two drives being at the 40 ft. level, where the reef is about 50 ft. through, and the third at the 140 ft., where the reef is 26 ft. through and more compact. Numerous assays and tests have been made, all tending to show that the ore is payable. Some portions of the stone are rich, and contain gold visible to the naked eye, but the greater portion is of low grade, the average from wall to wall being about £2 to the ton. The whole is free-milling ore, and it is expected that it can be treated for 11s. per ton. For the last three months only three men have been employed, and latterly work has been confined to the 7 ft. reef known as Palmer's. The other reefs have also had more or less attention, and all proved auriferous.

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