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C—3a.

Barewood Quartz-mines, Barewood. —(2l/7/97): This property is now being exploited by the Anglo-Continental Gold Syndicate (Limited) and the London and New Zealand Exploration Company (Limited) jointly. The reef has been traced for two miles and a half on the properties held by the joint companies, and extensive prospecting-works are now in progress. A shaft, estimated to strike the reef at 300 ft., is now down 60 ft.; another shaft, about half a mile distant from the last one, has also been started. Both shafts are 11 ft. 6 in. by 4 ft. inside the timbers, and divided into three compartments. The ground is mica-schist rock, lying horizontally. The reef runs north-west and south-east, and lies at an angle of, say, 56 deg. from the horizontal. A third shaft, 7 ft. by 3 ft. 6in., at Scott's Gully—sunk by former owners to a depth of 46 ft.—is now being sunk deeper, and at a depth of 150 ft. passed through the reef, which is 7 ft. wide. An adit-tunnel has been commenced from the side of a rocky gorge, through which the Taieri Biver flows. This tunnel is 7 ft. high, with an average width of 4 ft. 9 in. I understand that the stone will eventually be hauled out of the mine through this tunnel, and the battery be erected somewhere near the tunnel-mouth. This will allow of water-power being used for crushing the stone. Employe's at date, thirty-four. O.P.Q. Quartz-mine, Waipori (O.P.Q. (Waipori) Gold-mines, Limited). —(8/3/98): This mine is now being opened by the above-named company, and has an area of 76J acres. The work in hand comprises— (a) The sinking of a new shaft, 12 ft. 6 in. by 4 ft., which is now 150 ft. down, substantially timbered and divided into three compartments ; (6) the driving of a new tunnel on the line of reef (from a point in the gully near to and about the same level as the top of the new shaft), now 450 ft. in; (c) the continuation of an old tunnel at a lower level, now 790 ft. in; and (d) the erection of a .battery, &c. The low-level tunnel will reach the shaft at about 900 ft. from the entrance and 70 ft. down the shaft. It will form the adit for the outlet of water from the pumps. At 250 ft. in depth it is proposed to start a level from the shaft, but continue the sinking until the shaft is 500 ft. deep. The present winding plant is of a temporary character; a good plant has been ordered from Eobey and Co., Lincoln, England. Twenty-six men at present employed. Longwood, Southland. —(3l/8/97) : The Longwood Quartz-mining Company's prospecting tunnel is now 950 ft. in, but has not yet struck the reef. This work is subsidised. Pound the tunnel in very good order. Biverton, Southland. —(1/9/97) : A trial shaft (now 32 ft. down) is being sunk at South Biverton with a view to proving a reef said to have been traced over a mile on the surface. The work is being undertaken by the Riverton Prospecting Association (secretary, A. E. Willetts). HYDEAULIC AND ALLUVIAL MINING. Blue Spur and Gabriel's Gully Consolidated Gold Company (Limited), Lawrence. —(7/5/97) : Accompanied by Mr. J. Howard Jackson, C.E., the company's manager, I inspected the works. The ground being operated upon consists of hard concrete wash lying in the form of a trough, one side of which is formed by what Mr. Jackson describes as the " main Blue Spur fault," which has a dip westward, and lies at an angle of 23 deg. from the horizontal. In working, a tunnel is driven from the face of the wash into the body of it for a distance of about 40 ft., from which a couple of short side-drives are cut, the whole forming the shape of the letter T. In the chamber so formed a quantity of roburite (sometimes as much as 15 cwt.) is placed, the chamber stowed up tight, and the charge fired by electricity. This has the effect of loosening the ground, which is afterwards sluiced down, the sluiced stuff being carried by sluice-boxes for convenient distances and elevated by hydraulic elevators to other sluice-boxes at a higher level. By this means excellent opportunities are afforded for saving the gold, as the boxes are of considerable length and well provided with riffles and mattings. The gold is somewhat fine. Forty men are employed on the works and water-races, and every care appears to be taken to insure safety. For some time previous to my visit work had been intermittent owing to scarcity of water. (7/3/98): I again visited the works in company with Mr. Wilson, Inspecting Engineer to the Mines Department. The work is being carried on much in the same way as at my last visit, forty-four men being employed. Two large and three small jets are used for sluicing, and three hydraulic elevators raise the sluiced matter to the boxes. Local Industry Gold-mining Company (Limited), Lawrence (J. C. Arbuele, Secretary).—(7/3/98): This company has been working a short distance below the Blue Spur workings, but the plant is being removed to Eocky Point, Gabriel's Gully. The company's storage-dam is capable of holding two to three months' water. Beaumont Local Industry Co-operative Mining Company (Limited), Beaumont (Secretary, J. C. Arbuckle, Lawrence). —(9/3/98): Operations have recently been commenced by this company (about half a mile above Beaumont Bridge) to work the alluvial flats alongside the Molyneux Eiver by hydraulic sluicing and elevating. Twenty heads of water are brought in by a race of three miles and a half in length from Beaumont Creek to an elevation of 450 ft. above the claim, and continued in pipes 20 in. in diameter for a distance of 60 chains. The face shows a section of 16 ft. of gravel, overlaid by 12 ft. of sandy stripping, but as the bed-rock appears to dip into the face this thickness will probably be exceeded in a short time. The gold is fine, but easily saved. At present there is nothing but an ordinary sluice-box (with riffles and matting) for saving the gold, but side-tables are to be added shortly. Twelve men are ordinarily employed. (29/10/97): Boxburgh Amalgamated Mining and Sluicing Company's Claim is situated on the eastern side of the Molyneux Eiver opposite the Town of Roxburgh, but practically on the site where the old township formerly stood. The system of work is by hydraulic sluicing and elevating, the wash-dirt being approximately 40 ft. thick, overlaid by 20 ft. to 25 ft. of stripping, principally of a loose sandy nature. The wash is very free working, and does not contain many large stones. Mica-schist forms the bed-rock. This has been worn in places into gutters, which are filled up with wash-dirt. The gold is rather flaky; value, £3 17s. per ounce. Two nozzles and two elevators are usually kept working, a third elevator being kept in readiness for work when either of the