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the premises, a very compact plant having been erected for the purpose. The work is carried on at night as well as day, electric lamps being used. The current is generated by a dynamo driven by a Pelton water-wheel, which also provides the power for the workshops. Mr. Lee gives details as follows: Sluicing-nozzle, 2-Jin. diameter, uses 3§ Government heads, 300 ft. pressure; elevator jet, 2f in. diameter, uses 5-J- Government heads; elevator has 6Jin. to 7f in. throat (3ft. long) ; casting, 2 ft. 6 in. long, 8 in. to 11 in. diameter ; then 13 in. uptake : total lift, 50 ft. ; 70 tons of stuff per hour shifted. Forty-seven men are employed by the company. The Bound Hill Company supply about a dozen small claims wi.th water when they have it to spare. Ten of these claims are worked by Chinamen (to the number of thirty). Also visited this claim on the 16th February, 1898. (2/9/97): O'Brien's Claim is worked by ground-sluicing. The owner has his own water-race, which carries about one Government head of water, giving a pressure of, say, 100 ft. Working-face 35 ft. to 40 ft. thick. Vasey and Brick's Claim is worked by water obtained from O'Brien. (2/9/97) : Ourawera Gold-mining Company. —This claim is near the property held by the Bound Hill Company, and the ground is of similar character. One elevator is kept going. It has a lift of about 45 ft. Eleven men and two boys are employed. The arrangements for saving the fine gold are not nearly so complete as those of the Bound Hill Company. Also visited this claim on the 16th February, 1898. Orepuki. —(3/9/97 and 4/9/97) : There are no large mining works here, although gold-mining provides remunerative labour for a considerable number of men. All the claims are small and, with one or two exceptions, worked by ground-sluicing. The gold is of the same character and of similar value to that at Bound Hill. Water is brought principally from the Taunau, the Ourawera, and Waimeamea Streams. McLean and party have recently completed a race, of eight miles in length, with a fall of 10 ft. per mile, to carry nineteen Government heads. Of this amount the owners of the race use about four heads at their own claim and sell the remainder to five other claims, three of which are worked by Chinese. The water is sold at £1 ss. per head per week. McLean's claim carries about 1 ft. 6 in. of auriferous wash, overlaid by heavy ground of considerable depth, and a good deal of standing timber has to be dealt with. At Weston's claim the ground is about 60 ft. deep, the wash-dirt at bottom being 3 ft. thick. This claim and two others adjacent (King and Instone's, and Barry and Sorensen's) labour under the disadvantage of not getting clean water. Hennessy's claim carries about 4ft. of rough wash, overlaid by 2ft. to 3ft. of sandy wash; above this is about 24 ft. of clay, all of which is removed by ground-sluicing. The claim has not been very long at work. It is situated in the bush, and is higher up the Taunau Creek than any of the other claims. Love's claim is worked by driving, and Homer's claim is sometimes worked in a similar manner— i.e., when water is not available for sluicing. At Barry and Sorensen's claim the run of gold-bearing wash ran out about three years ago, Since then the work has consisted in cutting a good channel through the barren ground and otherwise prospecting. It is considered that good ground will very soon be in sight again. From what I could learn all the claims have paid well, and the digging population appear very comfortably off. There are several other claims not mentioned which I visited, but which do not call for special comment. The Chinese in the district number fourteen. (15/2/98): A few days prior to my visit quite a mild rush had set in locally on account of a very good find on ground adjoining the north side of King's claim. This has been taken up by a party of five men (B. Bolstone, D. Whelan, T. Warren, and two others), and a shaft 7 ft. by 4 ft. is sunk 42 ft. on to a 2 ft. 6 in. layer of wash, which shows very good prospects. The shaft is to be timbered and a horse-whim erected. " Klondike " is the name by which the claim is to be known. Several other claims are pegged off in the locality. At J. Forbes's claim three men are engaged ground-sluicing. The auriferous wash varies from 1 ft. to 3 ft., and is overlaid by 20 ft. or more of heavy stripping. William Forbes's claim adjoins King's, and four men are employed driving in the wash-dirt. The face shows a thickness of 1 ft. The tunnel is well driven and substantially timbered. A new race is being constructed so as to enable this ground to be worked by sluicing. It is said four heads of water will be brought in. Hood and McGauchie have sunk a prospecting-shaft 36 ft. deep, and are now driving an adit from the side of King's claim to work their ground. McLean's claim is now worked by Chinese (about twenty men), and Love and party have taken a claim in the bush below Hennessy's. They are driving on the wash-dirt. The remaining claims are working much in the same way as at my previous visit (3rd and 4th September, 1897). Dbedging. This branch of gold-mining is going on apace and is not confined to river-work. Near Waikaka Township there are two dredges working, one of which is fully a mile from the river, and obtains water by a race from a small creek. In my opinion, there are many places in the southern district, and in Southland in particular, where comparatively inexpensive dredges could be profitably employed on alluvial flats. Owing to the fact of several accidents occurring in connection with dredge-mining I paid special visits to about forty dredges to ascertain what provisions exist for the safety of the employes. In many cases I found that dredge-managers had no idea of their -being amenable to any legislative enactments in this direction. There were a few instances where I noticed with much pleasure the care taken to insure safety as far as possible, but in several cases I found a degree of carelessness and indifference which would not be tolerated for a moment in an average coal-mine. A report (in schedule form) of the dredges visited is given, together with a form of circular letter which I propose to issue to all dredge-masters and secretaries of dredging companies.