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Iron-cap Mine (Area, 64 acres; mine-manager, William Martin). —This property, formerly known as the Kaiser Mine, is situated in the Ohaia Creek, Tararu district. Prospecting has been carried on by four men, who have driven 300 ft. The reef averages 2 J ft. in width, and consists of light mineralised quartz. Thirteen tons of quartz has been crushed, for a yield of gold valued at £21 os. 3d. Scandinavian. —In the early part of the year a party of tributers crushed 82 tons of quartz, for a return of 17 oz. 17 dwfc. of gold, valued at £44 14s. 6d. The mine has been since abandoned. Argosy Mine. —There has been very little work done on this property during the year. Chicago Mine. —A considerable amount of work was done on the reefs of this property in the early part of the year. A ten-stamp battery was erected, and is being driven by water-power. 156 tons of quartz was crushed, for a return of 26 oz. 13dwt. of gold. This return, however, not proving payable, work in the mine has been suspended. Eclipse Mine (Area, 200 acres ; owners, Thames Exploration Syndicate ; mine-manager, James Thomas). —At present this mine is worked from an adit, but for future workings a shaft is being sunk and is down a depth of about 74 ft. There is a drive of 200 ft. on line of reef, and one level opened 200 ft. from the surface. Two reefs have been met, one called the main and the other the cross lode, composed of hard quartz, containing iron-pyrites and silica, adhering to firm andesite walls. The principal work carried on during the year has been driving, stoping, and sinking. A portable double-cylinder steam-engine is to be used for winding purposes at the shaft. The mill machinery in course of erection consists of a ten-head stamper battery (weight of stamp, 850 lb.) and six berdans, which will be driven by water. A parcel of quartz amounting to 106 tons was crushed at the Chicago battery for a yield of 136 oz. 16 dwt. of gold, valued at £396 14s. 4d. Forty wages-men were employed. A contract was let some time ago for felling and clearing bush along line intended for water-race, somewhat over a mile in length. This has now been completed. A water-race has just been completed by contract. The water is obtained from Tararu Creek, and from the dam to the battery has a fall of 260 ft. A contract has just been completed for the erection of poppetheads, winding-engine, and building. A ten-head battery and six berdans are at present in course of erection by A. and G. Price, also battery building. This will be completed very shortly. A contract has just been let for the supply and erection of an aerial tramway from the mine to the battery, a distance requiring 14,800 ft. of wire rope, 2Jin. in circumference, and which must be of improved patent plough steel. There is not a sufficient fall to work by gravitation, and the small power required will be applied to the lower terminal. Both the upper and lower terminal will be provided with a 10 ft. diameter sheave. Kuranui District. Kuranui Mine (Area, 15 acres; owner, Kuranui Gold-mining Company; mine-manager, P. C. Hansen). —Operations in this mine have chiefly consisted in sinking a shaft and driving cross-cuts near the line of reef to the westward of the older workings. A party of tributers crushed 125 loads, for a yield of 89 oz. 5 dwt. of gold, valued at £194 11s. sd. The owners crushed seven loads, for a yield of 1 oz. 2 dwt., valued at £3 os. 6d. Five wages-men and five tributers were employed. Moanataiari District. Moanataiari Mine (Area, 94 acres 3 roods 26 perches; owners, Moanataiari Gold-mining Company, Limited). —During the past twelve months this company has carried on continuous prospecting operations in its mine. After the lodes were opened out at the lower levels in the Moanataiari Mine proper the ore was found to be of too low grade to pay for working. The developments were pushed ahead into the Cambria section of the property. A cross-cut from the shaft at a depth of 270 ft. below sea-level was constructed for a distance of 1,000 ft., when it intersected the Cambria lode in the Moanataiari Special Claim, but beyond getting some veins and stringers of auriferous quartz on the hanging-wall side of the lode, from which some specimen stone was obtained, the general body of the ore did not contain sufficient value to leave a margin of profit to work. The lode was driven on at this level for a distance of about 320 ft. without meeting with encouraging results. • An uprise was constructed from the termination of the cross-cut from the shaft at 270 ft. below sea-level, and carried up on the hanging-wall side of the lode for a length of 160 ft., following its inclination, when it entered the old workings in the Cambria Mine, or, at least, into a drive which had been constructed by the Cambria Company from the bottom of a winze, which was sunk by that company to a vertical depth of 50 ft. below the No. 3 level in its mine. On breaking into the old workings a level was constructed in an easterly direction on the Cambria lode, so as to get under the place where a rich bonanza of ore was worked several years ago. No ore of any special value was met with until a distance of 220 ft. was driven from top of the uprise, when ore of a value of £6 per ton was struck in a rib on the hanging-wall side of the lode. The level was extended about 50 ft. through good ore, when the lode was cut off by a break or dislocation. Stoping was commenced on the good chute of ore above the level, but, strange to say, the height of the level took all the good ore, the ore in the leading stope being barely payable for working. A winze was sunk on the rich chute of ore, which went down below the level for 32 ft., and the company is now engaged in stoping out this block. No rich ore was expected on the 'west side of the break met with. It was between this break and the main Moanataiari slide. It was in this portion of the ground where the Cambria Company got the rich bonanza of ore at the higher levels. The level is now being extended on the east side of the break, where there is an immense body of quartz. This break or dislocation has heaved the lode northwards for a distance of about 40 ft., and, although the lode has been picked up, its hanging-wall side, where the rich chutes of ore are generally found, has not yet been reached. There is still a distance of about 200 ft. to drive before the lode will be cut off by the Moanataiari slide. Those who are acquainted with this section of the property hold the opinion that a good chute of ore will be met with between the point where the level is now con-