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-' ■-•".'■.-■- Waikokomiko Disthict. ; ' ' Four-in-H and Mine. —This company has decided to work their mine and prove the value of the property. In the Pour-in-Hand section the reef has been opened up on three levels, and maintains an average width of 17 in., and in Nos. 2 and 3 levels fair prospects have been met with. At No.. 2 level it has been driven on for a distance of 172 ft. A small leader has been worked upon at No. 2 level, and a stope carried along the back of the level for a distance of 54 ft., and the quartz won from here gave payable returns. At No. 3 level 130 ft. of driving has been done on the reef, and gold was frequently seen in breaking out the quartz for the whole of this distance. In the Tainui, Tainui Extended, Cuirassier, and Cuirassier Extended sections there has been a good deal of work done, with fair results. The company has erected a five-stamp battery on the claim, and constructed an aerial tramway to convey the quartz from the upper levels to the mill, the tramway being about a quarter of a mile in length. It is a complete plant, and crushing is to be started at once on the ore that is stacked on the surface of the mine. Napier Mine. —This mine has been worked the greater part of the year by tributers, who put through a small parcel of 2 tons, for 6 oz. 7 dwt. of gold. Pour men were employed. Tandem Mine. —A good deal of work was done in this mine in the early part of the year, and 20 tons of quartz were crushed, for a return of 6 oz. of gold. The reef varies from 9 in. to 2ft. in width. Lillis Mine.— This was worked for some time by the Kauri Gold Estates Company, whose attention was directed to opening the reefs, which did not prove payable, and the company stopped operations and let the mine on tribute to the parties who formerly worked the ground, and with satisfactory results. Forest Queen Mine. —There have been two men employed in this mine continuously, who have done a good deal of prospecting on the reefs, and have been induced to drive ou the reefs as gold was occasionally seen in the quartz as it was broken out. Tokatba. Royal Oak of Hauraki (Limited). —This company has done a very large amount of development work during the year. On the Tokatea reef there has been 10,000 ft. of driving, rising, sinking, and stoping done, and on the No. 1 tribute leader there has been about 2,300 ft. of driving, &c, accomplished. The company have gone to a considerable expense in constructing a water-race, from which the water is used for driving the air-compressors, the compressed air being carried in pipes to the mine to drive the battery, winding-engine, and, if necessary, the rock-borers. This has cost a good deal of money, but the company will soon be repaid for the outlay, as the quantity of coal used for steam purposes delivered on the mine has been something considerable, and has run into a large sum of money. The company have not crushed a large amount of ore, but it has been very rich ; 257 tons of ore and 6,658 lb. of specimens have been treated, for 4,712 oz. 1 dwt. of gold ; value, £11,868 13s. There has been an average of 75 men employed in the mine during the year. Tokatea Consols. —This company have done a good deal of developing work during the year. In the. No. 1 level, on the west side of the range, the reef has been opened up for a considerable distance, and some very good ore has been obtained from the reef at the No. 2 level, on the east side of the range. Driving and stoping operations have also been carried on on leaders which,vary from 2in. to 10in. in width. There was treated during the year 72 tons llcwt. of general dirt and 382 lb. of specimens, for 223 oz. 2 dwt. of gold; value, £630 ss. 2d. An average of five men have been employed. Hauraki (New Zealand) Associated Gold-mines (Limited). —This is an English and locally owned property, and comprises 86 acres, situated nearly on the top of the Tokatea Bange, the highest point of the claim being 1,000 feet above sea-level; thus the various reefs or leaders can be worked nearly to the level of the sea before pumping machinery is required. No. 1 adit-level is 200 ft. below the top of the hill, and has been driven in on the various leaders for a distance of 500 ft. ; No. 2. level is 100 ft. below No. 1, and has been driven a distance of 700 ft. ; and No. 3 level is 100 ft. below No. 2, and driven a distance of 750 ft. The principal leaders operated upon are the Eainbow End lead, Poot-wall lead, and Cross reef. Those have been well opened up from the No. 2 level, nearly 400 ft. of driving having been done on the Eainbow End lead, besides a good deal of stoping. On the foot-wall leader 300 ft. of driving has been done, and this block stoped out to the No. 2 level. During the past five months only a limited quantity of ore has been broken out, owing to the most of the ground at No. 2 level being exhausted. The No. 3 level will soon reach the point where the main leader should be met with. This level is 750 ft. in length. 450 ft. of a cross-cut and 390 ft. has been driven on the Eainbow End reef. In connection with the mine there is a modern crushing-mill, consisting of a ten-stamp battery, four berdans, one crusher, and automatic feeders worked by water-power generated by a Smith-Vale turbine. There is also a 25----horse-power engine and boiler, which can be used when short of water; and there is a two-stamp mill for crushing specimens, with assay and melting plant complete. 506 tons 8 cwt. and 7 lb. was crushed, for 1,352 oz.; value, £3,850 7s. Bd. Twenty-seven men were employed. . . Harbour View Mine. —The company's operations have for the greater part of the year been directed in working on the Blue Peter leader, at No. 2 and No. 3 levels, in the section of the mine formerly known as the " North." The leader varies from 4in. to Bin. in width, from which picked stone isoccasionally obtained. The company treated 4 tons 11 cwt. of general dirt, for 28 oz. 4 dwt. of gold; value, £81 7s. 4d. The Harbour View section is let on tribute, and it is on the Simpson and Ben Bow leaders that work is being carried on. The average thickness of the leaders is about 6in. The tributers crushed 5 tons 10 cwt. of general dirt and 1701b. of specimens, for 112oz. 19 dwt.of gold; value, £29385. Id. On an average four wages-men and eight tributers have 'been employed during the year. .