15

a—3

manganese, mercury, chromium, nickel, and cobalt. (/.) Volumetric assays of copper, iron, zinc, and potassium cyanide, (g.) Colorimetric estimation of copper, (h.) Estimation of chlorine, hydrochloric acid, sulphur, sulphuric acid, phosphorus, and phosphoric acid. Text-books : Beringer's " Assaying " ; Park's " Assaying and Practical Chemistry." Metallurgy of Gold and Silver. — (a.) Crushing machinery, (b.) Concentrating machinery, (c.) Amalgamation processes, (d.) Chlorination and bromination processes, (c.) Cyanide process. (/.) Miscellaneous lixiviation processes, (g.) Smelting processes. (h.) Boasting- and smeltingfurnaces. (i.) Chemistry of the various processes. Text-books: Park's "Cyanide Process"; Eose's "Metallurgy of Gold"; Louis's "Goldmilling." Drawing. —Use of drawing instruments ; use of scales ; geometrical drawing; plan-drawing, i The school-year, it may be mentioned, is divided into riiree terms, as follows : First term, from the first Monday in February to the 30th April; second term, 9th May to 20th August; third term, 9th September to 20th December. In mathematics, practical surveying, theoretical surveying, mineralogy, geology, and drawing a fee of ss. is charged for each class per term ; in mining, practical chemistry, assaying, and metallurgy the fee is 7s. 6d. for each class per term. In addition to the class-fees there is a membership-fee of £1 per annum. In September, 1899, on account of the increased number of our students, the committee decided to appoint an assistant lecturer. Mr. K. M. Barrance, who as a student of the Thames School of Mines had passed in all the subjects of the Government examinations with great credit, gaining the President's medal, and had afterwards pursued his studies at the Otago University and at Auckland College, was selected for the position. Mr. Barrance took up his duties in November, and has since that time been of great assistance in the work of the school. His advent has enabled me to start a Saturday science class for the benefit of the senior pupils of the public school and others who may wish to attend. During last year, on account of the large assay class (thirty-five in number), it became necessary to enlarge the assay-room a second time. This was done at a cost of about £50, a new melting-furnace and a muffle-furnace being also erected. Ten of our students presented themselves for examination in the papers sent up by the Mines Department last December. The marks awarded show that these ten students between them gained ten first-class certificates, nine second-class certificates, and three third-class certificates. These results are a great improvement on last year's, and I hope that this year will again show an advance. A number of students who were well qualified to sit for examination did not do so, as they did not care to lose a day or two's work. I think it is a pity that the Government do not recognise school of mines' examinations in some way, and thus provide an incentive to the students to sit for examination; for instance, students who had gained first-class certificates in certain subjects might very well be exempted from examination in those subjects when sitting for the mine-manager's or battery-superintendent's certificate. * Last January a number of our students sat for mine-managers' and battery-superintendents' certificates, but the results of the examination are as yet not known. At the previous examinations six of our students obtained battery-superintendents' certificates, and one a first-class minemanager's certificate. The number of assays made for the public during the year is not large, only fifteen having been made. Most of these were fire-assays for gold and silver; two were analyses of coal, and one of hasmatite. Several samples were received in which I was asked to determine the presence of platinum and the allied rare metals; no trace, however, of any of these metals was found. In addition to these assays, a number of determinations of minerals were made free of charge. It may be interesting to record the following results obtained in the laboratory during the year: Some mineralised stone from a small bunch of ore in the Martha lode was found to contain considerable percentages both of galena and zincblende ; the black sand found more or less abundantly on the surface of the Waihi Plains, and also on the Waihi Beach, was found to consist mainly of titanate of iron (one sample contained 42 per cent, of Ti0 2 ) ; some rich sulphide - ore from Te Aroha answered to the tests for tellurium. I have to express my thanks to the committee for their ready co-operation with me in every plan for the improvement of the school; to the Assistant Lecturer, Mr. K. M. Barrance, who has devoted himself with great energy to the interests of the school; and to the various donors of mineralogical and geological specimens. In this connection the thanks of the school are particularly due to the Eev. Joseph Campbell for the gift of a number of typical fossils and minerals. In conclusion, it gives me much pleasure to state that the Waihi School Of Mines is.in a flourishing and healthy condition. The past year has been an important and busy year in the history of the school, and I trust that the coming year will not fall behind its predecessor. NELSON SCHOOL. Mr. W. F. Worley reports as follows : — I have the honour to report as follows upon School of Mines work done in Nelson from the 31st March, 1899, to the 31st March, 1900 :—

* I do not agree with Mr. Morgan here, for the simple reason that, as an examiner, I would not expect so much from a candidate at an examination of this sort as at an examination for a mine-manager's certificate. — J. Hayes.