47

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has been produced from the mine, and treated at the company's mill for a return of 3,753 oz. of bullion ; value, £8,342 15s. lOd. (or 15s. o£d. per ton). It will be seen that the ore treated was low grade, but the management was always in hopes of meeting with better ore as the work proceeded, and in consequence kept working the "mine at a loss until the end of the year, when the mine was at last temporarily closed down. An average of eighty men were employed. Kuranui. Kuranui Mine.— -The whole of the company's operations (which have been of a prospecting character) have been carried on above the tunnel-level. About two months ago a strong, welldefined, and highly mineralised lode was met with in the vicinity where rich stone was obtained in former years, the quartz being of such appearance as to lead the manager to believe that a rich chute of ore was going to be met with, but so far no important discovery has been made. There have been five tributers working in the mine, their attention being directed to working on leaders from 2 in. to 6 in. thick at the surface-levels. The tributers crushed 28 loads of quartz for 58 oz. 3 dwt. of gold; value, £151 19s. 9d. The company had seven men employed. Moanataiari. New Albumia. —This mine was closed down for some considerable time for the want of funds, and pending a reconstruction of the company to raise sufficient capital to further develop the property. I am informed this has not been yet accomplished, but it is fully expected sufficient capital will shortly be forthcoming to enable the proposed works to be carried out. The company had a few men employed on wages for a time breaking out quartz, but after crushing 5 tons for 1 oz. 7 dwt., value £3 12s. lOd. (which did not pay), the men were discharged, and portions of the mine were let on tribute. Four men are employed. Tudor.— This ground has been worked by two men, who have done a good deal of work in driving and stoping on small leaders, which vary in size from 2 in. to 4 in. in thickness. A little gold isToccasionally seen, but nothing of a payable character has been met with. 8£ tons of ore was crushed and treated for 9 oz. 4 dwt. of gold; value, £24 16s. lOd. Golden Drop. —Two men are employed on this claim working on small leaders from 2m. to 4 in. thick, and from which a little picked stone is sometimes obtained. 5 tons of quartz was treated for 21 oz. 2 dwt. of gold ; value, £58 Os. 6d. Seahorse. —This claim is worked by the owners—C. Taylor and mate—who are working on small leaders, from which they obtained 49 lb. of specimens, and treated the same for a return of 24 oz. 12 dwt. of gold ; value, £67 13s. Albumia East.— -This ground was abandoned for a time. Power and party subsequently worked on it without registering or procuring a title, and within a short time had three parcels of specimens treated, amounting to 2101b., for a return of 123 oz. 15 dwt. of gold, value £334 12s. 7d., and which they stated had been obtained from this ground. Since then the ground was pegged off, and has been amalgamated with the Thames Talisman Gold-mining Company, who have been granted permission to work the mine with six men, and are now engaged putting in a low level._ Ktmberley— Two men were employed on this mine up to the month of October, and during the period crushed 54 lb. of stone for a" return of 33 oz. 13 dwt. of gold ; value, £95 4s. 3d. This ground is now included in the Thames Talisman Special Claim. New Whau— Operations have only been carried on with a small staff of seven men for the period mentioned, and good progress has been made with the work in hand. The drive at No. 1 level has been extended on the course of the Sons of Freedom reef for a distance of 196 ft. westward of the crosscut, and 42 ft. eastward. The width of the lode in the western face is 3 ft. 6 in., but in the eastern face it is a little split up. Some nice specimens were obtained in driving the level on the reef some six months ago, but, as no more payable stone was met with as the drive advanced, it was deemed advisable to put up two rises over the places where the specimens were secured, and here a block of ground 128 ft. in length by 70 ft. in height is being stoped out. From these stopes 75 loads of quartz have been treated for a return of bullion; value, £180 2s. 4d. In a crosscut driven from the No. 1 level to connect with the old Sons of Freedom pass for ventilation a nice-looking leader from 6 in. to 8 in. was cut, and, although the quartz was most promising, yet only something like 22 ft. have been driven on it. A large amount of work has been done by tributers in the Sons of Freedom Section, but nothing that can be called payable has been met with. Seven parcels of ore, making a total of 23 loads, were broken out and treated. Bullion to the value of £56 6s. 2d. was obtained. New Moanataiari Mine.— At the No. 3 level in the Cambria section the reef was driven on to its junction with the Red Queen leader. Here a short block of ground was stoped out for a length of 60 ft. by a height of 40 ft., from which a parcel of 70 tons of payable ore was treated at the company's mill for a°return of 71 oz. 2 dwt. of gold, value £203 15s. 3d. ; but as the stopes ascended the ore gradually became poorer, and all the work was then discontinued at this level. The No. 4 level was driven a further distance of 25 ft. on the course of No. 1 reef, making a total distance driven of 130 ft. As nothing of a payable nature was met with, all work was suspended in this portion of the mine. In the Reuben Parr section a crosscut was driven from the Reuben Parr reef to the hangingwall of the Golden Age reef. Nothing of a payable nature being discovered, work here was stopped. The men were then employed in effecting necessary repairs to the different levels throughout the mine, and some of them engaged in driving a prospecting crosscut in the foot-wall of the Golden Age reef at the Point Russell level. This drive has now been extended a distance of 145 ft., and is°passing through an excellent channel of country. There has been an average of nine men employed on wages, and fifty-six tributers ; most of the latter are working blocks of ground in the surface portion on the foot-wall of the Moanataiari slide, and have crushed 632 tons of general ore and 620 lb. of specimens for a return of 1,336 oz. 11 dwt. of gold, value £3,690 18s. sd. ;