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siderable depth, and should the company be fortunate enough in discovering a payable gold-bearing lode, it will give the Thames a fresh start. For most of the year the upper levels were worked by tributers, and the following are the returns : New Moanataiari tributers crushed 603 tons, and 51 lb. specimens, which gave 744 oz. 9 dwt. of gold, value, £2,021 6s. 4d. Old Alburnia tributers (since taken over from the New Moanataiari) 478J tons, and 115 lb. specimens, for 781 oz. 6 dwt. of gold, value £2,089 7s. Id. An average of fifty-four men were employed. Kuranui-Caledonian Mine. —From the month of January to the month of July four wages-men were engaged prospecting near the shaft at No 1. level, in close proximity to where the big patch of gold was obtained in 1870 ; several small leaders were intersected, and although a few colours of gold were seen, yet nothing of a payable character-was discovered. The boring scheme having now matured, work was suspended in order to await the results at a depth. The Goldfields Diamond Drilling Company (Limited) started work on the 12th September on the site chosen for the first hole, situated about 160 ft. north of the Moanataiari tunnel, and according to plans carefully prepared should intersect the Caledonian No. 1 lode at a depth of about 1,000 ft., at an angle of 82 °. For the first five weeks good progress was made, a distance of 1,041 ft. having been drilled, producing cores all the way. At this point the Caledonian No. 1 lode was met with, but was found to be of a rubbly nature, consequently, the diamond drill was unable to bring up cores. In the endeavour to do so, the crown head with the diamonds was lost in the hole, and efforts to withdraw the rods were unavailing. However, after some trouble, they at last succeeded in breaking them off, leaving 40 ft. in the bottom of the hole. From that time up to the present, the Goldfields Diamond Drilling Company (Limited) have been trying to recover this bit (which is valued at £250), but so far without success. Having failed to grip it by the usual method adopted in cases of this kind, they at last decided to enlarge the hole to 4J in., and ream over so as to free the casing and are now getting on fairly well, the foreman being sanguine that they will be able to recover the diamond bit, and sink the hole the required depth of 1,500 ft. For a distance of 950 ft. of drilling the country was not what the miners term good, but in the bottom of the hole it is all that could be desired. Several assays taken of the country rock at a depth of 1,034 ft. gave a value of 11s. 3d. to the ton. This is encouraging, and it is reasonable to expect that when the core (or cuttings of the lode) is brought to the surface, it will also be found to contain good values. Crushings of loads of ore and 825 lb. picked stone were treated for 1,735 oz. 7 dwt. of gold, value £4,707 4s. sd. Fifty-two tributers and three wages-men were employed. Victoria Mine. —Operations during the year have been confined to tributers working from the 70 ft. level of Tookey's shaft and at the surface levels. Notwithstanding the large amount of work done, the tributers on the whole have not been successful in making any fresh discoveries, but are hoping to obtain better results in the year just entered. Boring operations on behalf of this company are now in progress. A contract was let to bore 1,000 ft. on the Thames Foreshore Claim at 12s. per foot. The borehole has now reached a depth of 380 ft., and when the 1,000 ft. is attained, another 500 ft. or perhaps 1,000 ft. will be let. Crushings : 170 tons of ore was treated for 212 oz. 9 dwt. of gold, value £586 4s. 6d. Eight men were employed. Kuranui Mine. —The whole of the operations in this mine have been confined to the tunnel level, where driving and rising was carried on to some extent. The tributers lode has been driven on for a distance of 450 ft., and two rises put up on it to a height of 80 ft. The best prospects met with on this lode were in the drive, which yielded 12 dwt. to the ton. The highly mineralised ore met with in driving led the manager to expect that the ore would improve in value as the lode went downwards ; but so far he has been a little disappointed. Twenty-two loads of ore was treated for 14 oz. 8 dwt., value, £34 13s. Bd. Twelve men were employed. Waiotahi Mine. — There is little new to report from this mine since my last, operations being similar to those of the preceding year, the work consisting in following up small leaders and stoping them out. Some of these have been very rich around and in the neighbourhood of the shaft. No new development-work to any extent has been undertaken by this company for some time past. From various leaders operated on 865 tons of ore was obtained and treated at the company's battery for a return of 1,428 oz. 4 dwt. of gold, value £3,856 15s. 2d., which enabled the company to pay to the shareholders in dividends the sum of £900, making the total paid in dividends £40,200. Fourteen men were- employed. Fame and Fortune Mine. —Work in this mine during the year has been entirely confined to tributers, whose operations have been principally directed to driving and stoping on the hanging-wall portion of the Golden Age reef, from which 300 tons of quartz and 35 lb. of picked stone was obtained, giving a return of 364 oz. 11 dwt. of gold, value £937 Is. An average of nine men were employed in the mine and six wages-men in the battery, which is also employed in crushing for the public. West Coast Claim. —This ground has been steadily worked during the year with two men, the operations being confined to driving, rising, and stoping on small leaders which have been opened up, and from which 43 tons of quartz was won and treated for a return of 57 oz. 15 dwt. of gold, value £155 18s. 6d. Ballarat Claim. —This ground has been worked steadily by the owner (J. Brett), whose attention has been directed to driving, sinking, and stoping on small leaders, from which 28J tons of quartz was obtained, which gave a return of 97 oz. 14 dwt. of gold, value £286 15s. 9d. Two men were employed. Nonpareil L. H. —The work carried out during the past twelve months has been confined to tributers, during which period there has been an average of seven men employed working the several blocks of ground on reefs and leaders. The principal ore-bodies worked upon were the Liverpool Boys reef and Wade leaders. The Liverpool Boys reef is now being worked from the low level by a party of tributers, and since they commenced upon the reef they have met with fair results. The reef varies in size from 4 in. up to 15 in. Other tributers have also worked upon this reef in the upper levels during the year, but with poor results. Crushings : 140 loads and 7 lb. of picked stone was treated for 159 oz, 12 dwt., value £451 6s. Seven men were employed.