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met with being very encouraging ; several pounds of picked stone were obtained. The third leader is about 18in. thick, but no driving has yet been done on it. One hundred and sixty-six loads of quartz were treated for 97 oz. 10 dwt. of gold, valued at £268 3s. Seven men have been employed. New Una Mine (formerly known as the Success). —The work in hand at the commencement of the year was the extension of the low level, which was driven in an easterly direction with the object of passing through the Moanataiari main slide to intersect the Loyalty and other lodes known to exist in this portion of the company's mine. At a distance of 690 ft. from the entrance of the level named, a lode-formation was met with. This showed gold, and was operated upon in a northerly direction. Twenty-five loads of general dirt and 50 lb. of specimens were obtained, which, when treated, gave a return of 89 oz. 4 dwt. of gold, valued at £224 2s. 6d. A drive was then extended on the lode-formation for 125 ft., and a rise put up on it to a height of 115 ft., but owing to a strong stream of water being met with in the rise, and no more payable gold found, work here was discontinued, and the main drive was extended through the main slide, which proved to be 80 ft. thick, and composed of a clay and rubbly formation. After passing through this, a reef 18 in. in thickness was discovered showing colours of gold, but after driving 100 ft. on it in a northerly and 50 ft. in a southerly direction without finding gold in sufficient quantities to pay, the work was stopped. It was then decided to apply to the May Queen Extended Company for permission to use the Adelaide No. 3 level, the face of one of the drives being nearly up to this company's boundary. Permission being granted, the extension of the drive named was at once commenced, with the result that three leaders were intersected, within 109 ft of driving, all of which carried gold. The No. 2 leader is being driven on along the boundary, where very encouraging prospects are being obtained in the May Queen Extended "ground. The No. 3 leader, which is 48 ft. inside of No. 2 leader, is being worked by the company, and varies from 15 in. to 18 in. in width. This has been driven on for 60 ft. in a westerly direction, and in breaking out the quartz gold is frequently seen. A leading stope is now being carried along on it on the back of the drive, which latter has been securely timbered up, and it is fully expected that the block will prove payable. Five men have been employed. The Arundell Syndicate (Limited) embraces the Gloucester Extended and George Turnbull Claims, and is situated up the Karaka Creek. The operations carried on by this company in the mine during the year have been principally in the nature of devlopment-work. In addition to this, a five-stamp battery with three berdans has been erected, and water-race and tramway constructed, the whole of which will be connected with the mine in the course of a month or two, when crushing will be commenced. The machinery will be driven by a semi-portable engine of 65-horse power. An average of eight men have been employed at the mine and mill. Golden Drop Claim. —The work in this mine has been confined to sinking a winze on what is termed a " dropper," driving 80 ft. on it and stoping out the block to the level above. As the prospects are encouraging going down, the shareholders intend to drive a low level to open up another block of ground. Four tons of ore were treated for 46 oz. 16 dwt. of gold, valued at £122 13s. sd. Two men have been employed. Claremont Claim. —This claim is situated up the Karaka Creek, and comprises a small area of ground owned by George Bryant, who treated 50 lb. of specimens for 29 oz. 12 dwt. of gold, valued at £79 18s. Fortuna Mine. —Very little work has been done in this mine during the year. Mascotte Mine, Otanui. —This claim comprises an area of 100 acres, and is held by a syndicate who have worked the ground continuously during the year. The operations were directed to sinking a small shaft to a depth of 50 ft. for the purpose of proving the value of the lode at a deeper level than that already worked, and from which a large amount of gold was obtained some years ago. When the lead was met with in the drive and opened out, at 50 ft., a large amount of water was tapped, and gave considerable trouble to keep down by hauling with buckets. It was then decided to put in a4J in. diameter plunger pump to raise the water to the surface, and this has answered the purpose admirably and at a small expense. Some very rich specimens were obtained in the lead intersected at the level named, and the prospects met with are such as to give the shareholders encouragement to sink the shaft another 50 ft., where the mine will be opened up by driving, &c, to more advantage. One and a half tons of quartz and 21 lb. of picked stone were treated for 12 oz. of gold, valued at £32 7s. sd. Four men have been employed. Tararu Mine. —Work in this mine has been confined to development pure and simple, and includes the reopening of the workings in the Day Dawn Reef and sinking a winze on same ; driving a new low level in the Sunbeam Section and putting up a rise on the reef ; also putting up from the battery level a new rise to connect with the old Sunbeam rise. The old rise from 50 ft. to 110 ft. having caved in it was deemed best to make a new connection above the bad part; this has been holed through, and, when the timbering is completed, the company will be able to handle stuff from the Sunbeam Reef without trouble. The Day Dawn crosscut at the battery level has been extended to the boundary, and it is now intended to drive on the reef so as to get under the lowest workings on the Day Dawn and Norfolk Reefs, and then open up these veins from 240 ft. to 350 ft. below the old levels. Eclipse Mine. —The work in this mine was directed to extending the low level to a position under the run of gold worked from the level above. The country passed through in this drive was very changeable, some parts being very soft and ground subject to swell, thus requiring to be closely timbered. When the required distance was reached a connection was made between the two levels by rising and sinking on the reef. Just over the back of the low level very rich specimens were obtained, and stoping is now in progress. The reef here varies from 2 ft. to 8 ft. in thickness, and the first crushing of 133 tons treated at the end of the year produced 300 oz. of gold, valued at £867 10s. The prospects of the mine for the new year look exceedingly promising. An average of eight men have been employed.