C—3.

Non-fatal. 10/7/08 : Edward Sharpe, labourer, Muddy Terrace water-race construction, Waikaia, received injuries to head and left side through a fall of rock from the side of race-cutting. Gold-dredges. Fatal. 30/12/08 : John Kennedy, winchman, Waireki dredge, Clyde, was accidentally drowned through stepping on a broken plank, which precipitated him into the river. WATER-RACES AND DAM-SITES. A large portion of my time has been taken up reporting upon application for various privileges in respect to water-races and dam-sites. During the year one hundred and thirty-five applications were dealt with for water-races, and the total number of heads of water applied for totalled 723. OTHER MINERALS. Cinnabar. No steps were taken during the year to open up the known deposits of this mineral. Auriferous Ironsands. Beachcombing is chiefly practised at Orepuki and on the neighbouring portion of the coast-line stretching to Colac Bay. Platinum is saved in small quantities by the beachcombers. It is also a product of the operations of the Round Hill Mining Company, Southland. Copper. I made a visit to the property held in Wet Jacket Arm, Dusky Sound. I found an open quarry of quartz-bearing cupriferous pyrites, but the work undertaken gave no indication of the value or extent of the deposit. Antimony. Alexandra Antimony-mine, Alexandra (Charles Rillstone, manager). —Operations at this mine were not continued on a progressive scale during the year. The low price ruling for antimony prevented the company from sending away the raw material. A smelting plant is now in course of erection at the mine. . The ore is said to'contakTa payable amount of gold and silver. Scheelite. Forty-one tons are returned as having been produced and exported from the Macrae's and Mount Highlay districts during the year. The largest producers in these localities are the Messrs. Donaldson Bros., owners of the Golden Point and New Zealand Gold and Tungsten Mines. At these mines, works are conducted on a progressive scale ; but the shortage of water is severely felt during the dry summer months. Glenorchy Scheelite Syndicate, Glenorchy (G. Reid, manager).—The mine is worked by a system of levels and stopes, and the works are well conducted. Alaska Scheelite Mining Company, Glenorchy (H. Birley and party). —This promises to. develop into a successful scheelite-producing property. At present the. owners are breaking out the scheelite opencast, and dressing it before sending it to the Glenorchy Scheelite Syndicate battery. Four men are employed. Kingsland and party's Scheelite Claim, Glenorchy. —A reef containing scheelite has been exposed on the hillside, but no development-work has been done on the mine. A battery has been shifted from Bannockburn and is now being erected on the'mine.'J The (.tone will be conveyed from the mine to the battery by means of a ropeway. General. —Several scheelite areas are held, but no scheelite is produced with the exception of Messrs. Paulin and Pink, who their ore to the Glenorchy Scheelite Syndicate. Tracks were badly needed to the several claims, and the Mines DepartmentJVssisted to form the necessary tracks. Greenstone. A visit was made recently to the mine at Anita Bay, Milford Sound. The track is rapidly becoming overgrown, and the works are falling into disrepair. Complex Minerals. Preservation Inlet. Tarawera Lode, Isthmus Sound. —The existence of this lode has been known for many years, and at one time a shaft some 90 ft. in depth was sunk. The work was then abandoned. Quite recently it was claimed that this complex ore would be amenable to treatment in a smelter or blast furnace, and the lode was pegged out by an Invercargill syndicate. As the installation of the necessary plant will be costly, and as the mine is undeveloped, the safest procedure to r adopt in the interests'bf the shareholders would be the thorough development of the mine. I have, &c, Robert Mclntosh, Inspector of Mines.

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