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below No. 8, has been in progress continuously, and the winze below No. 8 has been in a strong orebody of payable value for the whole distance sunk— viz., 64 ft. Prospects for the next level appear to be good. Wealth-oj'-Nations Mine. —The main shaft at this property was sunk for another level (the 12th, at 1,990 ft.) during the year, but no further development at this level has been started. The orereserves have not been added to by any new discoveries, and the year's operations have absorbed 10,936 tons from the stopes above No. 10 level. Golden Fleece Mine (Consolidated Goldfields). —No work has been done during the year. Bolitho Bros.' Cement Claim, Lankey's Creek. —This party has been steadily at work during the year, mining and treating conglomerate. There is nothing new to report upon in connection with their work. The mine continues a good working-man's property. Murray Creek Gold-mines. —Development-work has been in active progress during the year. The surface plant has been completed, the main shaft sunk for two levels, and .driving for the reef is now being pushed on. If the Phoenix, Victoria, and Inglewood reefs are struck as good as they were in the upper levels this will be a good mine, and there is no apparent reason why they should not live to a considerable depth. Anderson's Reef. —Willis and party are still driving the crosscut from Black's Point Road. They expect to strike Anderson's reef in about 500 ft. farther, having now driven 630 ft. New Ulster Mine. —A little prospecting has been done during the year, with no result. Russel and Dillon. —A small syndicate has taken up these old workings, and two men have been employed in driving on the reef-track to the north of former workings. Nothing of value has been discovered so far. Blackwater District. Blackwater Mines. —-This mine was idle for eight months, owing to a labour dispute, and consequently there is very little to report for the year. Development is well ahead of the battery requirements, and the main shaft is down far enough for two more levels —No. 5, at 765 ft., and No. 6, at 915 ft. —neither of which has yet been started. The reef is small, being an 'average of about 1 ft. 11 in. stoping-width, but makes up somewhat by length, being practically a continuous ore-body for 2,000 ft. The present appearances are very favourable. Millerton Mine. —The Millerton Syndicate, Messrs. Danks and Morgan, having carried on prospecting operations on their claim in Snowy Creek for the greater part of the year, have now sold out to the Millerton Gold-mining Company (Limited). The reef discovered on the property runs from a few inches up to 4 ft. in width, and has been driven on for 280 ft. For the first 30 ft. from the mouth of the drive the reef is 2 ft. wide, and of payable value. From 30 ft. to 252 ft. the reef is of low grade and somewhat crushed, and does not carry much quartz. For the last 28 ft. it improves again, and gradually widens to 3 ft. of solid quartz, having an assay value of 2 oz. gold per ton. It will thus be seen that there are two shoots of gold in the 280 ft. of reef driven on, the first 30 ft. in length, and the second 28 ft. and still continuing. As the present tunnel is the lowest water-free level that can be obtained, and does not give more than 100 ft. of backs, sinking will be necessary very early in the mine's history ; in fact, whether it can ever become a profitable mine depends entirely on the result of sinking. Up to the present time only one winze has been put down, and that was started on the shoot of gold at the tunnel-mouth, and was stopped at 30 ft. Blackwater South (Absalom and party).—-Prospecting has been continued on the No. 2 line of reef during the year, but without giving any favourable result. The reef-track continues ill-defined, and has never carried more than a few boulders of quartz. Empire and Snowy Creek Leases. —The Blackwater Mines Company did some driving on these claims, following in each case small and broken reefs. Work has been suspended for the present. Rise and Shine Syndicate (Donald McDonald and party).—ln this property the reef still continues small and broken, and nothing of a payable character has been disclosed during the year. Saraty Syndicate. —This party holds several prospecting-areas north and south of the Blackwater Creek, and they have discovered several separate and distinct quartz reefs on the surface, but none which contain more than 2 dwt. of gold per ton. The Eldorado Syndicate and D. A. Me Vicar and party have ceased work on their prospectingareas, the reefs driven on proving small and unpayable. Paparoa Ranges. Some surface prospecting has been carried on during the year, but without any important results. The Croesus, Minerva, and Garden Gully Mines have been idle for the whole period. QUARTZ REEFS CONTAINING MINERALS OTHER THAN GOLD. Wangapeka District. In the Wangapeka Valley there are numerous outcrops of quartz reefs which contain small quantities of galena, and some prospecting-work has been done on these during the past three years by Christchurch and Nelson syndicates. Up to the present none of the finds have contained a sufficient proportion of ore to be worth developing as silver-lead mines, but at the same time there are indications that rich pockets of ore may be found, and prospecting is warranted. Mount Owen District. Rising Sun Mineral Company. —This company, with a nominal capitpl of £120,000 and a workingcapital of £10,000, has been in existence during the past two years. The sum of £3,000 has been called