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up by the directors, and work which might be valued at £300 has been done on the property. The outcrop which the company proposes to develop is a mass of quartz occurring between the calcareous slates and the crystalline limestone on Mount Owen. In places it contains little bunches of galena, and small clean samples of this mineral may be obtained, but the bulk of the quartz does not contain more than one or two units in lead, and certainly is of absolutely no value as a mining proposition. ■Speaking from a geological point of view, the locality is highly interesting, and, like the Wahgapeka district, may be worth further prospecting. Mount Radiant. Preparations are being made to test some of the copper-bearing quartz reefs in this district. The occurrence of the deposits has been fully dealt with in the Geological Survey Bulletin on the Karamea Subdivision, and up to the present the prospecting operations have not disclosed any further information. Parapara Iron Leases. On the Cadman iron lease, of 920 acres, nine men have been employed during the year in driving prospecting-tunnels and in stripping the iron-ore deposit by hydraulic sluicing. The four drives put in have a total length of 1,878 ft. These drives were sampled by the writer for analysis at the Dominion Laboratory, and the average result from all samples taken gave 45-02 per cent, of metallic iron, 0-13 per cent, phosphorus, and 0-075 per cent, sulphur. On the Onakaka lease, of 860 acres, the only work done for the year was to break out and ship a small lot of 2 tons of ore for a smelter trial. Scheelite. This mineral, as above mentioned, is found along with gold in the Dominion Consolidated Company's mine at Deep Creek, Marlborough. 33 tons 7 cwt. of concentrates was shipped for the year, the value being £3,259 sterling. ALLUVIAL-GOLD MINING. The following hydraulic-sluicing and dredging companies have carried on active mining during the year: — Marlborough. Brothers Claim (Larkin and party).—Work has been intermittently carried on during the year, with very poor results. The water-supply is quite inadequate for the height the elevator is required to raise the wash, and unless the quantity can be increased in some way this proposition is doomed to failure. Wakamarina-Darkies' Terrace Hydraulic-sluicing Company (Limited). —This company has taken over the property of Messrs. Nelson and Mayo at Deep Creek. An improved water-supj:>ly of about twelve heads of water has been brought in through three miles of race, and at the nozzle is under a head of 200 ft. Unfortunately, the tail-race tunnel is driven too high, and to enable the bottom to be cleaned up the last few feet of the wash has to be elevated. The result of the operations so far should give a margin of profit over working-expenses. New King Solomon Mines, Mahakipawa. —A syndicate has acquired rights over the Cullensville Flat, and the old shafts are to be unwatered for the purpose of- further prospecting. Three men have been employed during the year, but pumping has not yet been commenced. Collingwood District. Parapara Hydraulic-sluicing and Mining Company (Limited). —Eleven men have been employed during the year. The wash was followed down in one paddock to a depth of 110 ft., and the hydraulic elevator was raising wash this height in one lift, which proved to be about the limit of its capacity with the available pressure of 350 ft. A fresh paddock is now being opened up. In spite of most careful and economical working, this claim barely manages to pay the running-expenses. Aorere Hydraulic-sluicing Company, Slate River. —This company has persevered to make a profit out of sluicing very low-grade material. Five men were employed during the greater part of 1912, but as it became necessary to open up a fresh sluicing face, and the year's operations had resulted in a loss, work was suspended in December. Maruia District. Walker's Maruia Sluicing Company (Limited). —-This claim has been worked on tribute by Dwan Bros. Thompson Maruia Sluicing Company. —A water-race nine miles and a quarter long, and capable of carrying thirty sluice heads of water, is in course of construction. The ground to be worked is of a light drift character, and has every appearance of being low grade. Rappahannoc Amalgamated. —This claim was idle during most of the year. It is a driving proposition, and shows very good prospects, but has been very badly handled. A party of experienced practical miners would probably make it a very payable little mine. Matakitaki District. The Horse Terrace Claim, formerly the property of a Nelson company, which under the company's management proved a rank failure, is now giving handsome returns to the present owners. Four men have been constantly employed for the year.