23

a—2

The following is a statement regarding the most productive dredges owned by registered companies:— B J lc s lol,cxcu

* Unrecorded. M M he gr if ateS I t onf kl^° Ut ? Ut ] by * g° ld -. dred g e was attained by the "Lady Ranfurly," on the 4th November, 1904. This dredge, operating on the River Molyneux (Clutha), obtained 1,273 oz of gold in six consecutive days; it was owned by the Electric Gold-dredging Company, who at dttrTbutl^diSnt." gOW t0 Ule ValUe ° f £222 ' 15 ° * ***-** £13 °' 6 « wa! (3.) Alluvial Mining. The value of the gold-production from sluicing claims amounted approximately to £295 704 HieTlluvial miS m ° re *"* * Ab ° Ut P™. are engaged upon Although no developments of importance occurred in this branch of the gold-mining industry during 1913, with the addition of the new mines being laid down the future prospects ire favour able to an increased annual gold-production. 191sT— foll ° Wing iS a bri6f aCCOUnt ° f the most int evesting alluvial-mining operations during West Coast, South Island. The Lake Hochstetter Goldfields (Limited;, a new company, have been engaged upon the construction of a water-race to carry eighty sluice-heads from that lake to the company's claims at Riverview near Ahaura there to work alluvial terraces which are believed to contain a Tar *c quantity of low-grade wash. iai b e The evergreen Mont DOr Gold-mining Company at Ross still remains on the dividend-pavine list, although the sum distnbuted-£1,200-amounts only to one-half of that paid during 2l previous year. 'm 8 buy The Ross Goldfields (Reconstructed) (Limited) have experienced a somewhat eventful year During the early part of the year pumping was suspended during the installation of a Diesel engine of 250 horse-power as a stand-by in the event of stoppage of the electrical power by which pumping and winding at the mine is operated. A prospecting-drive was projected at No 6 Stb HP M neal ' a f aft l° a /° mt abOUt 2 ° ft - bel ° W the nearest and workings of the old Cassius Mine; and from this drive such old workings were, at the end of June, unwatered through vertical boreholes, after two months continuous pumping by one stationary and one unking three-stage Worthington turbine-pumps. The volume of water dealt with amounted to 2 000 gallons per minute. At times this quantity was exceeded. Upon subsequent inspection of the old Cassius Mine which had been inundated and inaccessible since 1872 it was found that the value of the wash m sight did not justify optimistic estimates. The only payable wash left m sight by Cassius was contained in a small block near to his shaft; he had picked his mine clean before the historical inundation took place. After unwatering the ground the Ross Company have pursued a vigorous and efficient noHrv in prospecting from the No. 6 level, but with the exception of one small patch of paTab c wa h nothing of importance has yet been developed. During the year the company obtained Tom low-grade wash gold to the value of £1,918, and employed, on an average fifty men That there remains profitable areas of wash within the Ross Company's ground there can be no reason to doubt, but the water difficulty, and the fact that the main bottom has never yet been reached in this mine, renders problematical the undertaking from a commercial point of

Name of Dredge. Production during 1913 of all Dredges. Dividends paid by Dredges owned by Registered Companies. During 1913. To 31st December, 1913. West Coast District— Hessey Cameron (Limited) Worksop Southern District— Olrig New Golden Bun Barnscleugh (3) Rising Sun ... ... ... Magnum Bonum Electric (2) ... Paterson's Freehold (2) ... ... Ngapara Willowbank ... 63 other working-dredges (registered or privately owned) £ 1,856 18,244 1,852 7,534 9,204 5,159 3,584 5,985 4,819 4,803 4,084 128,724 £ 225 11,400 300 400 550 800 1,000 1,300 600 975 1,200 35,700 4,473 400 26,400 19,200 11,875 130,643 21,100 1,500 3,600 * Totals - '" I 195,848 18,750