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West Coast Inspection District (Mr. J. F. Downey, Inspector of Mines). Quartz-mining. MARLTSOROUOH. Dominion Consolidated Mining and Development Company (Limited}.- The influenza epidemic in November and December affected this mine considerably. Nearly all the employees were attacked by the disease, and four of them are reported to have died. Otherwise work proceeded smoothly throughout the year, an average of fifty men being employed. The bulk of the work was carried out on a big reef in the Golden Bar section of the property. A small amount of driving was done here, but the hands were mostly employed at sloping. The reef continued to open up fairly well. On the Empire City side a good deal of development was carried out, No. 2 intermediate drive being extended nearly to the Bar workings, with which connection should be made within the next few months, which will greatly improve working-conditions in the latter section. This development revealed good scheelite-values. Deep Creek Gold-mining Syndicate. —No fresh development-work was done. The battery and tram-lines were! completed, however, and a small parcel of 77 tons put through for a return of 9 oz. 16 dwt. gold and 1 cwt. scheelite, valued at £60 os. 9d. altogether. Alford and Party (Mountain Camp). —Practically no development has been done for the year, but the party is making arrangements, I understand, to erect a small crushing plant. Cadigan's Treatment Works. — Some 4 tons of scheelite, valued at £800, were recovered by this plant, but work was adversely affected to a great extent by litigation. NELSON. Colossus Gold-mining Development Company. — This company has, with an average of five men, carried on its prospecting operations at Wangapeka, There are a number of reefs and lodes on the property, and a good deal of work has been done on some of them, particularly on one known as the Surprise reef, which carries very good values in silver, lead, and copper. No plant has yet been erected. Another reef, known as O'Malley's, has been, driven on for a considerable distance, revealing at least one pay-shoot. This is the only quartz-mining in the Nelson District. LYELL. New Alpine Consols Company. — Owing to difficulty in securing labour this company had to obtain protection for some months during the year. The low-level drive on the reef line was carried on several hundred feet farther, and is now being pushed ahead to pick up the stone met with on the old Tyr Connel tunnel, 250 ft. higher up. capleston. Boatman's Consolidated Gold-mines (Limited). —The Fiery Cross shaft was continued to 1,025 ft., and a crosscut was put out easterly for a distance of 810 ft., with a view to striking the line of reef worked in the old days. Quite a number of small stringers of quartz was encountered, but nothing that could be definitely considered as the main reef. At 455 ft. from the shaft driving was started north on a small formation that seemed to show seme promise. A little quartz was in evidence, but after driving a few feet this cut out, and no more was picked up although the drive was continued for 104 ft. A start was then made to drive south on. the same formation in the hope of picking up the downward continuation of the Walhalla shoot, and this drive has now been carried on about 300 ft. Boulders of quartz were picked up, but no defined reef. Progress-payments were made from the Government subsidy of £10,000, which was practically exhausted. reefton. Blackwater Mine. —A good deal of development-work was done, particularly in the north end of Nos. 7 and 8 levels and in the south ends of Nos. 6, 7, and 8. In the north end the reef was considerably broken by faulting, but the southern developments were all good. Preparations arejbeing made to sink the shaft another 150 ft., and this work will be under way early in the New Year. During the yea.r tho company paid a dividend. Blackwater South Mine. —This has been idle, pending the formation of a new company with further capital. Cumberland Mine. —Litigation, which was continued during the year, prevented anything being done on this claim. Keep-it-Dark Mine. —Some development-work was done on Nos. 8 and 9 levels, several blocks of stone being opened up. All the stone encountered was, however, of low grade. For the year 8,138 tons were crushed. Owing to the shortage of labour brought about by the influenza epidemic the mine closed down the first week in December. Murray Creek Mine. —Work was carried out steadily throughout the year, and in spite of the fact that only fifty-one men were employed, as against an average of seventy-five in 1917, the quantity of stone crushed was slightly greater than during 1917, the figures being 9,749 tons as compared with 9,728 tons. The company is now giving consideration to a scheme for utilizing water-power for driving their mill in place of the steam-power now employed. If this is done it may rosultjin a considerable cheapening of the treatment-costs and put the company in a better position to carry on its development-work, Very little development-work has been, done throughout the year, and this was confined to No. \ level, when a small shoot of good stone was picked^up.