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Progress Mine. —The only work carried out was a little further retreatment of tailings, from which a recovery of 477 oz. 16 dwt. gold, valued at £1,422, was made. Wealth of Nations Mi'ie. —Work has gone on steadily throughout the year, an average of thirty men being employed. The main shaft was continued down a further 135 ft., and a new level, No. 13 (2,270 ft. from collar of shaft), extended out to the south a distance of about 400 ft. It is expected very shortly to cut the shoot of rich stone which was sunk on for 80 ft. from No. 12 level. A considerable amount of further repairs have been effected also to the old levels. In September crushing was started, the stone treated coming from the old stopes over No. 11 level north, and No. 12 level south. To the end of the year 984 tons of quartz were treated, which yielded 316 oz. 12 dwt., valued at £1,240. The average value of the stone treated was approximately 61 dwt. This low value was, however, attributable to some extent to the fact that much of tho material crushed came from repair work, and was consequently not as clean as it would have been had it come directly from stoping operations. Scotia Mine. —This mine is also known as the "Justification." During the year work was resumed by a small syndicate. The machinery was overhauled and a start made to unwater the shaft, a task which had not been completed up to the end of the year. .Alexander River Reefs. —Prospecting-work has been carried on vigorously throughout the whole year, from four to six men being employed. Most of the work has been carried out in the vicinity of the Bull reef outcrop, and upwards of 500 ft. of driving and crosscutting was done in the endeavour to locate the downward continuation of the reef exposed in this outcrop. Down to the lowest adit put in (about 500 ft. below outcrop) the country was found to be shattered, and no sign of the reef was seen. Towards the latter end of the year, however, prospecting in another direction was more successful, a strong reef apparently carrying good gold-values having been located about 20 chains north-east of the Bull outcrop. This new find has now been sunk on for 1.20 ft., and, on the surface, trenches have picked it up for a length of about 3 chains. Wherever it was cut it carries gold. The prospectors now purpose putting a small battery on the ground before doing any more prospecting, and have already started the construction of a water-race with which to generate electric power for the driving of the battery. The locality of the reefs is very difficult of access, and a new track will need to be made for about four miles to admit of the battery being got in. The party have applied for assistance from the Department for the making of a track from the head of Brown's Creek. A good deal of assistance by way of subsidy in prospecting was given the party during the year by the Mines Department. STILLWATER DISTRICT. Victory Mine. —Throughout the year a pair of men wotre employed continuously in an endeavour fo locate in the low level the gold-bearing reef which was touched by a. i,orehole put up from this level. After driving, however, about 40 ft. in the direction in which this reef was expected to be picked up a vortical fault was met with and no sign of reef was seen. An effort was then made to pick up what is known as Curtis Brothers' No. 2 adit, with a view to sinking on the reef from it, but, after getting this adit in order for 40 ft. in, lack of funds compelled a temporary stoppage of operations. GENERAL RKMARKS. The Wealth of Nations Mine should reach, a position when larger output and better returns may be looked for, and the Alexander River Mine will probably enter the list of gold-producers. The discovery at the New Millerton Mine of a small reef on the south side of the Snowy River, which is said to carry fair values, may also better the returns from that mine, and the opening-up of stoping operations at the New Big River Mine on the new level should also improve the position in that property. Mining in the Reefton district is, however, being badly hampered for want of a supply of good miners, and if the various mines mentioned open up as is anticipated a good many more men will be required. I am pleased to report that during the past year, as during the previous one, there have been no fatalities at any of the mines or quarries in the district, and only two accidents of a serious nature were reported. In one of these a miner at the Big River Mine had a leg fractured by a fall of stone, and in the other a shift-boss at the Blaekwater Mine lost an eye through being struck by Hying debris from a blast. Dredges. The Rimu Gold-dredging Company's dredge at Rimu Fiat, Hokitika, continues the successful work carried out by it during 1922. This year it-turned over 1,577,444 cubic yards of gravel for a return of 12,852 oz. gold, for which £56,189 15s. 4d. was realized. This meant an increase in turnover for the year of nearly half a million cubic yards of material as compared with 1922. The amount of gold recovered showed an increase of 2,689 oz. of gold, and the increase in value recovered was £11,388. The value of the ground treated was 8-sd. per cubic yard. The Awatuna dredge, after being idle for some months, was altered to some extent, a larger area of tables being put in, also a grizzly for the removal of large stones, and once more put into commission towards the end of the year, since when it has recovered 626 oz. gold, valued at £2,424. With the improvements effected it is hoped that the dredge will now be able to work profitably. Alluvial Mining. This branch of mining has moved backward again during the year, there being fifty-two less men employed at it, and the recovery and values of gold decreasing by 641 oz. and £2,690 respectively. Howard Diggings. —Returns show that only nine men were employed, recovering 283 oz. of gold, worth £404. Murchison. —Throughout this district ten men were employed, recovering 83 oz. of gold, valued at £356. Charleston and Brighton. —Powell's Claim at Brown's Terrace was the only producing one worked, 96 oz. of gold, worth £384, being won. Fairdown. —A number of sea-beach claims yielded gold valued at £60. Kumara. —On the Kumara, Greenstone, Callaghan's, and Stafford fields sixty men were employed, recovering 1,174 oz. gold, valued at £4,781. The principal producers were Linklater's Sluicing Company (Stafford), 59 oz., valued at £239 ; Havill Bros. (Callaghan's), 335 oz., valued at £1,315 ; Hohonu Gold-sluicing Company (Greenst- ne), .140 oz., valued at £1,254 ; Stubbs and Steel (Greenstone), 307 oz., valued at £1,230 ; Blackrnum Bros. (Stafford), 166 oz., valued at £654 ; and McLachlan's (Payne's Gully), 319 oz., valued at £1,254. Hokitika. —In this district 215 oz. gold was recovered, valuod at £869. Twelvo men were employed. Reefton. —In this district only ten men were employed, mining 112 oz., valued at £496. Mining other than, Gold. Iron. —At the Onakaka Ironworks no actual smelting was done throughout the year. The burning-down of portion of the plant during the year necessitated considerable rebuilding operations. Apart from that work the company erected a wharf at Onakaka, about 1,000 ft. in length, for convenience in landing coke and shipping its products. The coke-ovens were also completed, and a start made to produce coke from coal brought from Greymouth. Active smelting is expected to be resumed early in the coming year. Prospecting for Petroleum. —The Kotuku Petroleum-Prospecting Syndicate put down a third borehole to a depth of 1,230 ft. without obtaining any satisfactory result. Subsequently an oil geologist brought by the company from America examined the whole area, and, as his report was unfavourable, the syndicate abandoned further effort.