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Mahakirau Mines, Ltd., Mahalciraw.—This company mined from the Day Dawn reef mainly from a short distance below the outcrop 124 tons of quartz, which yielded 21 oz. 18 dwt. gold, valued at £130 6s. ~d., which represents the output since commencement of operations. . . Royal Oak Claim, Tokatea (H. Chipman, Owner).-—A good deal of work was done on this claim by way of reopening old levels and prospecting, but the only quartz treated amounted to a little over 5 cwt., evidently selected stone, which yielded 93 oz. 7 dwt. gold, valued at £494 15s. 9d., which represents the total output since commencement of operations. . . Northcote Claim, Waikoromiko (Boswell, Shrimpton, and Shutes, Owners).—During the year 82 ft. of crosscutting 85 ft of driving, and 18 ft. of rising and sinking were done on Cuirassier reef, and stopmg was also done on the same reef between Nos. 1 and 2 levels. The various levels and surface tramways were cleaned up and repaired and the aerial put in order. Seventeen tons of ore was mined and treated for a return of 32 oz. 14 dwt gold valued at £178 Is. 4d„ which represents the total output since commencement of operations. Progress Claim, Tiki (Miss M. G. Westby, Owner).—A good deal of work was done m a adit on the claim and two small auriferous veins were located. A crushing of 2 tons, at the Hauraki battery, yielded 18 oz. 19 dwt. gold, valued at £90 16s. 3d., which represents the total output since commencement of operations. Towards the end of the year the claim was forfeited on suit by T. Anderson. Coromandel Gold-mines, Ltd., Coromandel (J. Caisley, Manager).—Work was mainly concentrated on sinking the shaft, which was extended to 140 ft., an average of four men being employed. Lillis's Claim, Waitekuri (T. M. Lillis, Owner).—About 394 ft. of driving, crosscuttmg, and rising was done, as well as a considerable amount of surface-trenching, but nothing of importance seems to have been located A crushing of 2 tons of quartz yielded 2 oz. 14 dwt. gold, valued at £17 9s. 4d., which represents the total output since commencement of operations. , . , , , , , , • i i, ij Ranqihau Mines, Ltd., Kapowai.—This company was formed m August to take over claims previously held bv Kapowai Amalgamated Gold-mines, Ltd., which had gone into liquidation. The present company put a rise through from a new level (Webb's) for 58 ft. to connect with O'Connor s level above it, and from the latter are driving in the hope of locating what was known as O'Connor's patch. Smce it took over the company has treated 49 tons of quartz for a yield of 12 oz. 10 dwt. gold, valued at £33 Bs., but the Kapowai Amalgamated Gold-mines, Ltd., in the early part of the year crushed a further 81 tons for a yield of oz. 5 dwt. gold, J Claim, Boat Harbour (Farmer and Seanlon, Owners). —These owners erected a small treatment plant on their claim, which is about three-quarters of a mile up a small creek entering boat harbour. A good deal of work had been done on the claim many years ago, several levels having been driven. In the low level a fairly large reef was showing, and the present owners, in crosscuttmg through this, found somewhat better values on the footwall than had previously been located. Some 30 tons from the reef was crushed for a return of 15 oz. gold, valued at £82 Bs. 4d., which represents the total output since commencement of operations. Speedmint Claim, Tokatea (Anderson and Shelverton, Owners).—This claim forms part of what was f°™ lerl y the old North Star claim. The owners drove a shallow adit 166 ft., and from a small vein crushed 56 lb. of stone for a return of 19 oz. 18 dwt., valued at £106 os. lOd. u Harbour View Gold-mines, Ltd., Tokatea.—Work was confined for the year to prospecting from the old Welcome low level. A good deal of driving and crosscuttmg was done, but no quartz was crushed. Emily. Claim, Tiki (S. K. Chapman, Owner).— Prospecting by means of shallow adits was carried on, and a small leader was intersected carrying a little gold. One ton of quartz was crushed and yielded 3 oz. 11 dwt. g ° ld 'SMCcess d (Jkrim, Tokatea (Maling and Johnstone, Owners). — Some 5 tons of quartz from this claim was crushed for 9 oz. 13 dwt. gold, valued at £52 18s. 9d. . . . ,_ Saddle Gold-mines, Ltd., Tokatea. —Several hundred feet of driving and crosscuttmg m two levels on the crest of the range at the Tokatea Saddle. Prom a small vein located at surface 150 lb. of quartz was crushed for a yield of 8 oz. 14 dwt. gold, valued at £50, which represents the total output since commencement ° f ° V New°AlMon Claim, Coromandel (J. T. Hinchco, Owner).—On this claim situated on the foreshore of Coromandel Harbour, the owner sank a shaft to about 20 ft. in depth from which some 16 tons of material, consisting of alluvium and detritus, was mined and treated for a yield of 12 oz. 9 dwt. gold, valued at £7., 6s. lid., which was the total output since commencement of operations. Flying Cloud Claim, Tokatea (Brooke, Fraser, and Mcintosh, Owners).—Some 16 cwt. of quartz taken from shallow workings yielded 4 oz. 4 dwt. gold, valued at £22 13s. lid. T r , 1 t t> , • Waiorongomai Gold-mines, Ltd., Waiorongomai.-Work was confined to the Cadman and Bonanza sections some eight men being employed. On the former section No. 2 level was continued for 102 ft., making a total of 1197 ft. from portal. Within the next 50 ft. to 100 ft. it is expected this level will intersect the Waitoki, Werahiko, and Moa reefs, each of which produced a certain amount of ore at 360 ft. higher. On the Bonanza section No. 1 level was extended 160 ft., and intersected the Goldsworthy reef, 2 ft. in width, which is said to have carried ore showing gold. Quicksilver and Sulphur Mines. No work was done in any of the sulphur deposits during the year. Regarding quicksilver claims, no active mining was done by Kaikohe Development, Ltd., but in the course of cleaning up about the plant in the early part of the year 3,8251b. of mercury was recovered, valued at £510. At Puhipuhi, Mercury Mines (New Zealand), Ltd., took over the New Zealand Quicksilver Mine, and towards the end of the year erected a small treatment plant on it, consisting of two retort units with six retorts m each, a 90-horse-power producer for supplying gas for heating the retorts, a 25-horse-power Tangye gas engine for driving generator, and a 50-horse-power Cambridge gas-producer for supplying gas for the engine. In the mine a good deal of work was done by way of renewing timbers and getting levels in order for working. Only one short run was given tie plant before the end of the year, when 8501b. of ore was put through as a trial parcel and yielded lb. mercury, valued at £5 12s. 7d. An average of two men was employed. Oil-wells. Moturoa OMelds. Ltd.—This was the only company to carry on any operations. During the period the No. 4 well was continued and completed to a depth of 2,186 ft. The prmcipa production for the year . was from No 2 well, which produced for the year 114,985 imperial gallons of petroleum, valued at £2,106. No. 4 well produced 40,713 imperial gallons, valued at £763 7s. The company undertook the plugging of the New Plvmouth (New Zealand) Oil Wells, Ltd., No. 1 well. It also dismantled the company s derrick and rig, which was subsequently re-erected on the Moturoa Oil Fields, Ltd., No. 1 well, where production tests are now m progress An attempt is being made to get production from the well at 2,073 ft. Production from No. 2 well is obtained by bailing and from No. 4 well by gas-flow through tubing. The petroleum recovered is all disposed of to the local refinery. An average of ten men was employed. Towards the end of the year a geophysical survey of the company's area was commenced, with a view to obtaining some more definite information as a guide for future operations.

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