C.—2.

In the West Coast District there were 800 less men engaged in alluvial mining during 1937 and 527 less in the Southern District than during 1936. Over a quarter of the men in the West Coast were in the Grey district, and the 365 men there produced 4,773 oz. of gold during 1937. In the Murchison district 263 men produced 1,881 oz., and in the Buller district 141 men produced 1,304 oz. Towards the end of the year the sinking of a three-compartment shaft was commenced at Waikakaho, about 300 ft. from the line of deep lead. A previous attempt to sink it through the alluvium immediately over the lead was unsuccessful, through the large inflow of water. A drag-line plant was installed on a claim on the bank of the Buller River. It proved efficient in dealing with the large rocks and buried timber, but was not a financial success. The plant is being removed to the Golden Hope area, and will be given a trial there. At Nokomai ordinary sluicing operations were superseded in May, 1937, by two 12 in. gravelpumps working in series and mounted on a steel pontoon, elevating the gravels about 40 ft. to the gold-saving boxes. The pumps are direct-coupled to 175 h.p. A.C. motors, and, except for four weeks when work was suspended owing to very severe frosts, they have operated continuously and successfully. Gravel-pumps are now being used with success at six other claims in the Southern District, and at two of these claims previously worked ground is being reworked by means of the gravel-pumps. At the King Solomon Mine, near Waikaia, the working of known payable areas was completed in February, 1937. Some further prospecting was done in the Radford area for about three months, but as the results were very disappointing the mine was closed down and the pumps withdrawn. Later in the year all the plant was sold and the company was then wound up. Only a very small amount of work was done during 1937 mining the deep lead north of the Kawarau River, but a channel was located beneath the surface alluvials along the south bank and opposite the lower end of Cromwell. Near the south bank but further to the west, what appears to be an old course of the Kawarau River has been located by driving, and a syndicate has been formed to work the claim. V. MINERALS OTHER THAN GOLD. Iron. At Onekaka 150 tons of iron-ore, valued at £37 10s., was quarried in 1937. The limonite was crushed and sold. At Kamo, Whangarei, 421 tons of limonite, valued at £842, was produced. Asbestos. From the Upper Takaka field 2,200 lb. of asbestos-bearing rock was got by hand-dressing. Sulphur. No work was done at any of the sulphur deposits during the year. Manganese. In the Auckland District a total of 5 tons of manganese-ore was mined for testing purposes. Quicksilver. From approximately 30 tons of ore from the Mercury Mines, Ltd.'s, quicksilver mine 1,344 lb. of mercury, valued at £336, was obtained. Tungsten. From the Glenorchy, Macraes, and Waipori districts a little less than 24 tons of scheelite was produced. Much of it has not yet been sold. Silver. Together with the gold recovered, the Clutha dredge showed a return of 205 oz. of silver, valued at £20. In the Northern District the estimated return of silver was 443,776 oz., valued at £39,830. Platinum. Together with the gold they won, three Southland sluicing companies recovered 55J oz. of platinum, valued at £423 6s. 4d. Petroleum. No drilling for petroleum was done in New Zealand during 1937. From Kotuku, 1,487 gallons of crude oil was collected ; and from the three producing wells owned by Moturoa Oilfields, Ltd. (Nos. 1, 2, and 4), a total of 132,972 gallons of petroleum was obtained, all of which was treated by New Zealand Refineries, Ltd.

4—C. 2.

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