C.—2

VII. STATE AID TO MINING, ! : (1) Subsidized Prospecting. Upon subsidized prospecting operations eighty -two persons were intermittently employed during the year. The-following is a statement showing the results of prospecting operations as reported by the Inspectors of Mines :—

27

r i Number Amount of Amount of Distance | -|u-atnr#> of . t, ; Name of Prospecting Party. of Pro- i Locality of Operations. Subsidy | Subsidy driven Claim Character of Operations, j Remarks. : ■ j spectors. J granted.* expended. or sunk. . : — : — : NoUhern Inspection District. £ s. d. £ s. d. Ft. Leach, D. .. .. .. 2 Victoria Claim, Karangahake .. . .. 55 13 0 55 13 0 106 Quartz .. Driving .. .. Work unsuccessful. Golden Dawn Gold-mines, Ltd. .. .. Golden Dawn Mine, Owharoa .. .. 1,000 0 0 .. .. Quartz .. Driving, &c. .. Operations temporarily suspended. Victoria Gold-mining Co. .. .. 2 Victoria Claim, Thames .. .. 161 211 161 211 212 Quartz .. Driving .. .. Work unsuccessful. Monowai Gold Development, Ltd. .. .. Monowai Mine, Thames .. .. 1,100 0 0 .. .. Quartz .. Driving and cross-cut- Work not yet started. E ting Commissioner Claim .. .. .. 4 Thames .. .. .. .. 1,552 19 10 1,263 4 0 742 Quartz .. Driving .. .. Operations satisfactory and still proceeding. School of Mines .. .. .. .. Thames .. .. .. .. 69 10 0 22 0 0 .. .. Crushing Heather Bell Gold-mining Co., Ltd. .. .. | Heather Bell Claim, Whenuakite .. 400 0 0 .. .. .. Driving and cross-cut- Work not yet started. ting J. A. McNeill .. .. .. 1 Mount Te Aroha .. .. .. 32 10 0 15 0 0 .. Quartz .. Surface-prospecting .. Operations abandoned. West Coast Inspection District. Antonio's Hydraulic Elevating Co., Ltd. 4 Antonio's, Mawheraiti .. .. .. 200 0 0 17 7 0 491 Alluvial .. Driving tunnel .. Operations suspended. Consolidated Goldfields of New Zealand, 4 Globe-Progress Area . . .. .. 2,955 17 10 950 13 4 1,165 Quartz .. Diamond drilling .. Work in progress. Ltd. Golden Valley Syndicate .. . * 4 Gow's Creek .. .. .. .. 350 0 0 350 0 0 .. Alluvial .. Claim-development .. Mining operations in progress. Mikonui Prospecting Syndicate . , 4 Mikonui River .. .. .. 100 0 0 47 5 10 113 Alluvial .. Drilling .. .. Work abandoned. Mount David Sluicing Co., Ltd. .. 4 Bla'ckwater .. .. .. .. 250 0 0 139 5 0 .. Alluvial .. Claim-development .. Work in progress. Wainihinihi Steatite Syndicate .. 1 Wainihinihi .. .. .. .. 25 0 0 .. .. Mineral .. Trenching .. .. Subsidy not yet taken up. Southern Inspection. District. Bendigo Rise and Shine Gold : mining Co., 8 Bendigo .. .. .. 720 0 0 70 0 0 .. Reefing .. Driving and winzing.. Company now in liquidation. Ltd. F.Moore .. .. .. .. 3 Preservation Inlet .. .. .. 125 0 0 48 10 0 97 Reefing .. Driving .. .. Balance of subsidy now cancelled. J. Cairns .. ' .. .. 2 Matakanui .. .. .. 10 4 6 .. 17 Reefing .. Driving and sinking .. Work still to be completed. S. C. Fache .. .. ,. 9 Nevis .. .; .. .. 883 11 11 814 13 3 .. Dredging.. Moving dredge .. Work still in progress. King Solomon Deep Lead, Ltd. .. 30 Waikaia .. .. . . .. 1,000 0 0 375 0 0 .. Deep lead Driving .. .. Mine abandoned during year. 82 4,329 14 4f * Includes authorizations in previous years; The total of the subsidies granted, less cancellations, during the year ended 31st March, 1938, amounted to £12,227 14s. 4d. The amounts authorized for prospecting, in conjunction with the Labour Department (Employment Division), in South WestlaUd and in the Reefton district are not included in this total. fin addition, the Mines Department is paying —( a) Half of the cost of an investigation of areas in South Westland, the other half being paid by the Labour Department (Employment Division); fourteen prospectors are employed, and £1,003 Is. 4d. has been expended by the Department during the year. (b) Half of the cost of the prospecting of the Globe and Merrijigs area, Reefton district, the other half being paid by the Labour Department (Employment Division); twenty-two prospectors are engaged on this scheme, and the Department's expenditure during the year amounted to £3,522 2s. 9d.