C.—2.

total of 183,518 long tons of quartz was mined and treated, from which gold and silver to the value of £420,143 was obtained. The gold recovered amounted to 54,552 oz. 13 dwt., valued at £383,233, and the silver to 412,022 oz. 11 dwt., valued at £36,910. Dividends were paid during the year to the amount of £99,181 Bs. The average number of men employed was 598. The total yield of bullion (gold and silver) since the beginning of operations (including that won by the Waihi Gold-mining Co., Ltd.) is 27,372,469 oz. 2 dwt. 11 gr., valued at £19,375,005 13s. lOd. Waihi Grand Junction Gold-mining Go., Ltd. (W. Morrison, Manager).—The Martha Gold-mining Co. (Waihi), Ltd., continued the working of this mine. No. 10 level: All broken ore was drawn from Fahy and Ellis blocks in the Martha Co.'s No. 13 level, Empire lode. No. 9 level: Ore was drawn from Nos. 9 and 6 pass blocks on the Empire lode. No. 8 level: On the Royal lode 214 short wet tons of broken ore were drawn from No. 4 pass block. All available ore was drawn from Lowrie block, but owing to the flatness of the stope a good deal of broken ore on the footwall cannot be obtained. No. 7 level: All the broken ore that could be got with safety was taken from Chalker block, on the Royal lode, and from Wells and Nos. 11 and 12 pass blocks, on the Empire lode. No. 7 (63 ft.) up level: Shrinkage stoping was done up to the floor of No. 6 level in No. 18 pass block, on the Empire lode, and all broken ore was drawn pff. No. 7 (59 ft. and 80 ft.) up levels : Shrinkage stoping completed and all broken ore has been trucked from Ward block, on the George lod#. No. 6 level: About 2,000 tons of ore was obtained from Gibbons, Dye, and Nos. 3 and 10 pass blocks, on the Royal lode. Martha Co.'s No. 10 level: All the available broken ore was drawn from Ulster block, on the lode of the same name. Martha Co.'s No. 8 level: East of footwall gangway a north crosscut was driven from 238| ft. to 396 ft. on the Royal lode, when driving was stopped owing to very low values. At 304 ft. a crosscut was put out north for 21 ft. on payable stone. No. 7 pass shrinkage block from 250 ft. to the 370 ft. point was worked up to 47 ft. above the level, and stopped owing to the sulphide ore pinching out and giving place to calcite. No. 3 pass shrinkage block, from 76 ft. to 166 ft. east, is being worked and is now 54 ft. above the level. Some 386 short wet tons were obtained, and there are now 504 tons of broken ore lying in the block. The diamond-drilling programme referred to in last year's report was completed. Output: The ore won from the mine amounted to 16,797 long tons, which yielded gold and silver to the value of £34,665. The gold amounted to 4,722 oz. 17 dwt., valued at £33,178, and the silver to 16,602 oz. 17 dwt., valued at £1,487. Dividends to the amount of £6,906 ss. 4d. were paid. The average number of men employed was thirty. The total value of the bullion won from the mine since the commencement of operations is £2,737,190 3s. Golden Davm Gold-mines, Ltd., Owharoa (J. H. Benney, Manager). —No. 3 level: The crosscut west off No. 1 reef north has been extended to a total of 840 ft. Up to within 100 ft. of the face the country rock was of a fair class, but from that point onwards it became broken, and driving was stopped. A drive north on a branch of No. 1 reef has been advanced to 219 ft. Reef unpayable. A crosscut west off this drive was put in for 30 ft., at which point the No. 2 reef was cut and found to be 15 in. in width and of very fair value. This reef was driven on for 129 ft. north and 121 ft. south. A crosscut put out from the drive north was advanced to 239 ft. Small reefs were cut at 27 ft., 72 ft., and 92 ft., and at 202 ft. a reef 20 ft. in width was encountered. The lode met at 27 ft., now called No. 4 reef, was driven on north for 96 ft. and south for 146 ft. It averages 11 in. in width and is of good value. Driving north and south was also carried out on the reefs cut at 72 ft. and 92 ft., but these proved unpayable. A drive was put in for 60 ft. on the west wall of the wide reef (No. 5) cut at 202 ft. This portion of the reef averages 5 ft. in width and looks very well. Bottom intermediate level (70 ft. above No. 3) : The crosscut east off No. 3 reef south was put in for 127 ft. in country rock of a good class for carrying reefs, but none were found. Stoping operations were carried out on both the levels named on the west wall branch of No. 1 reef, and on Nos. 2 and 4 reefs. The average number of men employed was 110. Output: For the year, 7,511 tons of quartz was mined and treated for a return of 3,307 oz. 5 dwt. of gold, valued at £28,889 7s. 5d., and 4,844 oz. 12 dwt. of silver, worth £324 16s. lOd. No dividends were paid. The company's battery also treated ore for outside suppliers to the total of 2,297 tons, which yielded 1,960 oz. of gold, valued at £17,126, and 9,415 oz. of silver, worth £1,047. The total yield from the Golden Dawn mine since the beginning of operations is 86,904 oz. 5 dwt. 15 gr. of bullion, valued at £229,954 12s. 2d. Talisman-Dubbo Gold-mines, Ltd., Karangahake (W. J. McConachie, Manager).—No. 2 level: The drive south was advanced to 1,143 ft. from the main crosscut. From 950 ft. to 1,000 ft. the drive continued in good-grade ore, but from that point onwards the lode was very irregular and poor in value. Crosscuts were put out at intervals from the drive, but with unsatisfactory results. Stoping was done from 750 ft. to 1,000 ft. south. From 935 ft. to 1,000 ft. values cut out; the lode practically disappeared 12 ft. below No. 1 level also. Dubbo level: A drive was advanced on the hanging-wall section of the lode from the main rise to 52 ft. north, at which point the reef functioned with the footwall section. Stoping was carried out in the eastern section of the lode from 638 ft. to 664 ft. north, and also on the hanging-wall section on quartz of good value. Intermediate level: At 22 ft. above the mouth of No. 1 level a crosscut was driven to intersect the Maria lode. The level was extended north for 10 ft. and south for 90 ft. Values were low. A winze sunk to determine the nature of the lode underfoot did not yield encouraging results. Stoping on this level produced 122 tons of ore of fair value. No. 4 level: The opening-up of this level was commenced early in the year, with the object of reaching a portion of the Maria lode which was not worked by previous companies, The face is now in 767 ft. south of the main crosscut. Hauraki (No. 7) level: This level has been cleaned out and repaired for a distance of 930 ft., the intention being to continue the driving of same into virgin country. The erection of the company's battery is still in hand. Thirty-two men were employed. For the year the company mined 2,239 tons of ore, which was treated at the Golden Dawn battery, for a yield of 1,895 oz. 7 dwt. of gold, valued at £16,668 15s. Id., and 8,752 oz. 14 dwt. of silver, worth £988 Is. Bd. No dividends were paid. The total yield of bullion since the commencement of operations is 55,602 oz. 17 dwt. 5 gr., valued at £80,802 7s. Star Claim, Karangahake (H. A. Meagher, Owner). —No. 2 level was driven a further 20 ft. on the reef, but the country became very hard and this work was stopped. An effort is now being made to locate the Rhoderic Dhu reef in No. 1 level, where report states it was lost many years ago. From a small parcel of ore 4 oz. 16 dwt. of gold, valued at £18 19s. 2d., was obtained. This is the total production since the commencement of operations. New Talisman Claim, Karangahake (C. Waines and R. Schulzki, Owners). —Operations consisted of driving, crosscutting, and sinking in order to test a supposed continuation of the Shepherd line of reef. Eleven tons of ore was treated for a return of 20 oz. 7 dwt. of gold, valued at £143 13s. 9d., and 469 oz. 18 dwt. of silver, valued at £42 4s. 7d. The total yield since the beginning of operations is 1,059 oz. 7 dwt. of bullion, valued at £729 2s. 7d. Waiawa Claim, Karangahake (J. B. Morris, Owner). —Stoping operations in this mine have produced 264 tons of quartz for the year, which, on treatment in the owner's battery, yielded 159 oz. of gold, valued at £981 13s. 6d., and 208 oz. 10 dwt. of silver, valued at £11 13s. 7d. The total production since the commencement of operations is 759 oz. of bullion, worth £2,358 9s. 4d. Victoria Claim, Karangahake (D. Leach, Owner). —The prospecting drive commenced in the previous year was extended to the western boundary of the claim, a distance of over 400 ft., but nothing of importance was met with, and all work on the area Was abandoned. Golden Spur Claim, Maratoto (A. Duke, Owner). —A short drive was put in 25 ft. below an outcrop which is located north of the Ohinemuri Co.'s tramline. A reef 3 ft. in width was driven on for 112 ft., at which pohit it junctioned with what is known as the main lode. Additional driving would have resulted in the surface being reached, and work was suspended. Further driving and crosscutting was done at a lower horizon with unsatisfactory results in one case and partially profitable ones in the other. A small tonnage of ore treated at the Golden Dawn battery yielded 4oz. 13 dwt. of gold, valued at £32 14s. lid., and 104 oz. of silver, worth £9 3s. The total output since the beginning of operations is 190 oz. 7 dwt. of bullion, valued at £65 lis. lid. . .Golden Crown Gold-mining Co. (N.L.), Komata (A. A. Adams, Manager).-—The principal work done for the year consisted of repairing the main pass between Nos. 1 and 4 levels. It is now in good order down to No. 8 level. A leading stope is being opened out on the Golden Crown level. On the No. 1 level a crosscut was driven-west from the main pass to No. 2 reef, and a start has been made to get this block ready for stoping. No. 2 level on the same reef

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