C.—2

Murchison County. Glenroy Gold, Ltd. —Operations on this claim were chiefly confined to driving a tunnel tail-race through rock and rising through rock and gravels to the surface prior to resuming sluicing operations. The work was completed, pipe-lines relaid, and main water-race repaired just before the period under review ended. An average of two men was engaged, and gold produced for the year equalled Boz. 13 dwt. 12 gr., which realized £62 12s. 6d. Since the commencement of operations this claim has produced 471 oz. 0 dwt. 16 gr. of gold, valued at £3,600 7s. sd. Newton Flat Qold-mining Co. (H. Lowther, Manager).—An area of freehold ground at Newton Mat was acquired by a company who enlarged an old race, laid a pipe-line to the claim, and erected gold-mining tables on the banks of the Buller River. A tail-race through granito was constructed from the tables to a point where gravel-sluicing commenced on a face 18 ft. deep, and five men produced 8 oz. 0 dwt. 15 gr. of gold, valued at £49 16s. 4d. The Maud and Maggie Creek areas continue to produce a substantial amount of gold, despite the decreasing number of miners employed. On the conclusion of experimental operations with a drag-line plant, the property of Mr. E. W. Tait at Narrow Neck on the Buller River, tho plant was removed to Maud Creek and set up with the object of proving its value as a mechanical mining unit under tho conditions prevailing on the ground that had been left unworked by miners as unprofitable to mine by hand methods. By the. end of a year a paddock had been cleared and stripped of overburden, and the plant was undergoing a test that would shortly demonstrate its possibilities of dealing with comparatively low-grade ground at a cost that would leave a margin over workingexpenses. During the year 160 men were employed in the county and won 1,417 oz. 4 dwt. 5 gr. of gold, valued at £10,326 13s. 7d. These figures exclude returns from dredges, but include tho yield from all other alluvial mining operations. Buller County. Addison's Flat Qold-mining Co. (J. M. Powell, Manager). —This company employed a force of ten men at hydraulic sluicing and elevating operations on cemented wash. During the year the plant and tables were removed to another section of the old beach lead of a similar depth and character to that worked in previous years, and operations were resumed. Gold-production for the period amounted to 591 oz., valued at £4,563 14s. 9d. Since commencing operations the company has produced 3,314 oz. 7 dwt. 8 gr., valued at £25,104 16s. Dividends paid during tho year amounted to £650, making total of £4,745 distributed since the commencement of operations. Ten acres of ground were treated for the year's yield, tho average depth being 8 ft. Totara Qold-mining Co., Ltd. (D. Hartill, Manager).—The company employed six men for a short period during the year and produced 31 oz. 11 dwt. 6 gr., valued at £201 4s. 2d. Seventy-six men were engaged at alluvial mining in this county and produced 853 oz. 7 dwt. 19 gr., valued at £6,513 12s. 5d.; these figures include all alluvial gold won in the county during the year under review. Tnangahua County. Waitahu Qold-mining Co. (P. P. Thomas, Manager).- -This company during tho year employed nine men and removed four paddocks of wash and overburden by ground sluicing and hydraulic elevating, and tho following figures represent the amount of dirt treated and gold recovered: Percentage of wash stripped by ground sluicing, 65 per cent.; percentage of ground mined by elevating, 35 per cent.; total mined, 324,000 cubic yards; rate of treatment when stripping, 112 cubic yards per hour; rate of treatment when elevating, 33\ cubic yards per hour; average value surface to bottom, 4-37 d. per cubic yard; working-costs, slightly under 3d. per cubic yard. The total amounlj. of gold recovered was 558 oz. 1 dwt., which realized £4,273 16s. 2d., making the totals since production commenced 3,368 oz. 4 dwt. 2 gr., valued at £25,134 16s. Dividends paid during the year amounted to £1,333 6s. Bd. Mount David Sluicing Co. (W. G. Baird, Manager).—This company employed four men for the period, during which they operated and won 25 oz. 5 dwt. of gold, valued at £180 18s. 6d. Repeated failures of the main race hindered mining operations and finally caused the cessation of work owing to lack of funds to carry out the necessary repairs. During the year seventy-one men were employed in alluvial mining in the county, and the production was 967 oz. 3 dwt. 20 gr., valued at £7,244 4s. lOd. The figures include all gold won from alluvial workings, except dredges. Grey County. Golden Valley Sluicing Claim, Qow's Creek (T. Donnellan, Manager).—During the year this company treated 15,000 cubic yards of gravel and recovered 95 oz. 1 dwt. of alluvial gold, valued at £691 Is. sd. The average number of men employed throughout tho year was four. Since the commencement of operations the total production has been 111 oz. 3 dwt. of gold, valued at £803 3s. 2d. Golden Sands Sluicing Claim, Barrytown (J. M. Dennehy, Manager). —Sluicing and elevating operations were carried out continuously from the beginning of tho year until August, when faces workable from the former set-up of tho suction elevator and gold-saving tables became exhausted. The elevator and a substantial washingplant were then erected 36 chains north of the former set-up, the pipe-line was extended, and sluicing operations recommenced towards the end of the year. During the year 295 oz. 2 dwt. of gold was recovered, valued at £2,427 6s. lid. Tho average number of men employed was ten. Since the commencement of operations the total production has been 3,859 oz. 6 dwt. 13 gr., valued at £30,618 95., and the sum of £7,166 13s. 4d. has been paid in dividends. Moonlight Qoldfields Sluicing Claim, Healey's Gully (R. C. Bell, Manager).-—Sluicing operations were carried out throughout the year on two faccs, and a new tail-race, 1,600 ft. in length, was constructed; 241,200 cubic yards were treated for a yield of 1,191 oz. 11 dwt. of gold, valued at £10,485 Bs. 4d., and the sum of £1,486 Is. was paid in dividends. Since the commencement of operations gold to the value of £25,116 15s. lid. has been produced, and the sum of £2,476 15s. has been paid in dividends. The average number of men omployed throughout the year was sixteen. Welshman's Claim, Marsden (A. J. M. Millar, Manager).—Operations at this claim were suspended in February, 1938; tho company (Addison's Exploration, Ltd.) is now in the process of liquidation. The production during tho year was 189 oz. 11 dwt. of gold, valued at £1,163 19s. 6d. Since the commencement of operations in 1936 this claim produced a total of 1,884 oz. 16 dwt. of gold, valued at £12,164. The claim was worked by a Diesel-powered 1-cubic-yard shovel, the spoil being transported to the washing plant by a steam-locomotive and railway wagons. Tho average number of men employed was twenty-one. Bohonu Sluicing Claim, Greenstone (J. S. Langford, Manager).—During the year this claim was operated by a private syndicate, who repaired portion of the water-conduit and carried out intermittent sluicing operations. The average number of men employed was five. Kumara Qoldfields Syndicate, Payne's Gully (A. E. Langham, Manager).—Sluicing operations were suspended at this claim in July, 1938. During the year 123 oz. 16 dwt. 6 gr. of gold were produced, valued at £938 3s. 3d.; five men were employed. The total production since tho commencement of operations has been 414 oz. 1 dwt. Bgr., valued at £3,304 os. lid. The total number of men engaged in alluvial mining in the Grey County was two hundred and twenty-five, and the gold - production was 3,138 oz. 9 dwt. 8 gr., valued at £24,686 Is. sd. These figures include the Golden Valley, Golden Sands, Moonlight Goldfields, Welshman's, Hohonu, and Kumara Goldlields claims and all the small alluvial claims, but not tho dredges.

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