C.—2.

(3) Alluvial Mining. The following is a statement showing the production of, and dividends declared by, alluvial gold-mines during 1939 :—

In the West Coast and Southern Inspection Districts 1,190 men were employed at alluvial mining in J 939, as compared with 1,374 men in the previous year. In the West Coast district a further decrease from 858 men to 649 men was shown, but in the Southern district there was an increase from 516 men to 541 men. The 193 men in the Grey district alluvial mines produced 2,968 oz. of gold in 1939 ; in the Murchison district 123 men produced 883 oz. ; in the Buller district 55 men produced 1,185 oz. ; and in the Westland district 135 men produced 1,141 oz. At Waikakaho the work was confined to the driving of a crosscut from the bottom of the shaft. The test of the drag-line plant at Maud Creek proved the cost of operating it was not economical through frequent removals and resetting. At Addison's Flat 147,000 cubic yards were treated, yielding 703 oz of gold, valued at £5,765, and at the Waitahu claim 251,500 cubic yards were elevated and sluiced, yielding 635 oz. of gold, valued at £5,271. At the Golden Sands sluicing claim, 1,076 oz. of gold, worth £4,961, was recovered from 154,000 cubic yards, and at the Moonlight Goldfield sluicing claim 243,730 cubic yards were treated, from which 1,076 oz. was recovered, valued at £10,388. The two 12 in. gravel-pumps at the Nokomai Gold-mining Co.'s claim continued to operate very satisfactorily in 1939, and 1,536 oz. of gold was recovered, valued at £12,127. The two gravel-pumps owned by Macrae's Gold-mining Co. elevated 121,200 cubic yards of wash during 1939 for a return of 872 oz. of gold, valued at £6,871. The Paddy's Point Gold-mining Co. recovered at Waitahuna 465 oz. of gold, worth £3,721, and in a valley east of Waitahuna Gully the Sailors Gully Sluicing Co. recovered 355 oz. of gold, valued at £2,991. The Round Hill Gold-mining Co. at their claim at Round Hill, in Southland, recovered 2,321 oz. of gold, valued at £19,671. An area has been taken up covering the main drives in the Bell-Kilgour and Bell-Hooper Mines, and it is intended to sluice ofi the deep overburden before sluicing the pillars of the deep lead which were not extracted by underground operation. (4) Prosecutions. There were two prosecutions by the Inspectors in 1939, one in the Northern district and one in the West Coast district. A Northern district battery superintendent was charged with failing to permit a workmen's inspector to inspect a refinery, but the information was dismissed. A West Coast dredgemaster was convicted and fined for employing labour on a Sunday without first having obtained authority to do so from the Inspector.

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Dividends declared. „ „ . „ Estimated Quantity and Value Name of Owner. | of pro(i^ oed . During 1939. Total to End of 1939 West Coast. Oz. £ £ £ Glenroy Gold, Ltd. .. .. .. 40 319 Addison's Flat Gold-mining Co., Ltd. .. 703 5,765 1,300 6,045 Totara Gold-mining Co., Ltd. .. .. 209 1,685 Newton Flat Gold-sluicing Co., Ltd. .. 9 76 Waitahu Gold-mining Co., Ltd. .. .. 635 5,271 .. 1,333 Auckland Alluvials, Ltd. .. .. .. 69 620 Golden Sands, Ltd. .. .. •• 527 4,961 1,167 8,333 Golden Valley Syndicate .. . . .. 33 250 Kumara Goldfields Syndicate .. .. 51 387 Moonlight Goldfields, Ltd. .. .. 1,076 10,388 1,981 4,458 Stafford Sluicing, Ltd. .. .. .. 11 94 All other claims .. .. .. •• 4,312 32,507 Otago and Southland. Enterprise Gold-mining Co., Ltd. .. . . 20 135 Paddy's Point Gold-mining Co., Ltd. .. 465 3,721 1,401 4,203 Macrae's Gold-mining Co., Ltd. .. .. 872 6,871 .. 9,000 New Gabriels Gully Gold-mining Co., Ltd. . . 104 761 Jones Nevis Sluicing Co., Ltd. .. .. 58 463 .. 813 Central Shotover Gold-mining Co., Ltd. .. 179 1,380 Sandhills Gold-mining Co., Ltd. .. . . 94 724 .. 2,000 Short and Party, Ltd. .. .. . . 55 384 Nokomai Gold-mining Co., Ltd. .. .. 1,536 12,124 Kildare Consolidated Gold-mining Co., Ltd. .. 277 2,192 .. 1,000 Vinegar Hill Hydraulic Sluicing Co., Ltd. .. 257 2,046 450 1,650 Mining House Concessions, Ltd. . . .. 66 625 Sailors Gully (Waitahuna) Gold-mining Co., Ltd. 335 2,991 210 14,135 Golden Arrow Mining Co., Ltd. .. .. 86 658 .. 1,660 Nevis Sluicing Claims, Ltd. .. . . 44 351 .. . . Hound Hill Gold-mining Co., Ltd. .. .. 2,321 19,671 9,000 30,929 Tuapeka Mouth Gold-mining Co., Ltd. .. 188 1,594 300 2,100 All other claims .. .. .. •• 3,880 31,155 Totals, 1939 .. .. .. 18,512 150,169 15,809 Unknown. Totals, 1938 .. .. .. 19,929 149,586 13,819 Unknown.