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Wallace County The Bound Hill Gold-mine has operated with a reduced staff, and two shifts daily have replaced the previous three-shift operation. Three aores were elevated to a depth of 75 ft. and half an acre stripped to 30 ft. Sluicing operations were carried on regularly in the Old Township workings, Orepuki, in sections of this field previously mined by underground methods. Lake County State Scheelite-mines. —-In the Glenorchy State Schcelite-mine, prospecting, developing, and stoping operations were carried out. The No. 7or main level has been extended to 1,249 ft. from the portal. The reef averaged about 18 in., but was very low grade. In the No. 1 rise a small block was stoped on low-grade ore. In No. 1a rise two crosscuts were driven, but only small lenses of ore were located. The area was stoped out to the intermediate level above. No. 2 Rise Section : Stoping operations were carried out until the ore became too low in value to pay for extraction. In the No. 4 rise, stoping operations located one good lens of ore, but the balance of the ore was low grade. In the No. 4 stope (above No. 1a rise), stoping operations located some good lenses of ore, and the major portion of the concentrates were obtained from this section. In the No. 5 rise section, development work proved this seotion to be disturbed and faulted. Considerable driving was carried out but no area of stoping ground was located, so all scheelite lenses were mined and operating ceased. No. 7 Rise Section : Stoping operations were carried out on the west side of the rise up to 98 ft., and a small area was also stoped on the east side of the rise. The reef averaged 18 in., but the ore was generally low grade and operations ceased when 38,88(5 cubic feet had been mined. In the No. 7 level, in order to test the ore thoroughly near the face, a leading stope was mined in. reef averaging 18 in., but the ore was very low grade and prospecting operations were then suspended on the inbye section of this level. In order to test the reef below the No. 7 level three winzes were put down. No. 1 was 45 ft., No. 2 was 20 ft., and No. 3 was 15 ft. In all cases the ore was low grade. In the No. 0 level, prospecting, development, and stoping operations were carried out during the early months of the year. Two rises were put up to 85 ft. and 148 ft. respectively. Nothing of value was opened up by the 85 ft. rise, and only a small lens just below No. 5 level in the 145 ft. rise ; this was stoped out. The reef in the level was from 2 ft. to 3J ft. thick but very low grade. Portions of this level were let on tribute in April. Active prospecting and development work was also carried out in the No. 3 and 4 levels during the early months of the year. A small lens of ore was located between No. 3 and 4. This was stoped out, and as prospecting work had failed to locate payable reef, operations were suspended and all rails, pipes, and gear were withdrawn from No. 3, 4, and 5 levels. A total of 1,002 tons of ore (97-J tons first grade and 904J tons second grade) were sent to the treatment plant during the year and 22 tons of scheelite concentrates were obtained (16J tons raw concentrates from the first grade ore and 51 tons of roasted concentrates from the second-grade ore). Kelly Lode : A tribute party opened up a section of this lode near Taylors. The main drive intersected a fault at about 100 ft. A prospecting crosscut opened up a thin lens of good ore. A second parallel drive was driven about 70 ft. for prospecting and ventilation purposes, but this failed to locate further payable ore and operations were suspended when all the payable ore had been extracted. On account of the failure of prospecting and development work to locate payable scheelite-bearing ore, and the exhaustion of the balance of the payable ore in the pillar sections of the mine, operations by the State ceased early in 1945. One party of two men continued to carry on tribute operations on No. 7 level, and a similar party are tributing on the No. 6 level. Treatment Plant: This plant has operated steadily during the year treating the ore from the two State mines and also ore from many of the privately owned mines in the Bonnie Jean and Mount Mcintosh reefing system. This plant has been repaired, additions have been made, and improvements have been carried out. The plant is now in good working-order. Paradise, State Mine.—Active development and mining operations were carried out at this mine. All the payable ore for a length of 300 ft. between Nos. 1 and 2 levels was stoped, but the results obtained did not come up to expectations. No. 1 stope, between the No. 2 and No. 3 rises, yielding the best results from a lens of ore about 10 ft. wide running from No. 2to No.l levels. This lens contained good scheelite and yielded the major portion of the mine output. The ore body was from 1 ft. to 4 ft. in thickness but, with a few exceptions, it was patchy and low grade. No. 1 level was driven ahead for a short distance in formation yielding very little ore. Stoping was also carried out above the No. 1 level, but the ore body was small and low grade, yielding very little scheelite. In order to test the reef above the stope a rise was put up to the surface a distance of 94 ft. from the level. The reef proved to be small and very low grade. In order to test the reef underfoot, winzes were sunk from the No. 2 level. No. 1 winze was 37 ft. and the reef averaged 1 ft. in width but was low grade. No. 2 winze was sunk on a lens of ore, but this cut out at 10 ft. and operations were then suspended. On account of the failure of prospecting and development work to locate payable ore bodies, coupled with the poor overall results obtained from stoping operations, all mining ceased early in January, 1945. During the year's operations a total of 89,477 cubic feet of ground was mined for a return of 873 tons of ore (187 tons first grade, 686 tons second grade), yielding 24 tons 16 cwt. scheelite concentrates. An average of twenty-eight men were employed during the year (eleven Glenorchy, thirteen Paradise, and four Glenorchy treatment plant). The State took over the mines in a time of emergency when it was essential to obtain scheelite. Both mines had reached the stage where very considerable expenditure was required for prospecting and development. This work has been carried out, and no economic ore bodies have been located either at the Glenorchy or the Paradise Mine. The gradual exhaustion of the economic ore in the pillars of the mines was only a matter of time. Mount Larkin Reefs. —Further trenching and sluicing operations were carried out on the vertical reef line on the northern side of the creek, but results did not warrant a continuance of operations at this remote area under prevailing prices. Operations ceased at the end of the year. Heather Jock Scheelite Syndicate (Wylie Bros), (Western Slopes of Mount Larkin). —When sluicing operations were resumed at Forbe's Reef an upthrow fault was encountered. The compressor was then shifted to the upper level of the Heather Jock reef and assembled and housed. The drive was reconditioned, water-pipes installed, and driving operations resumed in very hard quartz-reef formation. Ore was located near the end of the year and a short drive to the south-east opened up a lens of high-grade ore. Bonnie Jean Mine (Elliot Bros, and Tripp), (South-western Slopes of Mount Larkin). —Active sluicing operations have been carried out during the season when water has been available. During slack water periods, driving and stoping operations were carried out at the southern end of the mine. Sharpe Bros., Harris, and Wetherston, Bonnie Jean Gorge.—Operations were resumed at the Gorge Mine, and the balance of the payable reef was stop'ed out and mining operations were suspended. droves Mine (owned by Mr. J. R. Tripp and situated on the Left-hand Terrace of the Bonnie Jean Basin). —• Driving and stoping operations were carried out during the early part of the year, then the mine was taken over on tribute by the Northcote Bros., who have continued to prospect and stope the remaining blocks of ore in the mine until all the payable ore has been exhausted. Fossicking operations have also been carried out on the surface outcrops. In addition to the treatment of the ore from the mine, the battery has treated parcels of ore from mines in the Mount Larkin area. Operations ceased at the Bonnie Jean crossing reef and also at the Eureka reef. The Valpy Bucklerburn River Alluvial Mine has been in operation during the working season and a covered tailrace is under construction on the north-east side of the river-bed. The Hercules or Ross Mine.—A considerable amount of prospect driving, rising, and sinking has been carried out at and adjacent to the No. 1 mine, but only small lenses of payable ore have been located. Stoping operations have also been carried out in the No. 1 mine. No work has been done at Thompson's reef, and only a limited amount of work on the Gollop and Veint reef exposure.

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