14S Notes on the Area of Intrusive Rocks at Dargo. 



holders themselves, who had a direct interest in economy of 

 workina:. It has not been the result of richer stone, or more 



o .... . 



of it, for the quartz veins in this mine are exceptionally 

 narrow, and contained little, if anything, over the ordinary 

 yield of gold in other similar mines. It has been due to 

 careful and economical working, and the shareholders have 

 contended, with some success, against difficulties under which 

 other mines have succumbed. 



Some of the difficulties in the way of working this mine 

 at a profit have been, in addition to the narrowness of the 

 quartz veins, the hardness of the country containing them, 

 thus making the cost of raising stone for crushing out of 

 proportion to the yield of gold. The crushing plant was not 

 adapted to the separation and saving of the gold from the 

 ores accompanying it. Moreover, so far as I am aware, there 

 was not sufficient check kept upon a possible loss of gold 

 through the injurious action of those minerals upon amalga- 

 mation ; in other words, it was not known how much gold 

 was lost through this cause or with the pyrites, which were 

 not saved. The want of water at times also caused loss of 

 time through stoppage of work and delay. 



As against these drawbacks, the company was a small one. 

 The mine was managed, and partly worked, by the share- 

 holders, which favoured economy. 



The inference is justified from these statements that, had 

 the gold-bearing veins not been so exceptionally narrow, the 

 hornfels containing them not so hard to work, the appli- 

 ances for treating the stone properly adapted to the character 

 of the minerals with which it was impregnated, there would 

 probably have been some profit beyond the return of the 

 capital invested. 



It seems, from a comparison of the examples of the 

 Exhibition, Budgee Budgee, and Eureka mines, that such 

 reefs may be made remunerative when worked with appro- 

 priate appliances and with judgment and economy. The 

 probability is that they could in many cases be made to pay 

 if worked by small companies of a co-operative character, 

 although perhaps incorporated for individual security. But 

 the working expenses would require to be kept well in hand, 

 the crushing plant to be effective, and at the same time 

 adapted, for the highly mineralised stone of the contact 

 reefs, and also so constructed as to admit of being readily 

 transported elsewhere should the mine fail. The saving and 

 treatment of the pyrites would require more attention than 



