310 BROWN & HERON. GEOIXXIY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF TAVOV. 



That it may noi be considered overdrawn, it is considered prefer- 

 able to describe the system of (he Chinese fcributor in the words of 

 a private mining engineer connected with Tavoy rather than in those 

 ;>i' an official. Mr. II. I). Griffiths writes as follows :-—" Wolfram 

 having thns been struck, the Chinaman is generally allowed to work- 

 on it, at his own sweet will, provided he hands over all the wolfram 

 obtained, for which he is paid at a fixed rate per ton. His work 

 may be of any kind, with the usual result that when he works open- 

 cut he generally takes no precaution for the prevention of accidents 

 and creates regular death-traps. If he decides to start an adit 

 he makes it of such dimensions as will best suit him, and if he at 

 all timbers any weak spot, he generally does so in a cheap and 

 inadequate fashion. He will not undertake to do a specified kind 

 of work unless he gets paid footage in addition to being paid for the 

 ore. In most cases, therefore, he is allowed to work as he likes. 

 ^Vhen he comes to some poor or unprofitable portion he moves 

 his chattels to some other spot, and the chance of proving (he value 

 Of that vein is lost. U he gets on to ground that cannot be brought 



down by the pick, he immediately abandons the work With 



bhe exception of perhaps one property, where primitive development 

 has been attempted, the work is really only 'fossicking.' On a 

 wide zone, with veins close together, a few adits may be put across 

 he formations and only in the oxidised portion, for' as soon as the 

 work gets a little hard, or the pyritio zone is approached, operations 

 are abandoned. [n the coarse of this cross-cutting the different 

 quartz stringers are encountered, and any wolfram obtained is 

 sorted out and placed in bags. If a rich leader is cut, a little driving 

 in both directions may be undertaken; but this will be stopped 

 as soon as the pocket of ore is exhausted. Another adit will then 

 be commenced " on spec " a few feet to the right or left and generally 

 a few feet above. The result is the crowding of small adits within 

 a restricted area.' 1 



The Chinese tribute adits are generally 3 to 4 feet wide and 5£ 

 to G feet high, and are thus too small to permit of anything but 

 single-handed drilling. All quartz which shows wolfram is picked 

 out and bagged at the face for later treatment, while gangue and 

 country rock are dumped at the portal. As most of the adits are on 

 steep hillsides and the country possesses a very heavy rainfall 



l H. D. Griffiths., (11) p. 446. 



