374 
PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION C. 
At the close of this period Mount Morgan was in its zenith, and 
produced during the last year within a minute fraction of 10 tons of 
gold, since which it has fallen off considerably, but is still able to make 
important additions to our annual output, and will, it is believed, 
continue to do so for many years to come. Grympie also gave its 
greatest yield during that year, and has fallen off somewhat during 
recent years, the floods of 1890 and 1893 having been very disastrous 
to that field. There is every reason to believe that better times are 
in prospect for it, however, as steps have been taken to prevent a 
recurrence of such results, and the mines have recently largely 
increased the yield, so that the last year is less only than two of its 
predecessors. The seventh quinquennium has now elapsed, and 
although we are not in a position to give all the details of production for 
the last year, we have the principal item, “Gold,’ 1 and are therefore in a 
position to give a tolerable estimate of the general result. It is quite 
certain that both as to the gross mineral production, and as to the 
production of the precious metal, the past five years have seen important 
advances. During no similar period has the output of gold at all 
approached that of the period just passed, the result being the 
production of 3,093,854 oz., or more than 94*7 tons of gold, which, at 
the value of £3 10s. per oz., gives £10,S28,489; but that average value 
was fixed in early days, and the rich alluvial of the Palmer, the 
chlorinated gold of Mount Morgan, and even the reef gold of Charters 
Towers have all been of a much higher value, and have constituted the 
bulk of the gold obtained in the colony. The five years each gave a 
fair average yield, but the last was the highest, and exceeded all 
previous years except 1889, when the phenomenal yield of 10 tons was 
made by Mount Morgan ; but all the other principal fields have well 
maintained their position, Charters Towers especially, w T ith a result 
of 1,173,177 oz., or nearly 36 tons of gold, during that period; and 
several new discoveries have also materially contributed to the gross 
result, which, although at present of comparatively small importance, 
may yet develop into goldfields of no little value to the colony, the 
total yield of which has now exceeded 303 tons of gold. 
The production of coal has also increased largely during the 
period in question. The first year, 1890, gave the largest yield we have 
yet bad; this, however, was brought about by exceptional circumstances, 
and not by any permanent development of trade. The succeeding 
years fell to the normal condition, but during the four years which 
have passed the yield has been higher than that for the preceding five 
years, and we may therefore expect an increase of about 25 per cent, 
on that item during the quinquennium — an increase fairly commen- 
surate with the general increase of the colony, to the trade of which 
we are confined. The state of the markets for copper has been such 
as to cause complete stagnation in the industry of mining for that 
metallic ore. The production for the four years of which we have the 
returns has been a little over £10,000, and the past year will not have 
added materially to the gross result. But even of this a considerable 
proportion is obtained as a by-product from the argentiferous ores, 
and in this way assists in making those ores payable, although the price 
of silver has also suffered serious relapse during recent years. 
The items silver, silver ore, silver lead bullion, lead ore, and 
galena appear, but may be taken collectively, as the silver is the object, 
