1 8 Mines and Mineral Statistics. 
entirely dependent for work upon large supplies of water for 
sluicing purposes ; and as the present dry season has left the 
races entirely empty, no work, except a little fossicking, and in 
some cases, -where the miners are possessed of means, the breaking 
down of banks and preparing the earth for sluicing, is being 
done. Two reels were being worked here ; but one was about ta 
be discontinued so soon as a good patch of stone Avhieh had been 
struck should bo worked out, and the other was not expected to 
continue work inucli longer. There are not above a hundred 
miners here, of whom about a third are Chinese ; and I could 
find no means of ascertaining anything about the yield of gold,, 
as it all goes into the Banks at Braidwood. 
Coming now to Araluen Valley, the work from which the 
greatest amount of gold is obtained is the “ stripping,” carried 
entirely upon priviite land. This work, which can only be carried 
on in a dry season, is of a very extensive character, and neces- 
sitates the employment of a large number of hands. The ground, 
being very loose alluvial dej)Osit, completely saturated with water 
from tlic underground drainage, can only be worked by stripping 
and eai'ting away all the surface soil down to the washdirt, often 
a deptli of from 20 to 30 feet. This is done by means of horses 
and carts, which remove the earth and tip it out upon some spot 
not required to be worked, or into some “ paddock” which has been 
already worked out. As this work is carried on, the paddock 
that is being excavated is kept clear of the water from under- 
ground soakage by poweiTul pumping machinery. To give an 
idea of the work carried on, I may mention that one claim — that 
of Herbert and party- — employs at the present time seventy men 
and forty-five horses, whiht they have three powerful engines on 
the ground. One of these is employed in hauling up trucks of 
washdirt to the sluice-boxes, one was employed in hauling up 
trucks of refuse to the tips, and the third Avas engaged in pumping. 
Owing, however, to the pumping engine getting out of gear, the 
hauling engine liad to be removed and set to work the pumps. 
The trucks are hauled up by a wire rope on a tramway laid on 
an incline, and this application of tho tramway has been found 
to secure an immense saving of labour. Only two other extensive 
claims are at work, and these employ somewliere about fifty men. 
each and tliirty-five horses, besides the engine and machinery for 
pumj)ing. Two or three other claims, working upon the same 
system, employ a smaller number of hands. These miners, how- 
ever, Avho are employed upon ^wivate land do not require to have 
miners’ rights, nor do tliey come under the mining regulations in 
any way, as even the ground upon which their houses are built, 
as well as that upon which all the business places have been 
erected, is private^ property. Only the extreme ujiper and lower 
end ol the valley is Government land, and here sluicing operations 
