Cox's Bight Tinfield.

I visited this little-known field in September. It is on the shore of a broad bay on the South Coast of Tasmania, about 12 miles from South-West Cape.

Alluvial tin-mining is proceeding on the property of the Cox's Bight Tin Mines, N.L., where there are terraces of wash yielding between 1 and 2 tons of tin ore per cubic yard. The tin is derived from quartz and greisen veins intersecting granite hills, which form the southern termination of the Bathurst Range.

Below the terraces are extensive alluvial flats, which have not been bottomed. The Kent Tin P.A. have a large area of lagoon flats, which it is intended to prove by bore-holes before placing any machinery on the property. This comparatively small granite area is surrounded by ancient quartzites and schists, which are in places intersected by mineral veins. They belong to the Port Davey series of rocks, in which district copper and antimony ores are known to occur. When this remote part of the country is better known and opened up, it is probable that discoveries of importance will be made. Means of overland communication are urgently required.

Renison Bell Tinfield.

I paid a visit to this field in December. Tin ore is found in the North-East Dundas district over an area of 3 miles long by about a mile or so in width. The sedimentary rocks have been penetrated first by basic eruptions and then by intrusions and dykes of granitic origin, the tin ore being casually connected with the latter. The detrital ore is tin oxide, and the lodes are either quartz-cassiterite or pyritic. Many large nuggets of ore have been found, weighing several pounds, and occasionally even huge boulders. One of these boulders from the Gormanston property, weighing 19 cwts., and assaying 587 per cent. metallic tin, is on view in the Tasmanian Museum, Hobart. It is estimated that the district has produced between 200 and 300 tons of tin ore, and mining at the present time is exceedingly active there. The Renison Bell property possesses some large pyritic lodes, and detrital tin ore deposits of considerable value. A scheme of developing and working these is being devised by the owners. Neighbouring properties are being worked, and others prospected, with the result generally of showing that the tin-bearing formations are more numerous and better than hitherto supposed.

Visit to Lisle Goldfield.

I paid a departmental visit to this field in June, in connection with applications for purchase of land within the Mineral Reserve. This was at one time the most productive alluvial field in Tasmania, and has yielded at least 80,000 ozs. of gold. At present only 20 to 25 ozs. per month are being won.

It has always been a puzzle where the great accumulations of gold came from, as the usual gold quartz reefs are absent. Very few stones of gold-bearing quartz have been found, and where quartz has been adherent to anything, sandstone has been the matrix. Soft granite bed-rock underlies the basin and rises up the slopes of the surrounding hills, and occasion

ally small veins to 1 inch or 2 inches in thickness of quartz, kaolin, and gold-bearing manganiferous iron oxide are met with in it. Such veins may have contributed to the general output, but a good deal of the gold originating in the field itself possibly came from the contact of the granite with the sandstone higher up the sides of the valley. The gold is usually fine, and the wash clayey. The stones are not much water-worn, and consist chiefly of sandstone from the surrounding hills, chalcedonised quartz, which has been released from the granite, and pieces of reef quartz. Quartz wash is not very abundant; clay and sandstone gravel appears in most of the terraces. A narrow gorge in slate forms the present outlet to the Lisle basin, but this outlet must be of modern date, formed subsequently to the deposit of the gold-bearing clays, some of which are below the level of the rocky bar at the entrance to the gorge. The width of the belt which has been worked is about 200 yards, so that the features are more those of a lake than of a gutter. At the same time certain runs are better for gold than others. The granite floor is perhaps a couple of miles wide. Terraces of alluvial occur at different heights up the surrounding hills, on the west as high as 300 feet and upwards, and the existence of a saddle on the hill crest on the west side opposite the township has suggested a local theory of the outlet having formerly been in that direction. The largest nugget found is said to have weighed 15 dwts. Other pieces have weighed from 1 to 2 dwts. The field deserves study and examination, with a view of locating the source of the gold, if possible.

Progress Reports.

Four of these have been prepared during the year. They show the output of mineral from the different mines in each district each quarter, and the value of the same, as well as the number of men employed. The obligation to furnish these statistics within fifteen days after the end of each quarter is imposed on mine owners and mining managers by "The Mining Act, 1905." It necessarily takes some time to collect them from remote parts of the State, and further time to compile the reports, but these have been prepared, as a rule, with tolerable regularity. However, sometimes their publication has been late, owing to subsequent delay in another quarter.

Mining information is earnestly solicited from legal or mining managers, prospectors, and all who are interested in disseminating knowledge of the mineral resources of the State. These reports are much sought after abroad, and are mailed regularly to institutes, mining engineers, and investors in different parts of the world, and from statistical publications which reach this office from time to time, it, is evident that our reports are of use. Any definite suggestions for their improvement will be welcomed, and carefully considered.

Office.

In addition to the four geological reports and four progress reports issued during the year, correspondence consisting of 2493 letters, packets, &c., in and out, have been attended to. A small collection of rocks was received from the Imperial Museum, Vienna, and individual specimens have been received

from Messrs. G. R. Bell, W. R. Bell, W. F. Petterd, Aug. Simson, and Dr. Thompson.

Numerous examinations have been made of gems and supposed gems, which have probably been submitted in consequence of the discovery of a diamond in Harvey's Creek, Donaldson Range, This small diamond, of a carat, was found in washing for gold in the creek, but though others were found in the same district as far back as 1894, prospecting has not revealed any more.

Mr. F. S. Grove has been acting as engineer to the Mt. Cameron Water-race Board since 31st March, and consequently has been absent from the office from that time. To meet the requirements of the office, Miss R. E. Higgs was appointed shorthand writer and typiste on the 26th March, under the temporary employment section of the Public Service Act, and has discharged her duties satisfactorily.

Government Drills.

The diamond drills were not used this year. The alluvial boring plant was hired out on 27th March to Mr. H. Mackay, for testing ground in the Stanley River district.

Assays and Analyses.

The retrenched lines on which the Government Analyst's branch is being carried on has caused useful work to remain in abeyance. Under the circumstances, very few samples have been forwarded for assay. Inconvenience is caused thereby in several ways. In the first place, I am precluded from taking as many samples as I could wish of lodes and lode-formations on my visits to mineral fields. Then many specimens are brought to me by prospectors and others, concerning which useful information cannot be given without analytical tests. Again, no research work is possible under present conditions. Some of our ores and rocks require complete analysis, in order to determine what they really are.

The want of a standard analyses makes it impossible to publish definite statements and determinations, and places the geological branch at a disadvantage compared with other countries. For these reasons I should be glad to see the Government Laboratory made available for the work with which I could supply it almost continuously.

Geological Survey.

To

I touched upon this subject in a former report, and the reasons for initiating this which existed then hold good with increased force now that our industry is justifying the predictions which have been continuously made by the officers in charge of the geological branch of your Department. initiate a survey on a modest scale would mean an expenditure of from £1000 to £1500 annually; but for that outlay, what was done would be well done. A surveyor and two men (with geological supervision and camp expenses) continually at work for the greater part of the year would cost about £30 weekly, and would survey a square mile or two per week in our usual bush country. This would be equivalent to £20 to £30 per square mile.

There are many mining fields on the West Coast which are in urgent need of such a survey, and which would very soon reimburse the State for the outlay. As instances, I would mention the West Coast Range, from Mt. Darwin to Mt. Farrell, the Dundas field, the Meredith Range, Mt. Balfour, and there are others.

An improved geological sketch map of the State is now almost a necessity, and it is highly desirable to adopt measures to collect information, and supplement that already in hand.

Bulletins.

For some time past I have recognised the desirability of issuing publications of this description, giving all the information available concerning the occurrences of the respective economic minerals of the State in a concise and useful form. A series of such bulletins, covering in turn the occurrences of iron, gold, copper, lead, tin, wolfram, asbestos, &c., would, I am convinced, be of considerable use to the prospector and investor, as well as to the Department itself. Want of assistance has prevented me from carrying out my intentions in this respect, but as soon as this drawback is removed I purpose making a start.

I have the honour to be,

Sir

Your obedient Servant,

W. H. TWELVETREES,
Government Geologist.

W. H. WALLACE, Esq., Secretary for Mines, Hobart.

REPORT OF THE CHIEF INSPECTOR OF MINES.

SIR,

Chief Inspector of Mines' Office,

Launceston, 31st December, 1906.

I HAVE the honour to submit my Report on the inspection of mines during the year ending 31st December instant.

The appended statistical tables and diagram furnish information respecting the number and nature of accidents which have occurred at the mines and works attached thereto during the twelve months.

I beg to supply annual reports by the Inspectors of Mines, viz.:-Mr. M. J. Griffin, for the Northern and Southern, Eastern, and North-Eastern Divisions; Mr. James Harrison, Inspector of the Western and North-Western Divisions; and Mr. C. H. Curtain, Inspector for the Lyell District.

The number of persons employed this year in and about the mines and smelting works was 7004. The cases of fatal injuries were 4; and non-fatal serious injuries were 61. The death rate from accident was 0.57 per thousand, compared with 1.06 per thousand in 1905.

This ratio is the lowest that has yet been recorded in Tasmania. The appended diagram shows strikingly the improvement which has been attained in this respect in recent years, the death ratio per thousand prior to 1899 being for the most part higher than 15, and since that time always lower than that figure. On the other hand, the non-fatal accidents registered have been more numerous than usual, partly perhaps in consequence of increasing strictness in recording them, and partly, in all probability, owing to the increased pressure and magnitude of work at some of our larger mines. Thus, 15 out of the 17 accidents recorded in the Northern and Southern Division occurred at one mine; and on the West Coast one company figures for 18 casualties out of 33 occurring in the Western Division.

The individual reports on accidents which have been furnished by the Inspectors show that careful investigation has been made in each case, and they have been subjected to serious consideration by myself. I may mention that I am devoting increasing time and attention to the numerous matters constantly arising in connection with the regulation of mines. The work of the Inspectors has been materially increased, in consequence of the new Mining Act. It has taken some time and trouble to impress mine owners and managers with the urgency of the new working rules and provisions. In some instances there has been an unwillingness to appreciate them, and the Inspectors have had to overcome a silent and persistent opposition as tactfully as possible. wish here to mention the satisfactory manner in which all the Inspectors have discharged their duties.

I

The Inspectors are giving special attention to the subject of underground ventilation, which so intimately affects the