In company with Mr. L.A. Richardson an inspection was made of this deposit on Friday, December 4th. The workings were plotted and examined, though these sections off the main drives could not be inspected very thoroughly owing to having no lighting available except matches.

Boring by the Alice Springs Works Department and by Webb Bros. of Mt. Riddock Station showed that subterranean water supplies in the schists and gneisses in this area are usually small in quantity and that the water is brackish. The best chances of obtaining water for the mining fields seems to lie in sinking relatively shallow wells on the creeks and depressions running northward from the Harts Range. These depressions are believed to contain from 30 to 60 ft. of alluvium. Eight possible sites for wells were selected, two being within the foothills of the main range and six at a distance of 1.5 to 2 miles from the foothills of the range. Six of these sites are now being tested by a light hand-boring plant. This plant is expected to penetrate the alluvium quickly and wells will be sunk where favourable results are obtained. The sites selected are within easy reach of the following mines: Jenkins' Mine, The Spotted Tiger Mine, B. Rech's (Rex?) Mine, Hit and Miss Mine, Central Mine and Eldorado Mine.

Bearing in mind Mr. Kitchin's statement that the mica has been recovered from a shallow depth of about six feet only it appears to be of really good quality, and in view of the shortage of clearer types of mica it seems desirable that the deposit should be examined. The four mica specimens submitted for examination are described herein.

A preliminary report on these samples was forwarded on 19/2/'42, the final report being delayed until the results of a mineralogical examination of two rock types, prominent in samples from 1542 feet down to 1549 feet was available. The results of this examination are now available.

Preliminary assessment of core recovered from drill holes Nos. 22, 23, and 24, King Island.

The Nelson Bore, which is still in progress and is being drilled with the Commonwealth Rotary plant in collaboration with the Victorian Mines Department, has now reached the depth of 3746 feet, with no indication that the basement rock will soon be reached. Unfortunately no bore in Western Victoria or south-eastern South Australia has been drilled to bedrock, consequently no suggestion can be made as to the possible depth at which it will be met in the present bore. The deepest bore in the area to be palaeontologically examined is Knight's Dome, No. 2, Mt. Gambier, South Australia, which reached the depth of 2013 feet, drilling ceasing in carbonaceous sands.

In company with Mr E.B. Dow a visit was paid to Kingsgate on Monday, November 9th, 1942, and a brief examination made of the pipes which were being mined for quartz crystals. These comprise: The Giant Blow, Pipers Hole, The Arsenic Blow, The Muck Pipe, and Goodwin's Pipe.

D.L. Murray's Bore, south-west of Bourke is the most westerly yet to be examined in that area of New South Wales. From the palaeontological aspect it is probably the most interesting, for the majority of samples contain numerous arenaceous foraminifera of Lower Cretaceous age. Samples were examined from the depth of 25 to 375 feet.

Report on the facts and cost of maintaining and increasing production at the Mount Bischoff tin mine, Waratah, Tasmania.

The series of samples forwarded for micro-palaeontological examination was from the depth of 1275 feet down to 1553 feet and was in continuation of that reported upon on 19/1/42.