THE HON THE ACTING COLONIAL SECRETARY, PERTH.  —

Sir, — 1.  The following is a report on the Pilbarra Goldfields, for the
month of April, which I have the honour to bring before the notice of his
Excellency the Administrator.

PILBARRA.

2.  The machinery on Broken Reef claim No 1, commenced crushing on the
20th ultimo, and stopped on the sixth inst., for want of a better water
supply, the well not having yet been deepened, and re-started on the 11th
inst., ceasing again, 17th, crushing in all, 52 tons; but the result has
not yet transpired.

3.  This machinery as before stated consists of a Huntingdon Centrifugal
Quartz Crushing Mill, fed by a "Dodge" stone breaker, and works
exceedingly well so far.

4.  Up till recently the number of miners increased, some of the alluvial
diggers doing well, prevailing themselves of the pools left by the recent
rains.  But the dampness of the soil considerably hampers dry-blowing
operations.

5.  A new pattern of dry-blowing machine has recently been introduced,
made by Mr Richardson, of Roebourne, which is much smaller than any of the
others previously worked here, and is favourably spoken of by those who
have worked it.

6.  Many diggers have left for the new find on the Ashburton River, and
more are leaving early next week, when the only storekeeper and butcher
leaves.  The present population is about 35 in all; but after the next
exodus there will only be about 15 or 20 left.

EGINA.

7.  Is practically deserted, and the storekeepers are removing to the
Ashburton.

MALLINA.

8.  The five head stamper battery on the Alfred Argles Gold Mining
Company's claim commenced work, about the middle of this month, crushing
for about 3 weeks.

9.  A little over 20 tons of quartz were treated, out of which 160 ozs of
amalgam were obtained, which after refining yielded nearly 65 ozs of gold.

10.  The main shaft is 70 ft deep, and a heading has been driven 15 feet
in a westerly direction.

11.  The reef is 3 ft wide, but varies a good deal, being 8 ft in places.

12.  Owing to scarcity of labour and difficulty in obtaining fuel, the
machinery has had to stop, but six men are still employed raising stone,
etc.

13.  It is intended to get a new engine and increase the number of
stampers, utilising the present one, which is too small for its present
work, for pumping out the water in the shaft and ventilating the mine, &c.

14.  A plentiful supply of water is obtained from the main shaft, which is
considerably below water level.

NULLYGINE.

15.  I left here on the 15th inst., reaching Pilbarra on the 28th, after a
rough journey, being delayed on the way by heavy rains, which fell on the
18th and 19th inst., and other causes.

16.  A new deposit was discovered just before I left about 1 1/2 miles
east of the last new rush, and one digger picked up 12 ozs on the surface
in a very short time.  Nevertheless many are turning both to the
"Conglomerate" and the "Forty Mile."

17.  As the recent rains appear to have been general I fully anticipate a
rush setting in to Coongoon (alluded to in my last report), but I have not
yet heard if such is the case.

18.  On one of the deep sinking alluvial claims adjoining Beeton's at the
main camp, the wash dirt seam has again been struck at a depth of 33 ft,
and is proving rich so far.

19.  On the opposite hill, where three more claims are held, one of them
has "bottomed" at a depth of 52 ft without finding payable wash dirt.  The
owners, however, hope to encounter it in one or other of the headings
which they are driving for this purpose.

20.  No fresh arrivals have been reported, so that the population remains
about the same as last month, viz., between 400 and 500.
I have the honour to be Sir,
Your Obedient Servant,
W.  LAMBDEN OWEN,
Acting Warden.
Pilbarra, 31st April, 1890.

THE CRUSHING AT THE CENTRALS.

It is reported that the crushing at the Central will amount to something
like 200 tons when it is cleaned up, and good authorities are sanguine
enough to estimate that the yield will not be short of two ounces to the
ton.