* THE PHCENIX MINK, SKIPPERS. ; (From Oue Own Correspondent.) Areow, July 8. The last fortnightly yield from the Phoenix mine amounted to 5500z of smelted gold, from 400 tons of stone. A Press Association telegram from Hoki tika is as follows :—The Eoss United Com pany washed up their first set, equal to about nine cubic yards, for 4oz 2dwt. The cost of getting this is estimated at 30s. The gold is worth £3 16s per oz. A telegram was received by Mr W. Watson yesterday from the legal manage?, Reeftop, that the Jusf-in-Time mine was improving. The new make was three feet wide in the south rise, with two feet of quartz. A Nelson telegram states that several parties visited the Champion smelting works yesterday and found that the furnace was working splendidly, the copper matter flow ing most freely, and between 5001b and GOOlb running in five minutes. The popper matter obtained so far contains about 60 per cent. of copper, 2i per cent, sulphur, and 16 per cent. iron. The scene at the smelter was a very busy one. A private letter at Christchurch from Gis borne states that 100 ft of oil is showing in the pipe at the South' Pacific petroleum well, and that the hole has had to be plugged.. Weaver, the borer, in believed to be waiting instructions from the Sydney directors be fore removing the plug. The opinion is that it will be proved oil has been struck. A Gis borne telegram states that there has been considerable speculation in oil shares since it came to light that the bore of the South Pacific petroleum works had to be plugged.
