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1440. How much ?—Four or five skips, but that would only be from time to time, because, as a rule, they would not get more skips than they could fill. There are other men that never reach to fifteen or sixteen skips. 1441. When you came to the Brunner Mine did you notice any change ?—Yes, there was a change in the quantity, because just about the time we went to the Brunner we started the pillars in both mines. 1442. In both mines ?—Yes ; the Brunner was working the pillars before that, but about that time they commenced working the pillars in the Coal-pit Heath. 1443. So that all the coal brought to the stages was pillar-coal ?—Yes. I should like to make myself clear. All the coal that came from the Coal-pit Heath did not come out of the pillars : for instance, there was the Kimberley, at which for a short time they were working in the solid. 1444. Just that one portion before the water rose in Kimberley ?—Yes. 1445. We will take the pillar-coal from the Coal-pit Heath. What was the number of skips per day there ? —lt varied, but most of them could fill twenty-five if they had good trucks. 1446. Mr. Moody.] What was the average weight of them?— About lOicwt. of gross coal, unscreened. 1447. The Chairman.] The previous coal you have been talking about has been screened coal? —Yes. 1448. At the same time for the Brunner Mine : how man}' skips did each man send out ? — About twenty-seven or twenty-eight some of them would send out. 1449. Down to what ? —Fifteen or twenty, as there are bad places in the Brunner. 1450. That is, bad places caused delay ? —Yes. 1451. What was the tonnage-price for unscreened coal altogether in the Coal-pit Heath?— Two shillings and sixpence. 1452. You have mentioned that the number of skips yon have been giving us was of screened coal. Was the twenty-seven or twenty-eight trucks a day screened or unscreened coal ? —Both on the " Billy Fair-play " system. They were paid 4s. per ton in the Brunner and 2s. lOd. per ton in the Coal-pit Heath. 1453. From the Brunner they turned out twenty-seven or twenty-eight skips per man, you say, and down to fourteen or fifteen. Was that skips before it was screened ?—Yes. 1454. You are now taking over the whole period. We will take before the gross-weight system commenced—that is, the screen coal ?—Yes. 1455. I want to know exactly wdiat occurred when you were taking the weight upon the screened coal ?—The skips are run out of the mine, and they are brought to the weighbridge and then to the screen, and screened and weighed down below into the box. Of course, the slack runs away through the screen. 1456. When you say that the skips varied from 9owt. to 12cwt., do you mean the skips before they were tipped on the screens? —Yes. 1457. After the change to pillar-working they commenced the Coal-pit Heath. In talking of the skips, does that also mean before they were tipped?— Yes. The average weight would be tons gross ; that is the weight before it is tipped. 1458. I am talking of the time that you changed to the Brunner stage. Were you weighing on the top of the stage and screening on the top of the stage ? —We we were weighing on the top of the stage before screening. 1459. Was that before the skip was tipped?— Yes. 1460. At the same time, they wnuld get from the Brunner twenty-seven or twenty-eight skips ? —Yes ; down to fourteen or fifteen, as there are bad places which caused delay. 1461. This was also on the top before screening?— Yes. 1462. Now, from the Coal-pit Heath, when they were working in the solid : could you state the proportion of weight of coal from the skip after screening—l mean the average?— About 7£cwt. 1463. Now, from the pillar-workings in the Coal-pit Heath : what was the average weight ? — About the same. 1464. Now, the pillars in the Brunner, of which you only have experience—you have had no experience in the solid —how much would they run for each skip ?—About 5f cwt. on an average. 1465. Mr. Brown.] Can you give us the maximum and minimum there?— No; but I can forward it to you. 1466. You have given 9cwt. to 15cwt. as the range per skip for screened coal in the Brunner : what would be the average unscreened skip ?—The average weight would be about or rather as near as possible. I could give you the maximum and minimum weights. We have had as low as IJcwt. and as high as llicwt. of screened coal. They are both pillars ; but one is very bad and the other is very good. It has been less than that before I went to the weighbridge. 1467. As against that, the getting of the coal would be very easy—mere shovelling, would it not ?—Yes ; the timbering is the most difficult part. 1468. Have you formed any idea of what would be a fair proportional weight per day of screened coal at 4s. per ton, if the men said, " We would rather be paid on the wdiole coal in the Coal-pit Heath Mine " ?—Well, I have taken an average of about four days previous to when the gross weight came into operation, and the average was 3 tons 15cwt. 1469. Per man per day ? —Yes. 1470. That is at the 4s. for screened?— Yes. 1471. What was the average for unscreened?— For the four days after the gross-weight system came in it was 4 tons 19cwt. That makes a difference of 1 ton 4cwt. 1472. That is for the Coal-pit Heath ?—Yes. 1473. Would you explain whether that includes broken time or is that what each man would