29

C—2

The following is a summary of persons killed or seriously injured during 1914 at stone-quarries and places within the operation of the Stone-quarries Act (being in proportion of 1-0 persons killed per 1,000 employed) :—

The following are details of the two fatalities : — (9/9/14) Frederick Bonifacio, an experienced quarrvman, was killed by a fall of rock at the Westport Harbour Board's quarry at Cape Foulwind. (13/10/14) Alexander McCullogh, foreman in charge of the Oamaru Corporation stone-quarry, was killed by falling from a ledge. The quarry was not worked in a safe manner, the ledge upon which the men were standing being too narrow, and the upper portion of the face had insufficient slope. At the inquests held in connection with each of these fatalities a verdict was returned that death was accidental, no person being held blameworthy.

VII. STATE AID TO MINING. (1.) Subsidized Prospecting. During the year ended the 31st March, 1915, twenty approved prospecting parties were grantee! subsidies amounting to £1,398 17s. 6d., of which £599 17s. 3d. Was expended during that period. In addition to this, £1 ,386 os. 2d. granted during previous years was expended by fifty parties during the past financial year. The following statement shows the total expenditure during the year ended the 31st March, 1915, on authorities issued previous to that date, in subsidies to prospecting associations and parties of miners in the different counties :— xt c n t i Expenditure. Name of County, &c. X , •" £ s. d. Rotorua County . . . . . . .. .. .. 26 0 0 Coroinandel County .. .. .. .. .. .. 54 0 0 Thames County .. .. ~ .. .. .. 52 15 0 Ohinemuri County .. . . .. . . . . 298 5 0 Bullor County .. .. .. .. ... .. 60 0 0 Inangahua County .. . . .. .. . . .. 405 17 0 Murchison County .. .. .. 16 13 4 Grey County .. .. .. .. . . .. 94 1 0 Westland County .. .. .. .. .. .. 1,050 2 10 Lake County .. . . . . .. .. .. 50 0 0 Southland County .. .. . . . . .. .. 36 12 0 Prospecting Associations, <fcc. . . . . . . . . . . 640 11 6 Total .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2,784 17 8 Altogether sixty-two persons have during 1914 been engaged upon work for which prospecting subsidies were granted- No discovery of value has been made, and neither the mining industry nor the State has benefited directly by the expenditure. The following is a table prepared by the Inspectors of Mines, who inspected the subsidized jperations : —

Cause of Accident. Number ol Accidents. Number of Sufferers. Fatal. Serious. Killed. JS™ 1 / Injured. Explosives .. ?alls of ground Machinery .. Paulage Miscellaneous I I 8 3 < 3 46 • I 1 8 3 3 I 46 1 Totals 2 61 2 61