e.—2a

2

Time worked,. —During the year the Nos. 1 and 3 mines worked 2291 days and 228| days respectively, out of a possible 313 days, a decrease of 211 days respectively as compared with the number of days worked last year. The difference between the days worked and the possible working-days is accounted for as follows : No. 1 Mine. No. 3 Mine. Pay Saturdays .. . . .. . . . . . . 26 26 Stop-work meetings . . . . . . . . . . 4 3 Union holidays .. . . .. .. .. 14 14 Quarterly cavils .. ... .. .. .. .. 1£ 11 Slips on railway . . . . .. .. .. . . 3 3 Slip on haulage-road . . . . .. .. 1 Breakdown Railway Department's locomotive. . .. .... 2 No steamers or orders .. .. .. .. 13 13 Wharf labourers idle ■ .. .. . . .. . . 2 2 Strike re new agreement .. .. .. .. ..18 18 Fall on rope-road .. . . .. . . .. .... 1 Bad bar .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1 1 83* 84J Employees.— The average number of persons employed in and about the mine in connection with coal-winning was 318 (a decrease of 7 as compared with the previous year), made up as follows: Underground- Coal-hewers, 102; deputies, shiftmen, and truckers, 124. On the surface —63 men and 29 boys. In addition to those employed under the heading of "coalwinning," there were 14 men and 1 boy employed on property and development work, making a total number for this colliery of 303 men and 30 boys. Payments. —The total payments made in connection with coal-winning on" account of wages, stores, mine-timber, and compensation amounted to £89,686 12s. 10d., a decrease of £7,619 6s. 2d. in payments made compared with the previous year. Coal-hewers' Average Daily Earnings. —The coal-hewers' average daily gross earnings were 28s. 6-3 d., and the net return after making deductions for stores was 265. 0-73 d., a net increase of l-28d. per day compared with the previous year. Average Output per Miner. —The average daily output per miner was 6 tons 5-61 cwt. Underground Exploration. —At this colliery two mines are now being worked -namely, the Nos. 1 and 3 mines. In connection with the former two seams are worked, and are known as the Top seam and the Morgan seam. From, the top seam the output was principally obtained from the working of pillar coal, the, only exception being in a few places where the pillars could not be wholly extracted, but simply split and formed into small pillars, which are left to support the roof and prevent damaging the surface in the vicinity of small creeks. During the greater part of the year the output from the Morgan seam was derived from workings in course of being opened on the northern and western sides of the haulage-tunnel; but during the latter part of the year all development places had to be stopped owing to the seam pinching and the intrusion of stone bands. The output in future from this seam from the present mine-entrance will be obtained from the extraction of pillars. The output from the No. 3 mine was obtained from the extraction of pillars. At the beginning of the year twenty-one pairs of miners were employed therein, but owing to the working-area being reduced it was found necessary to reduce the number to fourteen pairs. Owing to the near exhaustion of this mine, a reduction in output must be expected in the near future. The No. 3a mine was closed in November last, all pillars that could be safely won having been extracted. During the year an outcrop of coal on the eastern side of the new Morgan seam, haulage-road has been prospected. The scam is 8 ft. thick, and dipping 1 in 3. The upper 3 ft. of the seam is good marketable coal, but the remaining 5 ft. is soft and suitable only for use on works for steamraising. Property and Development Work. —The principal work carried out under this heading was the construction, of a tunnel rising 1 in 1 from the Morgan seam tunnel to the surface for ventilation purposes. Where this tunnel intersected with the surface the strata was very broken for fully 40 ft., and to properly secure this portion arrangements have been made to put in a concrete arch, which will also be carried forward to connect with the fan which will be installed near where the tunnel connected with the surface. When this work is completed, and the fan installed, it should ensure good ventilation during the time the main tunnel is being driven to intersect with the Morgan and the upper seam. The distance remaining to be driven in. the main tunnel Is 24 chains to the upper seam and 29 chains to the Morgan seam. Immediately the fan herein referred to is erected arrangements will be made to commence driving the tunnel; this is imperative in view of the near exhaustion of the No. 3 mine. Surface Works. —The whole of the plant, machinery, and buildings have been maintained in good order and condition. IFB Addition to Plant. —The work of installing the Bellis Morcomb engine and electric generator from the Point Elizabeth Colliery, at the central power-house, is well under way,?and should be completed at an early date.