C.—2

50

Steventon Mine.-—Arrangements are in hand to cross the downthrow fault, of 14 ft. displacement, at which the main dip was stopped. A crosscut was driven through the standing pillars early in the year, and this is now used as the main haulage-road. The fault will be crossed at the face of this crosscut. Owing to the coal on the south side becoming stony and unprofitable to work no further development was done in that direction. A level going north was being driven, practically following the fault-line, but as the pillars had been extracted above this level there was no return airway, and the manager was instructed to stop the place until a return could be provided. Clearview Mine.—The incline and shaft to the surface were completed early in the year, and the ventilation was considerably improved thereby. Although the face of the main level is over a quarter of a mile from the mineentrance, it is only a narrow strip of coal-bearing country with about 4 chains from the main level to the outcrop on the west side. The main level met poor coal, but, after driving about a chain in this, good coal was again met. Places are driven narrow ; about 7 ft. in width. Tripp's Mine.-—The coal is proving very soft and contains much stone. The former pillar area is now closed owing to large falls. The present workings are being driven narrow. Burnivell Mine.—Worked intermittently during the year. Development is confined to the two levels and the necessary cut-throughs. A large " roll " was met in the main level, and the coal was very soft and friable, with a steep inclination to the north-west. The face of this level is about 2 chains from the northern boundary of the lease. Albury Mine.—The underground fire in the old workings to the west proved very troublesome during the year, and fears are entertained that it will eventually reach the coal underlying the traffic-road. As there are only a few feet of cover it is impossible to seal off the fire. As a possible means of confining the fire all the coal is to be removed for a width of at least 12 ft. and for about 7 chains in length parallel with the road. This will afterwards be filled in with clay and gravel, which will form a barrier to the fire. The coal to the north is dirty and unsaleable, and the workings are at the boundary on the east side, so little workable coal appears to remain. Woodbank Pit.—This is a small opencast pit, opened during the year, about 12 chains east of the Albury Mine. The coal is dipping to the south, and the cover is rapidly thickening, so drives will have to be put in and the mine worked bord and pillar. Allanholme Mine.—The main dip has been stopped for some time, and the water has been allowed to rise to within 4 chains of the mine-entrance. A level about 3 chains down, and going west, has been continued, and places are also going to the north off this level. All the places are 8 ft. high and 12 ft. in width. Meadowbank Mine.—No output for the year. Wharekuri Mine.—The extraction of the small pillars, formed in the workings about sixty years ago, was completed. Early in the year two stone prospect drives were put in at a lower level than the old workings. One of these drives was soon abandoned, and the other, which was anticipated to be entering virgin country, met old workings. The prospects of this mine are now very poor. Prospecting at Awahokomo Creek.- —This is about two and a half miles south-east of the Wharekuri Mine, and a coal lease of 100 acres has been applied for. The coal outcrops near the north bank about 10 ft. above the bed of the creek. The coal will be conveyed by motor-lorry to Kurow. A road can be cheaply formed near the bank of the creek to connect with the Omarama-Kurow traffic-road. Prince Alfred Mine.—The remaining pillars are being split south of the main dip. The return below these places is closed through " creep," and, although the air down the old dip is rather warm, there is no sign of heating. To again work the dip area many of the timber supports will require renewing. Ngapara Mine.—Development was continued during the year in the places north of the main haulage-road, and no work was done on the west side. Shag Point Mine.—The coal at the face of the south level, the only working-place, is now 5 J ft. in thickness. This level was being driven too wide, so instructions were given to reduce it to 12 ft. Shag Point Coal-mining Company's Mine.-—During the first half of the year the outlook for the mine was very discouraging. The coal in the bottom west level was then only 3 ft. thick, and that in the east level 3£ ft. thick. Work on the east side has been discontinued, but on the west side the coal has thickened to 7J-ft., and six workingplaces are being driven there. A dip, going north-west, is now 6 chains below the bottom west level, and the coal at the face is 3 ft. 8 in. in thickness, clean, and of excellent quality. In the No. 1 level west an upthrow fault of 28 ft. displacement was met. A short steep jig was made to cross this fault, and the coal is now about 5 ft. thick. Owing to the lengthy and circuitous haulage from the face to the inine-mouth, it is proposed to put down a stone drive from the surface at Hailstone Gully, about half a mile nearer the Shag Point Rail way-station than the present entrance. This drive will dip at a grade of lin 3. It will be 450 ft. in length, and it is expected to intersect the seam at a point 5 chains ahead of the north-east dip, the most northern working-place. If this drive is proceeded with, the screening plant will be removed to a new site on the branch railway near Hailstone Gully. A borehole was put down near the seashore about 5 chains north of Hailstone Gully. It was stopped at 390 ft., no workable seam having been met. Kyeburn Diggings Mine.—A small mine supplying local requirements. Oimmerburn Coal-pit.—Another opencast pit for local supplies. Rough Ridge Pit.—A small output was got for local use. Jdaburn Pit.—The output, which has considerably decreased during the previous year, again rose to normal during 1924. Oturehua Pit (Becker Bros.). —An opencast pit worked for local supplies. Dillon's Pit.—A small pit worked for private use. St. Bathan's Pit.-—This pit continues being worked opencast. The overburden is light and is used for road-metal. Cambrian Pit.—Trade for this lignite has considerably decreased ; opencast workings. Lauder Lane Pit.—A small output is still being produced from opencast workings. Alexandra Mine.—Pillaring is now being done on the east side, that on the west having been stopped. Owing to the heaving floor and the roof being of running sand a large percentage of coal will be lost. When the pillars, at present being worked, are extracted another return airway must be driven, as all the former working-places between the present return airway and the main dip are closed through the heaving of the floor. McPherson's Pit.—An opencast pit worked in benches. Water is laid on to combat the fire, which has been burning for years. Cromwell Mine.—A small output was produced early in the year. In endeavouring to seal off an underground fire the mine-manager was overcome by carbon monoxide, from which he died. The mine has not been worked since and it will most probably not be reopened. Shepherd's Creek Mine.—Three miners on pillar-extraction. Ventilation fairly good, but the * stoppings needed renewing. Cardrona Pit.—A small output was produced early in the year. A large slip came from the hillside and covered the pit, and this is now being sluiced away. Nevis Pit.-—An opencast pit from which a small output is produced for local use. Nevis Crossing Pit.—Another opencast pit for local requirements. Doolan's Creek Mine {near Gibbston).- —A thick seam of lignite has been proved near the south bank of the creek. A drive, 6 ft. by 6 ft., going south, is now in 30 yards. This mine is very inaccessible. The output is hauled in drays up to the top of the Gibbston Hill, 1,000 ft. above the mine, and from there to Gibbston, a fall of 2,000 ft. If the outlook warrants it, a fluming for conveying the coal could be constructed down Doolan's Creek, thence down the Nevis River to its junction with the Ka »varau River. Fernhill Mine.-—A level, going north, has pierced into old workings driven about 1880 and sealed off owing to an underground fire. These places are almost closed, and the fire is long since dead. The old level will be cleaned out to Shaw's old main drive. That also will be reopened and used as a main haulage-road, it being a shorter and better route out than the one now in use. A lot of old standing pillars, sealed off owing to the fire, and a few acres of virgin ground to the east can also be worked from Shaw's drive.