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Phoenix and Venus Mine, Murray Creek.—Owing to fires the old mine had to be abandoned, and the party are working a small block of coal on the dip side. Golden Point Mine, Seefton. —This mine has done very little during the year. A certain amount of prospecting work through the fault showed coal of an inferior quality. A few places were opened up. The mino has not worked during the later part of the year. New Big River Mine, Big River.—Only two men are employed. The coal is extracted by the stoping method. Only a small amount of coal remains to be won. Morrisvale Mine, Burke's Creek. —In the old mine operations ceased on account of the fire. It is the intention of the owner to prospect through the fault to the dip. The fire is still active, but apparently under control. The owner has also sublet portion of his area to a small party who are at present driving on the coal to ascertain the extent of the seam. In addition to subletting the above portion of his lease, the owner, W. J. Morris, has sold about 30 acres to a party of miners who are operating the mine under the name of the Matchless Syndicate. Matchless Syndicate's Mine, Burke's Creek.—This is a small portion of the Morrisvale area bought from W. J. Morris by a small party of miners. Levels, two in number, and 40 ft. apart, are being driven on the seam to ascertain the extent and quality of the seam. So far the coal is of good quality. Incline headings will be driven off these levels to the rise, and if the coal continues good a fair area should be opened up. Waitahu Mine.—No coal has been produced at this mine during the year. Reddale Collieries, Burke's Creek.—The Reddale Colliery comprises what were formerly the Empire Mine, Lishman's Mine, and the Woodlands Mine. The Reddale Company acquired an interest in each of these, and is now working them as one concern. Empire Mine.—No coal has been won from this mine during the year. Lishman's Mine.—This mine has been the subject of many fires, and the whole area to the rise has had to be sealed off. These fires are really due to bad systems of working. The management now realize that a better system of work will have to be adopted if they wish to make a success of their mines. To this end the old workings are to be abandoned and the new areas laid out on the panel system. The panels are to be about 4 acres in extent; barrier pillars, 90 ft. wide, with no more than three openings to each panel. This will be a decided improvement on the methods at present employed on the Reefton fields. Woodlands Mine.—This is only a small area, and when the present work is completed the remainder will be worked on the panel system. Clele Mine, Merrijigs.—-Several faults have been crossed in this mine and the outcrops reached to the rise. This has considerably improved the ventilation. The extraction of pillars in this area will soon be finished, and a small area of coal to the dip has been opened up by means of a dip haulage, commencing near the mine-mouth. Lankey's Creek Mine, Crushington.—The old workings in this mine have been abandoned, and an attempt is being made to work a small area of coal to the right of the main heading. The problem of extracting pillar coal is an acute one, due to the broken country, and also the habit of the parties in making the pillars too small. Archer's Mine, Capleston.—Operations carried on by this party consist of putting drives in the hillside and working the coal in the immediate vicinity where the drive taps the seam. A main drive has in one instance been put in to cross the measures and cut the three seams which exist in this locality. The coal varies in thickness, and is of good quality. Doran's Mine, Capleston.—A small drive has been put in to work a part of one seam mentioned as one of the seams in Archer's mine. The seam is fairly steep, but the coal is of good quality, and about 6 ft. thick. Coghlan's Mine, Capleston.—This mine has been adandoned for some time, but an attempt is being made by new owners to work the area on a large scale. Up to the end of the year operations consisted of getting the mine in working-order by laying roads and timbering the roadways. For the present a flume is being used to transport the coal to the roadside. Nelson District. Puponga Mine, Puponga.—Operations consist of developing a new section, but the seams do not look well on account of many stony bands. In the C section pillar-extraction is going on in good coal. The goaf is being packed with clay. Prospecting-work due west of the present workings has disclosed a seam of coal 4 ft. 4 in. thick, but going east the seam splits and thins. North Cape Mine, Puponga.—-Very little work has been done in this mine during the year, due to the seam thinning. Golden Bay Mine, Motupijn.—This mine was closed during the year. Waikohatu Mine, Takaka.—This mine was closed during the year. Clifton Mine, Takaka. —This mine was closed during the year. O'Rourke's Mine, Murchison.—Operations consist of working a highly inclined seam, 2 ft. thick, by driving the level in the seam and working the coal from the rise on a wide face. The roadway is brushed, and the roof is good. Props are set at suitable intervals. Fatal Accidents. Thirteen fatalities occurred to workmen employed in the coal-mines of the West Coast Inspection District during the year —one by fall of coal, one by runaway trucks, one by jig-prop pulling out, one by fall of stone, and nine by an explosion in the Dobson Mine. On the 20th January a miner named Jack Brown met with his death while trimming down some top coal in his working-place in the north-east section of the Millerton Mine. Some coal fell and caught the deceased on the head, breaking his neck. On the 20th May a deputy named John Evans lost his life through a rope-shackle breaking on the Evans Daylight eight-truck jig of the Millerton Mine. The full race broke away and ran into some empties at the bottom of the jig. These empty trucks caught Evans, who was standing about 12 ft. away. On the 17th August a miner named James Outram met his death by a fall of stone at the Blackball Mine. The accident occurred near the main rope-road in one of the safest portions of the mine. On the 17th November a miner named John Birch, employed in the Morgan west section of the No. 2 mine, Liverpool Colliery, received serious injuries to the body through a jig-prop pulling out and hitting him. He succumbed to his injuries on the 26th November, 1926. On the 3rd December a disastrous explosion occurred in the Dobson Mine through which nine men lost their lives. Four bodies were recovered, and five are still in the mine, due to flooding having to be resorted to. The names of the four men whose bodies were recovered are as follows : James Richards, deputy; Robert Hunter, winchman ; John Lindsay, miner ; Eric Ashton, trucker. The names of the five men whose bodies are still in the mine are as follows : Thomas Black, miner; James Marshall, miner; Ernest Brammer, miner; Alfred Noakes, miner; Edward Partington, miner. Serious Non-fatal Accidents. On the 16th February a miner named Martin Cullen fractured his leg jumping otf a ladder in his working-place in Evans Daylight section of the Millerton Mine. A piece of coal fell some distance away from him and he jumped off the ladder. On the 16th February a trucker named C. G. Curtain, working in No. 2 mine of the Liverpool Colliery, was cleaning up the flatsheet when a small piece of coal fell from between the laths overhead and hit him on the head, causing slight concussion. No marks could be found. He was all right next day.

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