C.—2

16

The following is a table showing the number of quarries under the Stone-quarries Act, also the number of persons ordinarily employed thereat, and the annual output and value of crude stone, during 1927 : —

There were 98 more men employed than during the previous year, and the value of the stone produced was greater by £54,291. Quabey Accidents. The following is a summary of serious accidents during 1927 at quarries under the Stone-quarries Act:—

There was one fatal accident in stone-quarries, which is the lowest number recorded for some years. The fatal accident occurred in the Mount Albert sewerage tunnel, on the 18th October, to G. H. McMahon. On the previous day, when a round of holes was being charged, with explosives, it was found that one of the holes, 3 ft. 6 in. deep, crossed a crevice in the rock, and probably one or more cartridges dropped down that crevice. This round was fired, and the face of the tunnel was advanced a distance of 4- ft. 6 in. Next day McMahon was boring the face with a rock-drill, when an explosion occurred, evidently the result of the drill striking some of the explosive previously lost in the crevice. For this to have taken place the lost cartridge or cartridges must have rolled down the crevice away from the face, so that they were not discovered when the material got from the round of holes which had been fired was being filled out. McMahon received severe injuries to his head, and died the following day. His mate, who was working with him at the time lost an eye. VII. STATE AID TO MINING. (1) Subsidized Prospecting. Upon subsidized prospecting operations 146 persons were intermittently employed during the year. The following is a statement showing the results of prospecting operations as reported by the Inspectors of Mines:—

Provincial District. ||l §1 I ll H If ! ■ r~*3 fl Name and Address of | 5 £ '§ (Jovornment Inspector of *3 *%& ■ M-& Stone-quarries. <3 2 a §9 1st; If : §5-= K j . g § o i a it Output i i. ■ i g<» Oh5 M>"3 ml H+3 mo 2 o hS) g a Si M rA Output of Stone. ilk I o o - a -- hh g ss ell ® S . * 'fi d 5 b o5 .So 3 xH oo O 1 I 3 a a> 3 Auckland .. James Newton, Mines Dept., Auckland M. Paul, Mines Dept., Waihi (Hauraki Mining District only) James Newton, Mines Dept., Auckland Ditto 152 1,132 Tons. 615,624 Tons. Tons. 175,026 6,100 Tons. 6,100 Tons. 23,007 Tons. 286,760 Tons. Tons. 157,016 £ 301,033 18 154 105,606 117 351 351 32,452 Hawke's Hay 13,178 8,561 10,416 6,694 11 75 Taranaki Wellington Canterbury J. F. Downey, Mines Dept., Reefton 15 43 12 64 246 119 29,415 138,281 102,339 16,370 8,930 3,149 4,175 8,072 1,789 784 2,000 10,653 56,899 36,798 Nelson \ Westland Marlborough I Otago \ Southland J Ditto A. Whitley, Mines Dept., Dunedin 12 37 155 396 6,613 134,918 30,537 327 86,248 16,337 2,676 93,938 38,942 43,989 9,004 19,185 106,655 Totals 1927 Totals 1926 300 313 2,341 2,243 '1,145,974! 1,071,393 1325,789 162,399 |26,264 72,918 144,073 il22,181 372,475 357,018 166,020 10,584 570,369 516,075

Cause. Number of Accidents. Number of Sufferers. Fatal. I Serious. Killed Seriously Jt1llM - injured. lachinery Explosives 'alls of ground 1 1 1 3 1 1 I 3 Totals 1 5 1 5