45

0.—2

Nelson District. O'Rourke's Mine, Murchison. —Operations consist of working a highly inclined seam, 2 ft. thick, by driving a level in the seam and working the coal to the rise on a wido face. Props are set at suitable intervals. Broxbourne Mine. —This is a small mine on freehold property at Motupipi. The output is usod principally to burn lime, and a small quantity is sold in winter. The seam is about 0 ft. thick, highly inclined, and of fair quality. Stone's Mine, Takaka. —This is a small mine on freehold property. Tho seam is about 3 ft. thick, and of fair quality. A fair demand exists for this coal in winter. Marble Creek Mine was oponed for a few weeks during tho year to win a few tons of coal as a samplo order. The seam is very highly inclined and the coal is of fair quality. North Cape Mine. —During the yoar the shuit mine was closed down. Arrangements were then mado to roopen tho old mino with a view to extending the dip drive to tap tho seam on the downthrow side of the fault. Two places are being worked in the thin coal on tho eastern side. Puponga Mine. —ln the new section tho seam thickons as it goos west, being about 7 ft. thick at the faeo of the level. On the eastern side the seam thinned to such an extent as to make it too expensive to work. The coal is of good quality. In the old mino one place is being worked, but the coal is very mushy and only fit for boiler-firing. Fatal Accidents. Sovon workmen were fatally injured whilst employed in or about tho coal-mines of tho West Coast Inspection District during tho year —one by falling off a bridge, four asphyxiated by noxious gases, one by fall of roof, and one by a haulage-rope breaking. On the 4th February a miner named Jesso Baddeley met his death by falling off a bridge across tho Soven-milo Creek at Dunollio. The bridge was being reconstructed for coal-haulage purposes by tho co-operative party of which deceased was a member. On the sth February Manager Pearson, Underviewer Maher, and Deputies Cowan and Ford, of the Millorton Colliery were ovorcome by poisonous gases whilst ongagod in exploratory work in the fire area. Proto apparatus was used on this occasion, and was found on examination to be in good order and condition. On the 9th October Duncan Tonnant, undorviewer in the Blackball Mine, was fatally injured as the result of tho roof caving in whilst he was on his rounds of inspection in the No. 2 dip soction. On 23rd December Carl Roskvist, employed at the Westportmain Mine, was killed by being caught by the haulage-rope on the main haulage incline. BBBIOTO Non-fatal Accidents. On tho 21st January Story Worgan, employed in the Denniston Mine, received a fracture of tho left leg as the result of going under a piece of bad roof-stone to tamp a shot-hole. The injured man had unsuccessfully tried to pull down the stone and an attempt was being made to shoot it down. On the 17th February a boy named Joshua Oldham recoived injuries through his clothing becoming ontangled in the shafting of a conveyer, whilst employed on the screens at Donniston Colliery. On the 10th March a miner named John Smith was burned by an ignition of firedamp in the stable section of the Liverpool Colliery. The place had been examined by tho doputy and found clear of gas prior to the mine commencing work. When Smith entered the place later on his naked light came in contact with an accumulation of gas, with the above results. On tho 29th April H. McLeod, employod in the Denniston Mine, received a simple fracture of the left leg through a beam of timber falling on him whilst he was engaged with others in moving the timber into position for a terminal wheel. On the 4th May David Murray, a miner employed in tho Millerton Mine, received a fractured leg, caused by a piece of coal falling from the rib of an old roadway, where he had gone to get some tools. On the 20th June G. Lang, a miner, was riding in tho workmen's train at the Stockton Mine, when one of the trucks became derailed. Lang jumped out of the truck, fell, and fractured his arm. On the 21st June T. Grcon, a miner, employed in the Paparoa Mino, was engaged at the working-face, when a piece of coal came away and fractured his leg. On the 28th July Harry Wiseman, employed in the Denniston Mine, was twisting a truck on a flat-shoet, when he fractured his right arm. On the 14th September Alex. Black was splitting a piece of wood with an axe, when he chopped off the index finger of the left hand at the middle joint. On the 24th October Alfred Hill, manager of Hunter and Party's Mine, was attending to a pump, when the universal joint caught tho safety-lamp and swung it against his face with such force as to cause fracture of the cheek-bone. 'On the 23rd November John Morgan was operating a gravity incline in the Donniston Mine, when the race became unmanageable. In trying to jam on the brakes he hung on too long, and the result was that tho empty truck fractured his right leg. On the 9th December James Berry, a miner employed in the Millerton Mine, was engaged at the coal-face, when some false roof over tho coal came away and knocked the shovel against his body, causing serious injury to the groin and abdomen. The place was well timbered. Tho false roof was over a pillar-stump. Dangerous Occurrences under Regulation 82. On the 30th July a small fire broke out in the goaf area at the Reddale Mine. The area was sealed off from the other workings and got well under control. On the 27th October spontaneous heating was reported as taking place in 3rd west clip pillars of Millerton Colliery. Tho area was sealed off and kept under control. Prosecutions. On tho 12th September the mining manager and the mine-manager of a mino were convicted and each fined £5 and costs for failing to produce in such mine, at a time when there were persons thorein, an adequate amount of ventilation to dilute and render harmless noxious gases to such an extent that all roads, levels, and workings were in a fit state for working and passing therein, as is required by section 91 (1) and (2) of the Coal-mines Act, 1925. SOUTHERN INSPECTION DISTRICT (Mr. Georoe Duggan, Inspector). COAL-OUTPUT. . During 1927 the total output of coal from Canterbury, Otago, and Southland—4o3,ol9 tons —again showed a decrease, being 955 tons less than that of 1920. The Nightcaps and Ohai Mines produced 240,078 tons, as compared with 200,402 tons, an. increase of 40,270 tons for the year. The Shag Point Coal-mining Co. produced 27,808 tons, an increase of 9,703 tons over their 1920 output. Southland produced 36,106 tons more than the previous year, but South Otago shows a decrease of 45,184 tons, partly due to the Kaitangata Nos. I and 2 and the Castle Hill Mines being idle For lour months. The old English