51

C.—2.

Homebush Mine.—Most of the lower pillars were extracted in the dip section, and a heavy creep developed, culminating in a large fall, which completely blocked the dip about a chain down. An attempt may be made later on to work the north side pillars near the top of the dip. Three levels are now being worked to the rise of the dip section. The lowest of these, now in 10 chains, will reach a gully in another 4 chains, and if the coal lives under the gully the level may go another 10 chains or so. At the clay-mine a place is being driven to the north and a slit to the outcrop. The north place is in about 2 chains from the dip—which is now used as a sump. About 40 ft. above the dip-entrance some buff-coloured clay is being worked from a small opencast pit. Bush Gully Mine. —The small 2 J ft. seam becoming thinner and unprofitable to work, pillar-extraction was commenced from the lowest of the three levels, and they are now back about 2 chains. Props are regularly set at 3J ft. intervals. The waste is still standing on the props, and no sign of crushing is showing on the pillars. The top level is in a few yards to the north, but, as the seam is only 18 in. thick there, this level will not be driven much farther. St. Helens ( Whitecliffs) Mine. —This small party of miners has driven several short dips and worked the pillars left in from former workings. They lately started another drive 14 chains west of the previous one. This went level for 18 yards, then dipped at 1 in 3 for 35 yards, when a large "downthrow fault was met on the west side. A chain down the dip a level was broken away to the east, but when only 20 yards in another large fault was met. They drove in this fault for 10 yards, but, it proving disappointing, they are now extracting a pillar in the upper seam. Another pillar in a lower seam can later be won. Steventon Valley Mine.—The dip was stopped when only 5 chains down, as the coal both there and in the east side places became very soft and dirty. On the west side a level was started to cross the large downthrow fault, but it was stopped within a few yards. Pillar-extraction was then commenced, and they are now working 2 chains up from the bottom of the dip, the water being allowed to rise to the flatsheet from which they are working. Clearview Mine. —The three miners are extracting the inbye pillars near the fault which cut oft' the long main level and the few places to the rise. A little work was done about half - way in, but the remainder of this is being reserved until a few more inbye pillars have been taken out. Tripp's Mine (Mount Somers).—Early in the year a small output was won from the tops and pillars in the north-west side of the old mine and from the few remaining pillars in the drive from the opencast area. These were exhausted in July, and the old mine and opencast area were closed. A petrol-engine to drive a winch and pump at the new dip drive to the east was installed on the surface. This proved unsuitable for the work, and after extending the dip to 150 ft. down, where it met a fairly large fault, the dip was stopped. A level was then commenced at a lower altitude and about 7 chains due south of the dip. The coal-seam was reached at 60 ft., and the upper portion proved to be 10 ft. thick, with 18 in. of fireclay below and then at least another 6 ft. of coal. Burnwell Mine. —The new lessee, the Southern Cross Glass Co. of New Zealand, Ltd., has not yet reopened this small mine. Albury Mine. —All the output is now produced from the Woodbank lease, and is taken through the .drive under the traffic-road. An incline going north-east met an upthrow fault running about due east and west when about 2J chains up from the main level. No attempt has yet been made to cross this fault, work being confined to the main level, which is now in 4£ chains. It had to be deflected to the north-east, so it should soon meet the upthrow fault. Two other places have been driven to the rise, and there does not appear to be much extent of workable lignite in the Woodbank lease. The owner states that another seam exists 80 ft. below the former workings on his own lease, and he intends proving the thickness and extent of this seam by hand boring. Roseneath Mine, near Wharekuri.—When over 3 chains down from the surface a little water was met in the main drive, which was dipping to the west at a grade of 1 in 4. As there is no pump at the mine, the water was allowed to rise about 6 ft. up the drive, and is kept at that level by hand bailing. A place going to the south was also dipping steeply, and is now under water. A level has been driven to the north, and is now in 25 yards. The coal-prospecting license, over an area north of the traffic-road, has been surrendered. Airedale Mine.—The main lovel is stopped in poor lignite, and it appeared to be near the outcrop ; but a bord on the dip side has gone well past the faulted coal, so the main level will again bo extended. A dip was driven to the south-east and went through poor coal, but was continued. The seam then thickened to 12 ft., but a band of stone came in about 3 ft. from the floor. This band thickened until the seam became too dirty to work, so the dip was stopped and another commenced a few chains inbye. St. Andrew's Mine, near Peebles. —Early in the year two young miners opened up a new mine on this freehold area. Previously they had put down five shallow boreholes to the north of the old workings, and then commenced a tevel about half a mile from the old workings. From this level, now over 9 chains in, a seam of lignite 9 ft. thick is being won. From a place going west a small airshaft has been put up 52 ft. to the surface for a return. In this shaft a good steel ladder has been provided. The traffic-road had to be extended by the miners over a quarter of a mile to the new mine. Ngapara Mine.—Near the boundary, narrow working-places are still being driven to the north. The roadways are being treated with fine clay. Blocks of Oamaru stone 12 in. square and 9 in. thick were used to build the stoppings between the intake and return airways. A 4 ft. ventilating-fan of the propulsive type and driven by a I h.p. singlephase motor has been installed at the top of the upcast shaft. Shag Point Mine. —No work was done in the main dip for the first eight months, but since then it has been extended about a chain. The seam is 4 ft. thick there, but the bottom foot is very stony. The rest of the seam is clean and of fairly good quality. The bottom level on the south side was stopped when chains in. A 2 ft. upthrow was met, but the coal dipped away again and became very soft and dirty. Shag Point Coal-mining Co.'s Mine.—Hancock's dip has not been extended, but recently a dip place has been started 20 yards to the west. Four chains inbye in the bottom west level a borehole was put down 100 ft. but no workable seam was found. A level going to the east off Hancock's dip is now in ten chains in thin coal. Beyond the 38 ft. upthrow fault, the main west level is in over 12 chains. In this, the Stone Jig section, the seam being under 2\ ft. thick, the workings were altered to longwall, and five miners are now employed there. Seventeen feet below the stone jig, and a little to the south, a 3 ft. seam is being worked. This seam is clean and hard. About 4 chains to the west of the head of the stone jig a dip, called " Perry's dip," has been driven. The stone band, running in the middle of the seam, thickened to 2 ft. 3 in., so the dip was stopped when 5 chains down. Three places to the west are being worked there, and these are approaching the upper workings of the old Allandale Mine. All the pillars from the top section, and most of those in the middle section, of the long crosscut have been extracted. Off the main haulage-road an incline, called " Rutter's heading," was driven to the south. This holed into an old bord when 5£ chains up, so another incline, 50 ft. further east, is now being driven. This is within a chain of holing into the bottom level of the old south workings and when completed will be used as a new return airway. Off Rutter's heading three bords are being worked to the east. As the seams are very thin and the stone from the middle band needs much stowage-room, most of the places are driven rather wide and the pillars are made fairly small. The several faults form sufficient barriers, should a section require isolation ; but underground fires are unknown in this mine, there being no tendency to spontaneous heating. The management was instructed to amend the timbering rules for pillar-workings by reducing the maximum distance between the rows of props, and between adjacent props in the same row, from 6 ft. to 4 ft. Rough Ridge Coal-pit.—A few tons for local consumption are still being won from the south-east corner of the area. Idaburn Pit. —This pit changed ownership during the year, and the new owner, soon after taking over, commenced stripping away the overburden from the east end of the pit. Oturehua Pit.—Nearly 200 tons of lignite were produced during the first quarter of the year, but one of the owners was killed in a motor accident and very little lignite has been won since.