C,— 2.

Hunua Colliery (Cowan's Freehold).—Prospecting, by following the thin seam into the hillside, has been carried out by two miners. Only a few tons of coal were won before the mine was abandoned. Glendale Colliery, Opaheke.—The mine is situated seven miles east of Opaheke, and is being worked by a party of Hikurangi miners. The seam is 5 ft. thick, with intervening bands of shaley coal, which increases the ash-content and makes it difficult to market. A new drive at a higher level is being extended into the hillside, with the view of intersecting the seam at a point where the future workings will be to the rise, thus dispensing with pumping operations. The output is carted to Papakura and surrounding districts. Rangitoto Coal-mine (Native Lease, Tahia). —A small output was obtained from two headings, to the rise, proceeding into the hillside. The old workings are used for purposes of drainage. The output is used locally, and three men are employed. Relief Coal-mine (Auckland University Council Endowment Lease). —A party of eight unemployed miners, assisted by the Unemployment Board, have opened out a small coal-mine on the above lease, two miles south of Huntly. There is little demand for the coal, due to its soft nature and dull appearance. The output is bagged at the mine and transported down an aerial ropeway to the county roadway. TaranaJci District. Old Stockman Colliery, Mokau. —Wright and party continue to win coal from a small mine opened out on the west bank of the Mokau River. The roof is of hard sandstone. The quality of the coal is good, and the only drawback is the water transport to the market. Mokau Colliery (Mokau Collieries, Ltd., Owners). —Operations ceased during the year owing to difficulties experienced in transporting the output over 3f miles of surface tramway and then by steamer to New Plymouth. Egmont Colliery (Crown Lease: Egmont Collieries, Ltd., Owners). —The company's mine at Tangarakau was closed down during the month of July, due to the stony character of the coal-seam and to the fact that half of the seam contained unmarketable coal. The company prospected an area of Crown land near Tatu with satisfactory results, as regards the quality of the coal and the thickness of the seam as compared with the seam worked at Tangarakau. Developing headings revealed 7 ft. of clean coal covered by a strong roof, and as the seam was situated 400 ft. above the Tatu Valley, at a height precluding road access, one mile of aerial ropeway was installed for purposes of lowering the coal to the valley. From there it is carted a distance of approximately five miles either to Heao or Mangaparo Railway-stations. From the outcrop the seam dips moderately to the north, and apparently extends under precipitous hills which prohibit the transport of heavy boring-machinery. The only other way of testing the field is to push headings rapidly ahead, on the strike of the seam, in order to prove if a workable area exists sufficient to warrant the extension of the aerial ropeway to Mangaparo, a further distance of four miles. An output of 11,838 tons was obtained from both mines. Gilberd's Colliery (Crown Lease, Tatu). —The seam was troubled by faults and heavy roof, which required close timbering. The mine was closed at the end of the year, and some prospecting is being carried out on an area ahead of the present workings. Serious Non-fatal Accidents. On the 6th March J. Dry burgh, who was in charge of the Sullivan electric coal-cutting machine at the Mac Donald Colliery, sustained an electric shock whilst handling the control lever preparatory to switching the machine into service. On 13th March W. Thomson, a miner employed in the Wilton Colliery, had his foot injured by a piece of roof-coal which fell whilst he was engaged in filling a skip. On 28th May R. Moore, a trucker employed in the Wilton Colliery, sustained a fractured right collar-bone due to a derailed skip displacing a prop which fell on him. On 19th July William Hawser, miner of the Hikurangi Shaft Colliery, fractured some of his left ribs whilst engaged in lifting a full skip. On 17th August F. Smith, employed as Deputy in the Rotowaro Colliery, was injured by a fall of stone. His injuries consisted of bruising and a rather painful injury through the pick point entering his side and puncturing his intestines. Dangerous Occurrences (Regulation 82 of the Coal-mines Act, 1925). On 3rd June a heating was discovered in a working-place in the east section of the Pukemiro Colliery. The area was effectively sealed with brick stoppings. On Ist August steam was observed issuing from a fall to the surface over old workings in the Whatawhata Mine. The vent-hole was subsequently filled in. On 19th September the Hikurangi Mine was flooded and abandoned as a result of an increased flow of mine water and the inadequacy of the installed pumping-machinery. The flooding also affecting the neighbouring Waro Colliery, which was abandoned at the end of the year. On 4th October a temporary wooden stopping against the goaf in No. 2 south pillar section of the Renown Colliery showed indications of heating. Brick stoppings were subsequently erected and the fire suppressed. On 17th November a further heating of the goaf was discovered in a working-place in No. 3 south section of the Renown Colliery. Stoppings were erected and the fire sealed off. On 12th December a heating of the coal occurred in the third level of the Avoca Colliery. The fire was subsequently controlled by stoppings. Prosecutions. A miner was convicted and fined £2 and costs for wilfully rendering useless, contrary to section 195 of the Act, the boxes provided to conduct the ventilating air-current in to his working-place. A mine-owner was charged that, being the owner of a mine, he did work such mine for more than three days without there being a duly qualified manager appointed for such mine. A conviction was recorded and a fine of £2 and costs inflicted. A miner was charged under Regulation 67 of the Act for fighting. He was convicted and fined 10s. and costs. Proceedings were taken against a Deputy for behaving in a violent manner towards a miner. He was convicted and fined £3 and costs. A permit was cancelled by reason of misconduct by the holder in the performance of his duties. WEST COAST INSPECTION DISTRICT (C. J. Strongman and J. Hadcroft, Inspectors of Coal-mines). The combined output from the Nelson, Buller, Reefton, and Grey districts was 783,439 tons, being an increase of 54 tons on the output for the previous year. The Nelson, Buller, and Reefton districts show increases of 1,084 tons, 14,020 tons, and 10,484 tons respectively, while the Grey district shows a decrease of 25,534 tons. The total number of persons engaged underground and on the surface was 2,081. During the year no new mining development work of any . magnitude was carried out. In the majority of the larger mines, the bulk of coal won was from pillar-extraction. The use of the " panel" system of working continues to extend and in practically every mine of any size this system has been adopted. In the work of pillar-extraction the straight-line system is almost always adopted. Another point of importance which has been forcibly illustrated as the result of men working only partial time is the increased risk to the workmen iu the extraction of pillars.

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