C.—2.

On the 13th November, 1934, William Timlin, miner, Liverpool Colliery, was buried by a fall of roof coal in No. 3 bank, Morgan section. His death, which occurred after he had been extracted from the coal, was due to shock and internal injuries. Serious Non-fatal Accidents, 1934. Seven serious accidents were notified during the year, as follows: — On the 9th February, 1934, William Wick, engine-driver and pumpman at Smith and Party's Co-operative Mine, received severe injuries to his spine and a fractured skull. He was working adjacent to the bin stacking planks on an old gantry, which collapsed, throwing him to the ground, a distance of 17 ft. This gantry had previously been condemned as being unsafe. On the 10th February, 1934, Thomas Gntberlet, carpenter, Wallsend Mine, received a fractured skull. Hearing a moving rake of empty trucks derailed, he stepped out in the main haulage road to signal to the winchman to stop the rake, at the same time standing behind a large prop. The winchman obeyed the signal, but one of the derailed trucks bumped the prop before stopping, dislodging it, and knocking Gutberlet down. In fending off the prop, which fell with him, he either bumped his head on the floor or rib, inflicting the above-mentioned injury. On the 28th March, 1934, Samuel Marsh, miner, Puponga Mine, was repairing timber in the roadway when a stone fell from the roof, causing a compound facture of the left leg. He was removed to the Nelson Hospital, and his leg was amputated above the knee. On the 14th June, 1934, James Rattray, trucker, Ironbridge Mine, Denniston, was cutting a steel-wire rope when a piece of flying wire penetrated the left eyeball. On the 27th July, 1934, Nathan Heward, aged nineteen years, who was employed in the fitting-shop, Liverpool Colliery, Rewanui, met with a serious injury to his right eye, which afterwards had to be removed. He was engaged punching a piece of J in. plate with the punching-machine when a piece of steel flew off the point of the punch, striking him in the eye. On the 22nd August, 1934, John Corcoran, miner, Stockton Mine, received a dislocated clavicle and fractured ribs when he was buried beneath a fall of roof coal in the Fly Creek section of the mine. On the 4th October, 1934, John McEnaney, miner, Bellbird Mine (Fauth and Party) was struck by a fall of roof stone at his working-face and received fractured pelvis and burst bladder. Dangerous Occurrences in Coal-mines (Regulation 82, Coal-mines Act, 1925). On the sth January, 1934, an explosion occurred in the east rise seotion of the Dobson Mine. A secondary explosion, which occurred about twenty-five minutes later and which was much less violent, obscured much of the evidence as to the site of the point of origin of the first one. The mine, fortunately, was idle that day, but two workmen were underground—viz., Deputy Walter Dando and Pumpman James Purton, who, apart from suffering severe shock, escaped injury. These workmen were, at the time of the first explosion, proceeding up the No. 1 dip towards the bottom of the stone-drive after completing their day's work, and, as they were not in the area affected by the explosion, they could not have contributed towards it. During 1933 the work of extracting pillars in the east rise section had been carried out and several heavy roof falls had taken place in the goafed area. Fire-damp on the edge of the goaf in the east section had been reported that morning by the deputy during his morning examination. During the previous four months gas had been reported on many occasions and was evidently exuding from the goaf in such a manner that the ventilation current could not keep the places clear. After a careful examination of the mine by the inspection staff and the management, the conclusion arrived at was that the explosion was caused by the ignition of fire-damp from heat due to the movement of the hard quartzitic sandstone roof rock in one of the goaf areas. The confining of the explosion to the east and west sections was largely due to the use of stone-dust and the blanketing effect of water dammed back in the bords wherever possible. Stoppings: It was decided that the east pillar and Ruane's pillar sections be sealed off with concrete stoppings 2 ft. in thickness to prevent any recurrence of this nature. The coal company called in two independent mining engineers to report on the position. It has been decided that complete extraction of pillar coal from the rise downward will not again be attempted. On the 31st January, 1934, a heating occurred on the boundary between Bellvue (Hadcroft and Party) Mine and Cain's Mine. Wooden stoppings were immediately erected and the fire sealed off. Early in the year evidence of heating was observed to the west of the main rope-road in the James State Colliery. Twelve concrete stoppings were erected and the whole of the suspected area sealed off. On 14th April, 1934, an incipient fire was discovered in some old timber in a road approximately 16 yards from Whareatea rope-road, Coalbrookdale Mine, Denniston. The fire was quickly under control and extinguished in about three hours. It was suspected that a burning cigarette or match had been thrown on to the timber. On the 2nd June," 1934, a fire was discovered raging in some old workings in the Welcome Mine, which is situated on the Morrisvale Lease, Reefton, and worked by Mr. W. Wood. A dam was erected, blocking the mouth of one of the drives and a small creek was diverted into the mine, but this had little effect on the fire. It is probable that the fire was due to spontaneous combustion in the slack left in the old workings. This mine is a total loss. On the 16th June, 1934, a heating occurred in Smith and Party's Co-operative Mine in the pillared portion lying to the south of the main dip. Three board stoppings were erected, effectively sealing off the heated area. On the 24th July, 1934, a heating occurred in the panel on the north-eastern side of the mam dip in the Burke's Creek Mine. On the 2nd August, 1934, this heating was reported as being more active, and the section was sealed off with four concrete stoppings. On the 26th July, 1934, notification was received that a heating had occurred in the goaf in No. 6 opening in the Blackball Creek Mine. The workmen were withdrawn and the section sealed off. On the 16th August, 1934, the mine-manager notified that a workman in the Old Runanga Co-operative Party's Mine was slightly burned around the head and arms by gas issuing from a break in the floor coming in contact with his naked light. Safety lamps are now being used in this section of the colliery. On the 6th September, 1934, a heating occurred in the north-eastern portion of the Bellvue Mine, and was sealed off with wooden stoppings. On the 12th October, 1934, a large slip, which demolished the winch-house and binns, occurred at the Blackball Creek Coal Co.'s No. 3 Mine. Fortunately no one was there at the time. Evidence of fire was discovered in the abandoned No. 6 section in this mine, and the section was sealed off. On the 10th November, 1934, a report was received from the mine-manager of the Hill-top Mine (Armstrong and Party) that a fire had broken out at the goaf edge near the inside workings of No. 2 level pillars. On inspection it was revealed that the fire had been blazing for several days and the position was serious. Temporary stoppings were erected to keep the fire in check. Flooding has since been resorted to. Prosecutions under the Coal-mines Act, 1925. Fifteen informations were laid during the year. Two were withdrawn and thirteen convictions recorded. For failing to enter in a report-book kept for the purpose full particulars of every discovery of inflammable gas by an official or workman, as required by Regulation 82, a mine-manager was convicted and fined ss. and costs 10s. An information was laid against a mine-manager under Regulation 238 (3) (g) for failing to take representative samples of road-dust every three months. A conviction and fine of ss. and costs 10s. were recorded.

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