C—3b.

the south, and after penetrating the coal a few yards a down-throw fault was met with, completely cutting off all trace of the seam in that direction. The coal was then followed to the eastward, where there is now a body of solid and good coal of its kind. It is similar in quality to the coal obtained some years ago from the old Bruce Pit. Hardwick has, at the present time, two or three men preparing a line for a tramway from his pit-mouth to near the top of the hill, which is between his workings and Milton. From this spot the teams can take away a full load, there being a hard metal road all the way to Milton. A. Young's Bruce Pit, Milton. —(2s/6/96) : This is now a large opencast in the face of a hill which rises quickly to the eastward, while the coal-seam appears to be nearly horizontal, as far as yet worked. The coal must be fully 20 ft. thick, without a band in it. The stripping going eastward is getting deeper very quickly. There is still some shallow stripping by following a depression in the surface southward, and this was being followed at the time of my visit. Ultimately this also will be as deep stripping as at any other place. Eventually it will have to be mined. During the winter months the road to this pit is so bad that loaded teams cannot travel on it. lam told the teamsters refuse to go to the pit for coal even when they are offered it for nothing. James Raid's Akatore Pit, Milton. —(2s/6/96) : Since my previous visit most of the coal removed appears to me to have been brushed down from the roof of the old workings quite handy to the mouth of the pit. The output is small, and I did not find any one there. J. Beid's Pit, Adam's Flat. — (25/6/96) : I have not visited this pit during the past two years, since which time the open face of the pit has not been altered very much. The stripping is somewhat deeper, and the coal a little thicker, perhaps now 20 ft. or more, from the present floor-level, which is not the real floor of the coal. The laminations of the coal dip steeply to the eastward, under the rising ground, in which direction the floor of the coal cannot at present be followed, in consequence of a considerable quantity of water in the ground. The present pit-floor is at the level of the open drain leading therefrom. It is now proposed to deepen the drain considerably, and lay down 6 in. pipes at the lowest possible depth to be conveniently attained. It is said the best coal is rapidly dipping underfoot, and that it can be followed only in the way proposed, or by the erection of a pumping plant. Only the best coal will retain the local trade. McDougaWs Pit, Lovell's Flat. —(1/7/96) :At the time of my previous visit I was informed that an 8 ft. seam of coal had been bored through at a considerable depth from the surface. A shaft was then being sunk to the supposed new seam; but, after sinking 150 ft. and finding no coal, the sinking operations were stopped for the time being. The old workings near the surface are again being worked from the dip-drive, where about 5 ft. of coal is being taken out below the floor of the old workings. It is good, and very easily hewn out. Gibson's Pit, Lovell's Flat. —(l/ 7/96) : The No. 2 shaft, which was sunk 319 ft. about four years ago, has lately been put down another 145 ft., making a total depth of 464 ft., at which depth it passed through al6 ft. seam of clean coal of what appears to be first-class quality of its kind. A chamber on either side of the shaft is now being hewn out and timbered, and other preparations are being made in order to successfully cope with a large output, for it is believed the coal will command a ready sale in the market. A branch railway-line is to be at once laid from the pit to the Lovell's Flat Station. The line is already laid out, and some of the excavations and fillings are going on. I was told the line would be in working-order in a month or two from date. McSkimming's Pit, Benhar. —(3o/6/96) : All the working-places were examined, and found in good order. It is a coal roof throughout the mine, and as smooth in most places as a barn-floor. The bords are wide, but there is not the slightest indication of the roof or sides flaking. The air is good, and the working-places quite dry. Mount Wallace Pit, Benhar. —(3o/6/96) : Since my first visit the mine has been worked on a small scale by one or two men. The bords have been contiuued in the direction started at the first, and they are in a good and safe condition. The workings are quite dry. Kaitangata Mine. —(26/6/96) : I went through much of the workings, where the old bords now underfoot are being crossed in some places and followed in others. The top of the old bords is now the floor of the present workings, through the floor of the old bords having risen 10 ft. during the last seven years, and having so completely closed the old bords as to make it difficult for a stranger to the work to realise that they had ever been there. A second 10 ft. of coal is now being taken out from the top of the old workings, while some of the pillars are being split on the same level. Behind all this work there are men removing the roof-coal and the pillars to the floor, thus allowing the mine to close behind them, which work is being done with safety to the men and with very little loss of coal. The removal of the coal in these old south workings will employ the present gang of thirty-seven men for about two years. From the level of the stone-drive section, or present bottom of the incline from the engine, a stone tunnel has been driven a distance of about 840 ft., where it cut the main seam of coal at No. 2 fault. The coal here is found to be 26 ft. thick, of excellent quality, and perfectly clean from floor to roof. The lay or angle of the seam is said to be a rise to the east of lin 2. From the end of the stone drive just referred to a prospecting tunnel has lately been put in a distance of 300 ft., at which distance the same seam was again cut beyond No. 3 fault. This coal has also proved to be of a like good quality and thickness. This new work has tapped what promises to be a considerable field of coal not previously known to exist. When the coal was first cut a considerable quantity of water was met with, but at the time of my visit it had lessened a good deal. It was, however, still very wet overhead in one of the coal-faces. The current of air is carried along the stone drive by a boarding partition and scrim. (27/6/96): All the workings except two in the north district were examined, and found in good condition and well ventilated. These levels (four) extend northward for a distance of 23 chains from the winchdip, where in each level the seam is of less thickness than in any of the south workings. The coal, however, is of equal quality to that in the thick seams. It is intended to still further extend the lower one of these levels in order to test the value of that part of the lease, and set at rest

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