E.—7.

4

Diplomas and. Certificates. —Three graduates of the Mining School, having presented satisfactory certificates of time spent in practical work, as required by the regulations, were awarded the diploma of associate—namely, 2 in mining and 1 in metallurgy. The certificate of mine and land surveyor was granted to 5 graduate students, and the certificate of metallurgical chemist and assayer to 1 student. The names of the students to whom diplomas and certificates were issued are as under: A.O.S.M. in Mining, Edward lies, A. James Walker; A.O.S.M. in Metallurgy, William Gibson; Certificate of Mine and Laud Surveyor, Ernest Herbert Webb, 8.E., George H. Royse, A.0.5.M., Oluf Moen, A.0.5.M., Edward lies, A.0.5.M., J. F. McPaddeu; Certificate of Metallurgical Chemist and Assayer, Edward lies. The diplomas granted in the divisions of mining, metallurgy, and geology since 1887 are as follow:—Mining: Issued up to end of 1905, 76; in 1906,2: total, 78. Metallurgy: To end of 1905, 37; in 1906, 1: total, 38. Geology: To end of 1905, 13. Grand totals: To end of 1905, 126; in 1906, 3: total, 129. Appointments obtained by Old Students during 1906. —The list of old students of the Mining School who have secured responsible appointments during the past year is longer than in former years. It is as follows: (1) T. H. B. Wayne, A.0.5.M., mining engineer to Woodbush Mine, Petersburg, South Africa; (2) Colin Campbell, A.0.5..M., assistant manager, Woodbush Mine, Petersburg, South Africa; (3) Claude L. Gregg, A.0.5.M., assistant nfanager, Ashanti Goldfields Auxiliary (Limited), Dunkwa, Gold Coast, W T est Africa; (4) George Watt Thomson, A.0.5.M., mining engineer to the Minerals Separation Company (Limited), London; (5) Arthur Robert Andrew, M.Sc, A.0.5.M., Chief Surveyor, Mineral Survey, British Central Africa Protectorate; (6) Norman R. Fisher, 8.E., A.0.5.M., assistant engineer, Pennsylvania Railway Company, United States of America; (7) William Gibson, A.0.5.M., superintendent of battery, Omahu Gold-mining Company, Thames; (8) George H. Royse, A.0.5.M., assistant surveyor, Jumper's Deep (Limited), Cleveland, Johannesburg; (9) James M. Maclaren, D.Sc, consulting engineer, London; (10) James Baillie Macdonald, A.0.5.M., consulting engineer, Rand, South Africa; (11) A. E. de Lautour, A.0.5.M., general manager, Tasmania; (12) Herbert Black, A.0.5.M., metallurgist, Cumberland Mine, South Australia; (13) 0. G. Adams, B.Sc, A.0.5.M., consulting engineer, London; (14) Ernest H. Webb, 8.E., assistant geologist, New Zealand Geological Survey. Geological Survey. —The number of appointments obtained by our students in the past six years is as under: 1901, 8; 1902, 7; 1903, 8; 1904, 11; 1905, 13; 1906, 14: total, 61. Altogether 61 appointments were secured by 55 individuals. The salaries for the most part ranged between £300 and £600 a year. In eight cases, mostly those of lecturers, the emolument was under £300, and in two cases it exceeded £800 a year. The various occupations represented in the above list of 61 are as under : Consulting engineers, 3 ; mining engineers, 8; assistant mining engineers, 4; general managers, 3 ; mine-managers, 7 ; inspectors of mines, 2 ; geologists, 3; mine-surveyors, 5; metallurgists, 9; dredgemasters, 2; directors, schools of mines, 8; lecturers, schools of mines, 7: total, 61. In addition to those enumerated above, 22 students have obtained places as assayers, cyaniders, metallurgical chemists, mine and battery assistants. These are the positions in which our students gain experience, and from which they graduate into the more responsible appointments. A noticeable feature in respect to these appointments is that the best places do not necessarily fall to the men of greatest ability, but rather to those who possess average ability combined with initiative and enterprise. New Zealand University Examinations. —The results of the November examinations of the Xew Zealand University, so far as they concern our mining students, are as follow: Honours in Science —A. jM. Finlayson, first class in geology, first class in physics; Master of Science — Arthur Robert Andrew, C. N. Boult, and A. M. Finlayson; Senior Scholarships—J. A. Bartrum, in physics; Final B.Sc. —J. A. Bartrum and C. A. Cotton; Final B.E. (Mining) —H. R. Macdonald and A. Gordon Macdonald; First Section B.E. (Metallurgy) —Gerhardt C. Ulrich. The Sir George Grey Scholarship of Otago University was awarded to C. A. Cotton, B.Sc. Thus for five years in succession this scholarship has fallen to a mining student. The Ulrich Medal for 1906 was won by I. Douglas Isaacson. Academic. —In the past five years our mining students have secured the following academic distinctions: Two Rhodes Scholarships; three 1851 Exhibition Scholarships; four Senior Scholarships, New Zealand University; six First-class Honours in Science; five Sir George Grey Scholarships. The cash value of the scholarships won by students of the Otago Mining School in the last five years amounts altogether to £3,100. The mining graduates who have taken the ordinary B.Sc" and Engineering B.Sc. are as follow: Ordinary B.Sc. : 1902 to 1905, 9 : in 1906, 2: total, 11. Engineering B.Sc: 1902 to 1905, 5; 1906, 2: total, 7. Grand totals: 1902 to 1905, 14; 1906, 4: total, 18. Laboratory. —During the year 155 samples of ore and mineral were assayed for the public by Mr. Waters at schedule rates, and in the same period 67 samples of rock and mineral were examined and reported on by Dr. Marshall and 31 by the Director—all free of charge. Mine-sanitation. —The great development of underground mining in recent years and the increasing depth of mines have added much to the difficulty of providing a ventilating current that shall sweep away all noxious gases and give a constant and sufficient supply of pure air. The maximum effort of a workman is obtained between temperatures ranging from 55° to 75° Fahr., and in presence of a sufficient supply of pure air Hence, apart from its purely humanitarian aspect, the preservation of the health of the workman is now recognised as an important branch of mining economics. Mines vary in extent and depth, in the character of the mineral being mined, in the gases given off, and in the number of men employed. Where the conditions vary so much that no hard and fast rule can be laid down as to what shall constitute sufficient pure air for any particular mine or group of mines, every mine is a law unto itself. In the coal-mines of Europe and in the deep gold-mines of the Transvaal the constitution of the minegases has become the subject of close scientific investigation. It has been found that no rule-of-thumb methods, no amount of practical experience in mining, can tell when the mine-air is pure