C—2

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Idaburn Goal-mine, Oturehua. —Opencast pit flooded with water, as it frequently had been during this wet season. Cromwell Coal-mine, Cromwell. —Prospecting for seam on the left-hand bank of the Kawarau River. Shepherd's Creek Coal-mine, Bannockburn. —Mine-workings in good order, and ventilation satisfactory. Gardrona Coal-mine, Gardrona. —Overburden, 30 ft. to 40 ft., sluiced away with water fo expose coal-seam. Gibbslon Coal-mine, Qibbston. — Pillaring outward, substantial fire-stoppings constructed against the waste. Nevis Goal-mine, Nevis. —A. seam of coal 15 ft. to 20 ft. in thickness had been opened by a surface cutting. Nevis Crossing Goal-mine, Nevis. —Opencast. Manager's attention drawn to dangerous method of getting coal by undermining at one point. Fernhill Goal-mine, Abbotsford. —Mine in good order. Ventilation satisfactory. Firestoppings well attended. Freeman's Coal-mine, Abbotsford. —The lower dip workings hail been abandoned owing to creep and fire. Pillar and head coal extraction continued. Green Island, Coal-mine, Green Island. —A new entrance had been made toward the rise workings. Substantial fire-stoppings constructed against the waste. - Jubilee Goal-mine, Saddle Hill. — Withdrawing pillar and head coal left at first, working. Christie's Saddle Hill, Nos. 1 and '.' Mines, Saddle Hill.--Y;\r\ ventilation good; pillarextraction carefully conducted. East Taieri Goal-mine, East Taieri.-- Floor heaving badly owing to creep. Attention to brattice was required at two working-faces. Brighton Coal-mine, Brighton. -The new drive to the dip will tap the level drive near the face and shorten the haulage. U'aronui Coal-mine, Milton.—New dip workings had become lost, by water-inflow from overlying strata, which the pumps were unable to cope with. Roads were being laid into the rise pillars for maintenance of output. MeGilp's Coal-mine, Milton. —The old lire at. the surface near the mine-mouth is now completely subdued. Levels are being driven, also headings to the outcrop. Natural ventilation by two shafts satisfactory. Taratu Colliery, Lovell's Flat. —Pillar-drawing continued, with some development to the dip, where water is troublesome and additional pumping plant is necessary. Workings to the south of the shaft are pillared and stopped off, also part where heating had occurred. The coal-roof is tender, and close attention to timbering is necessary. Pillar and head coal being taken from old mine reserve, and development proceeding in Barclay's drive at the surface-level seam. Mahara Goal-mine, Kaitangata. —Mine in good order; timber well used; air well conducted by brattice. Longridge Coal-mine, Kaitangata. —A small mine driven in an upper seam of the Kaitangata coal-measures. Kaitangata No. 1 Mine. —No. 6 dip section. The principal development had been continued eastward, where the main seam was proved to be undisturbed by faulting, and remarkably flat compared with earlier workings the westward of the field. This district should provide most of the output in the near future. Owing to "creep," all places had been driven from 6ft. to 8 ft. in width, in order to reduce upkeep and provide facilities for future withdrawal of pillar and head coal, together with better control of spontaneous "fires," which inevitably occur as work and time progress. Working-faces are about one mile and a half distant from the minemouth. It is proposed to sink a shaft, or to construct a rise at No. 6 dip, for the purpose of substituting surface for underground haulage, also to improve the ventilation and provide a second outlet. Mundy's Dip section has been continued on pillar and head coal; substantial stoppings had been inserted against the waste. Fire-damp, usually in small quantity, had been reported on a number of occasions. A maximum of 500 cubic feet having been reported in the waste, the pillaring-place was then finished and stopped off. No. 21 dip section : The 32 ft, seam here worked has provided a considerable output. It is estimated that 70 per cent, of the seam lias been extracted. The barrier system of getting coal has been followed, with satisfactory results. Kaitangata No. 2 Mine. —Nos. I and 2 dip sections provided, the output from this mine. Owing to heavy creep, the maintenance of roads and airways had been difficult in consequence. Heating from spontaneous fire occurred behind the steel tubbing on the haulage-way where old coal-workings had been crossed, and it became necessary to extend the tubbing at several points, with apparently satisfactory results. The 6ft. seam: Further development proved the seam to continue to the dip, having a fine hard conglomerate roof, with no fire-damp and very little water. In all probability the small quantity of water and comparative absence of fire-damp in this mine was due to their having been drained away by former workings in the proximity, but every precaution was taken as though fire-damp was known to occur, and safety-lamps only were allowed in the mine. Castle Hill Mine, Kaitangata. —No. 7 dip and rise workings north have been finished and permanently stopped off. The output was produced from the Carson seam, being developed north and south from, the rise stone heading. On the 26th September, near a "roll" on the