51

C—2.

Denniston Collieries. Ironbridge Mine. —The only development work is in the Deep Creek section, where seven pairs of miners are now employed. The miners are allowed forty-two minutes travelling-time to get to this section, and in a few weeks will be working in the 47-acre block, when their travelling-time will be increased to fifty minutes. Pillar-extraction continues in the No. 8 shaft, Kruger's and Kiwi sections. Coalbrookdale Mine. —Waratea Jig Section : The endless-rope haulage is now being installed for 62 chains from the junction of the Waratea jig and Extended sections. In the crosscut going south-east stone bands arc splitting up the seam, and these are gradually becoming thicker. Waratea and Extended Cascade Sections : Pillar-extraction continues in these sections. The haulage, was shortened in the Cascade section, and miners now travel to work along the haulageroad. Blackdamp is occasionally reported in the Cascade section. Power-house: The building, 95ft. by 75ft., is of concrete and wood, and two three-phase 50cycle A.C. generators, each of 400-500kw., have been installed. These are driven by BellisMorcom sets of 450 h.p. Current is generated at 3,000 volts, and is stepped down at the substations to 400 volts A.C, and for underground work will be used at 200 volts. A steel cubicle switchboard of nine panels is mounted on a concrete platform. Output for Denniston mines, 127,091 tons. Nelson District. Puponga Mine. —The pillars in the rise section are nearing exhaustion. A little prospecting has lately been done about 3J chains below the bottom level of the rise section. The bins were condemned as unsafe on the 26th March, and the men were engaged for a month in effecting repairs. Output, 3,376 tons. North Cape Mine. —This mine is also relying solely on pillar-extraction. It is intended to work the east side on the longwall system later on. Prospecting has been done on the hillside to the rise of the present workings, and a borehole, it is claimed, proved 4 ft. of coal. Boring will shortly commence on an area near Puponga. Stone's Mine, Central Takaka. —A small mine has been opened near the traffic-bridge on the West Takaka Road by Stone Bros. This mine is near the old workings of a former mine. A drive is now in 2\ chains. 'The coal is split up by a band of stone 20 in. thick. The top coal is 18 in. in thickness and the bottoms are 15 in. Murchison Mines. —A small mine was open by O'Rourke Bros., almost opposite Murchison and across the Bailor River. The seam is only 2J ft. in thickness, and is steeply inclined, being about 60°. Another thin seam, also steeply inclined and farther down the Buller River, is being worked by Mr. R. Fairhall, from which he produced 48 tons of coal. Picton. —A small shaft has been sunk 85 ft. near the west side of Shakespeare Bay and about 40 ft. from the water's edge. It was found impossible to sink farther owing to the inrush of water from the bay. Coal-prospecting licenses have been granted over land near Glenhope, but so far nothing of commercial value has been found. Explosives. Miss-shots from defective " permitted " explosives and defective electric detonators were frequent during the first half of the year, but since the African and Australian-made "' permitted " explosives have been used (lie number of miss-shots has decreased considerably. A complete stoppage of mining operations through lack of explosives was narrowly averted. Prosecutions. On the 18th March two mine-managers were fined for not using magneto-electric apparatus for firing shots, in contravention of Regulation 129 (h). On the 25th June two miners employed at the Millerton Mine were fined for not reporting to the Deputy the presence of inflammable gas in their working-place. On the Ist November the manager of Archer's Freehold Mine, Capleston, was fined for a breach of General Rule 2 (/); and on the same day the manager of Coghlan's Mine was fined for a breach of General Rule 42. Dangerous Occurrences notified under Regulation 81. Millerton Mine. —ln the Millerton Mine ignitions of firedamp occurred in the old dip section on the 10th February, 22nd June, and sth July, and an ignition occurred in the No. 2 dip section on the Ist June. Ironbridge Mine. —On the 7th July an ignition of gas was reported in the No. 8 pillar section of the Ironbridge Mine. Coalbrookdale Mine. —On the 27th July the underground fire in the Coalbrookdale Mine broke through a bord-end, which had not been quite holed through, in Wallace section. It was got under control by augmenting the number of brick stoppings around the area and strengthening those already erected. Blackball Mine. —On Sunday, the Ist August, Deputy Veitch reported smoke issuing from a stopping at the bottom of the No. 11 incline off the main level. It was controlled by reinforcing the concrete stopping. Ferndale-Timaru Mine. —The heating in the goaf has already been referred to in this report.