a—2

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No. 3a Mine : Work at this mino ceased, owing to exhaustion, on the 18th November, No. 3 Mine : Pillaring from the remaining low coal was continued during the year. James State Mine.- At this prospective colliery, situated near Dunollie, the main haulage drive is now in 25 chains, but the coal met has been very disappointing, being thin and split up by stone bands. One place—going to the west from about the 22-chain mark—is in 2J chains, and 3$ ft. of fairly clean coal is being obtained there. Another place is being driven westward towards Kane's Mine. Co-operative Parties near Dunollie. —Messrs. Clarke and party are mining coal from a 9-acre lease between the Seven-mile Creek and the rise workings of No. 2 section, old Point Elizabeth Colliery. Clarke's mine is separated from these old workings by a large fault. The coal is 6 ft. thick, hard, and, save for a 3 in. band about 18 in. from the roof, is very clean. The fault has been reached and the solid work is almost completed. Messrs. Hunter and party have a lease over 40 acres, including the No. 3 tunnel section, Point Elizabeth Colliery. . The seam is thin and is divided by a stone band, which gradually thickened towards the old workings, and the coal became unprofitable to work in that direction. Messrs. Baddeley and party have a lease of 10 acres across the Seven-mile Creek, which includes the old No. 4 tunnel. The seam is b' ft. in thickness, hard and clean. To load the coal on to the railway-trucks a viaduct had to be constructed across the railway. Messrs. Halliday and party's mine is about one mile and a quarter from the railway-line at Dunollie, and they are using the old Point Elizabeth No. 1 section haulage-road. Three surface jigs deliver the coal from the mine to the haulage-road. From floor to roof is 8£ ft. thick, but this includes a grey sandstone band from 8 in. to 10 in. in thickness. Only the 4 ft. 6 in. of coal above this band is being worked. Messrs. Boote and party are also holders of a small lease on the State Coal Keserve, and they intend producing coal early in the present year, A small lease has also been granted to Messrs. Duggan and party, near the Rewanui Railway-station. Paparoa Colliery. —During the past year coal was produced from the solid workings in the, No. 1 section and Wilson's jig pillar workings. The No. 1 section workings have met a downthrow fault running north. Beyond this fault the coal contains many stone bands. As a consequence the first working is nearly completed, and pillarextraction will soon commence. Most of the main haulage-roads have been retimbered during the past year, 12 in. by 10 in. squared bars being used. Blackball Colliery. —Development of the No. 9 dip section has been steadily pursued during the year. The No. 1 level is now in 45 chains from the dip, and No. 10 bank has recently been turned off this level The underground fire in No. 17 section broke over a stopping on the 11th August, and was discovered by the morning examining deputy. To seal off the whole section a stopping was put in on the main haulage-road just inbye No. 10 incline. Another stopping was put in the water level, and a third in a cut-through between No. 9 dip section and the water level. These stoppings are built of sand and clay, and are 7 ft. to 8 ft. in thickness. The Sirocco double-inlet fan has been installed, and will be used early in the present year. tit. Kilda Mine. —Production ceased from this mine on the 18th May, through exhaustion. The Tyneside Proprietary (Limited) sunk a prospect shaft on their new lease and to the north of the old Tyneside workings. After sinking 72 ft. they decided to bore from the bottom of the shaft. They report having struck 10 ft. of coal after boring 40£ ft., or a, total depth from surface of 112Jft. Preparations are in hand for resuming sinking, a boiler and winding plant having been purchased. Dobson Mine. —The dip drive at the Dobson Mine was driven 880 ft., and a borehole was put down near the face of the drive. At a depth of 92 ft. a seam of clean coal 18 in. thick was struck. Boring continued for a farther 50 ft., and only a 3 in. seam of coal was met. This result was very disappointing, and work ceased. The coal in the Mount Buckley section is very faulted and the workings are practically finished, with no prospect of further development. Indngahua Coalfield. Reefton Coal Company's Mine. —Towards the latter end of the year only three pairs of miners were employed, and they were extracting pillars from the No. 2 seam workings. The dip section remained unworked during the year. A few places wore driven in the No. 4 seam early in the year, but, the coal being rather soft, work in this seam was suspended. Ferndale-Timaru Mine (formerly Lockington's). —The dip drive near the lower section workings was stopped in July, having struck a fault running north-west. The throw of the fault was not proved. A few places were broken away from the dip, but the most of the year's output was obtained from the extraction of the rise pillars. Morris and Learmont's Mine. —This is another of the mines which has been greatly affected by the " slump " in trade. Only the mine-manager, deputy, and one miner are now employed, and they are producing a small output from the No. 2 Mine. The coal is hard and clean, but steeply inclined, and is run down chutes from the upper levels " Riddles " are again in use for sorting the saleable coal from the slack. Birchwood Coal-mine. —This mine is near Reefton. During the early part of the year coal was produced from a seam varying from 2 ft. to 3J ft. in thickness. A bore was put down to a lower seam, and from data obtained from this bore and from old workings to the eastward a drive was commenced, dipping lin 2. Soft coal 10 ft. to 12 ft. thick was struck at 200 ft. Squared sets were used to timber the drive. Victory Mine. —The working of the upper seam was abandoned about the middle of the year owing to the seam proving too soft for the present trade. They are now working 4 ft. of the lower seam—above a clay parting. This coal is very hard and clean, and is much sought after for household purposes. Phosnix and Venus Mine. —Three men are employed at this mine on solid work. A place has lately holed through to the old workings on the rise side. Big River Mine. —The present block of pillars will last until March. Another drive—in coal —is being put in farther down the creek. Archer's Freehold Mine, Capleston —Only a few men are now employed on pillar work. A little work was done during the year in the main crosscut drive. Goghlan's Mine, Capleston. — Work was resumed in the freehold mine during the past year, and three miners are employed there. Very little was done in the leasehold area. Doran's Mine, Gapleslon. —This is a small mine where three men are employed. The area is only a small one, and was worked in former years. Only a few pillars are available. Golden Point Mine. —The production of coal from this mine ceased during July, and the mine is practically exhausted. Merrijigx Coal-mine. —Coal is now conveyed along a wooden flume by water from the mine to the foot of Progress Hill, a distance of two miles. A false bottom has been put in all the wooden boxes, and, if much coal goes through, will need renewing in a very short time. The coal-workings in the old level are exhausted. At a higher altitude another level is being driven in stone to cut the seam. On the southern lease the coal became very stony, and work ceased there. Empire Coal-mine, Burkes Greek. —Three levels have been driven diiring the year, the bottom one being now in 9 chains. Owing to the slum]) no coal has been mined since August. Woodlands Goal-mine, Burkes Creek. —A dip has been driven for 190 ft. on the seam, dipping lin 4. The seam is 5 ft. 6 in. thick. Above the coal is 18 in. of fireclay, then IJft. to 2 ft. of hard coal, which is being left on. A Tangye boiler and winch are used for hauling the coal to surface. Waitahu and Lankey's Greek Mines. —No work was done during the year at the Waitahu and Lankey's Creek Mines, but preparations are being made at the former for further prospecting.