41

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Irvine's Mine, Takaka. —This is another small mine, and adjoins Stone's mine. A small output for local consumption is produced therefrom. Brook Slrett Mine, near Nelson. —A small party of Nelson men are reopening this mine, which has been unworked for over twenty years. The shaft has been retimbered and sinking resumed, and it is now down 200 ft. The party anticipates sinking another 100 ft., then crosscutting to the highly inclined coal-scam. Gladstone Mine, Motupipi. —Opencast workings near the sea-shore. Although only a brown coal, the Takaka Marble -quarries used the greater portion for steam purposes. O'jtourke's Mine, Murchison. —A small seam worked for supplying local trade. Very little done during the year. FairhalVs Mine, Murchison, —Worked for local sales. Seam is only 15 in. thick and lying at an inclination of 60°. Dangerous Occurrences requiring Notification (Regulation 81).' A firedamp explosion occurred in the Morgan seam low-level tunnel some time between the 4th and 14th May; No work had been done in the tunnel since April, 1920, and a wooden stopping had been put in near the entrance. The origin of the explosion is unknown. The stopping was blown away, and pieces were subsequently found 90 yards away. On the Oth June heating was discovered in No. 6J bank, Blackball Mine. Some of the heated coal was tilled away, and then stoppings built around the area. On the 11th August the underground fire off No. 17 section Blackball Mine, broke over a stopping. It was discovered by the morning examining deputy. The men were withdrawn from the No. 9 dip workings owing to the fumes. Clay and sand stoppings were then built in—one on the main haulage-road just inbye No. 10 incline, another in the water level, and a third in a cut-through between No. 9 section and the water level. Cancellation of Leases and Coal-prospecting Licenses. The coal lease held by D. Berry near Waimangaroa was determined on the 25th May owing to non-compliance of the terms of the lease. Six coal-prospecting licenses were also cancelled during the year, as the licensees had made no proper effort to prospect the areas. Applications to cancel two other licenses have been made. Three coalprospecting licenses were surrendered by the licensees. Prosecutions. On the 30th May a deputy was fined £2 and costs for behaving in a violent mauuer towards another deputy. On the 30th August charges were heard against a mine-manager, a deputy, and a miner for failure to use a lever and chain in withdrawing a prop in old workings. These informations were dismissed. On the 30th August a fan-attendant was fined £2 and costs for failure to enter the number of revolutions of the fan and the water-gauge in the fan record-book. On the Ist September a mine-manager was fined £2 and costs for not providing an automatic indicator registering the number of revolutions of the fan, or an automatic indicator registering the water-gauge. On the 29th September a deputy was convicted and fined £1 and costs for failing to keep all detonators issued to him in the proper box until about to be used in a shot-hole. He was testing his firing battery, and attached a detonator to the cable. He instructed a miner to take the cable up a jig. The miner misunderstood the instructions and retained the detonator, which the deputy exploded. The miner's thumb was blown off. He was also charged with a breach of section 59 of the Coal-mines Act, but the case was dismissed. On the 12th September a mine-manager was convicted and ordered to pay costs for failing to store detonators in a proper magazine. Serious Non-fatal Accidents. James White, a trucker employed at the Liverpool No. 1 Mine, had his arm broken by a runaway tub on the 4th February. D. MoKenzie suffered a fractured tibia on the 16th February by a long pole slipping off the top of an empty tub while being conveyed along a haulage-road in the Ironbridge Mine. On the 18th February Ernest Lockley, a trucker in the Blackball Mine, received severe injuries to his head and chest by a runaway tub. On the 2nd March W. Page, a miner employed in the Stockton Mine, suffered from a fracture of the dome of the skull by a fall of coal. He was returning with the deputy after firing a shot in a pillar place. On the 10th March D. McGinlcy, miner, received a fractured radius by a fall of coal in the Paparoa Mine. W. Woods, a miner engaged in a prospecting-drive near Reefton, received severe injuries to his eyes on the 18th March by a premature explosion of gelignite. Subsequently he lost the sight of one eye. He was working alone in the drive, and whilst tamping a shot it exploded. William Anderson, a miner employed, in the No. 1 section, Liverpool Mine, had his left leg fractured by a fall of stone and coal at the face on the 14th April. The place was only 0 ft. high, in pillar workings. The place was nearly through and a " bump " occurred, and coal and stone wore thrown from the face. In the Stockton Mine, on the sth May, R. Crackett received severe injuries to the muscles of his right arm by a fall of coal. On the 7th July, in the Coalbrookdale Mine, William Booth, a miner, received a severe blow on the head by a fall of coal. A prop was too close to the trucking-road, and Booth had put another prop behind. The first prop was holding up a large lump of coal, and on coming out the lump fell, striking Booth. Southern Inspection District (Mr. E. R. Green, Inspector). Mount Torlesse Collieries. —A spontaneous fire had broken out on the return airway from the dip workings. Stoppings were erected on intake and return airways, and the fire damped down. Meanwhile output of coal was being obtained from the upper-level workings at Alum Creek. No output of ganister had been reported, and only a sample of fireclay ; 13 ewt. 1 qr. had been produced during the year. Springfield Mine. —A few tons of coal had been recovered from an outcrop" of seam near the surface, previously worked underground. Sheffield Mine. —This mine had been reopened for a short period when work became suspended, the seam being thin and sales poor. Homebush Colliery. —Driving to dip in the thin seam near the weighbridge, with places broken away on either side. Several men engaged prospecting the outcrops of seams previously worked for extraction of stumps of pillars which may have been left at first working. Boring with the Mines Department's rotary drill had proved unsuccessful in locating any workable seam of coal outside the basin that had been worked for fifty years, and which apparently was now practically exhausted. Bush Gully Mine. —Not at work during the year, but the rotary drill had been engaged prospecting for coal without result. St. Helens Mine. —Recent rains caused flooding of the dip drive used for haulage from the pillars, which were almost worked, out in that locality. Steventon Mine. —Driven to dip, 1 in 3, and levels broken away ; places timbered ; seam 4 ft. 6 in. ; ventilation good. Cleannew Mine. —Workings neatly opened with a pair of levels to northward ; and air-shaft sunk for ventilation, which was good. Seam 9 ft.

6—C. 2.