C.—2

44

Otiherama Mine. —A level had been driven a distance of 90 ft. through a fault, which not improving the seam, mining was being abandoned. Itosedale Mine. —An opencast pit having a short drive into the face. Stripping to be kept back from the face. McLean's Mine. —Almost worked out, the seam not having proved continuous. Whiterig Mine. —The haulage dip had been driven below the level of former workings, from which water lodged had been drained by boreholes. Ladder required for air-shaft. Green's Mine. —Having reached the boundary of the public road, mining would soon be transferred to the new entrance provided. Powder-magazine approved for storage of explosives. Biverview Mine. —A small opencast pit for private use. Todd's Mine. —An opencast pit, recently commenced. Springfield Mine. —An opencast pit, recently reopened. Seam 10 ft. ; stripping 8 ft., kept well in advance of working-face. Glenlee Mine.' —Mine worked safely and kept in good order. Ramsay's Mine. —A new entrance was being made for a shorter haulage and cutting off the drive through old workings. Pyramid Mine. —Underground mining practically discontinued. Further prospecting by boring was contemplated. Wendon Mine. —A vertical seam, 1/5 ft., between the walls of which 10 ft. was being worked. Care had been taken in opening and timbering the drive. Landslip Mine. —Prospecting on outcrop of the old company's workings, where a few pillars had been left unworked. Bossvale Mine. —Several stoppings had been built on the left-hand side of dip drive, where warmth had been coming from Cain's old. workings. The bottom of air-shaft had been cleaned up, and ventilation was good. Argyle Mine. —Worked opencast; stripping sluiced away by water laid on for that purpose. Terrace Mine, Kingston Crossing. —Some extra timber was required where the joints occurred in the roof, also a ladder in the shallow air-shaft, which were promised by the manager. Princhester Greek Mine. —An opencast pit, worked for supply of settlers in Mararoa district. Forest Hill Mine. —An opencast working, recently started for local supplies. Seam 10 ft. in thickness. Mataura Collieries Company's Mine. —Workings in good order. Ventilation good. Boghead Mine. —Underground mining commenced from the face of the terrace, where stripping becoming too heavy and costly to pay for removal. Mataura Lignite-mine. —Mine in good order. Ventilation fair. Terrace Mine, Mataura. —Seam 11 ft., worked opencast. Care was being taken to have the stripping kept well in advance of working-face. Ti Tepu Mine. —Seam 12 ft., of which 6 ft. was being worked opencast. Heatherlea Mine. —Seam 10 ft.; stripping kept well ahead. Ota Creek Mine. —Opencast workings, in good order. Stripping 6 ft. to 8 ft., well in advance of coal-face. Clarke's Mine. —Opencast pit, kept in good order; stripping well ahead. Diamond Lignite-mine. —An opencast pit reopened on the opposite side of the railway, where there was more room for expansion. Nightcaps No. 1 Mine. —Some opencast working at the outcrop near the dam was being conducted. Lloyd's dip : Workings gradually drawing to a closure, where the last of the pillars to be drawn were almost finished up to the diphaulage roadway. Knight's section : Several pairs of men engaged driving and pillaring in this low wet seam. Prospecting by boring had not resulted in the location of a payably workable seam on the property. Nightcaps No. 2 Mine. —The report-books showed that the fire heating in the opencast waste had travelled under surface to the upper-level underground workings, where it had been stopped off. Opencast working finished, and some remaining pillars had been drawn from underground. The new air-shaft was sunk 60 ft. to the coal-seam, and connection made with the workings. Seam to dip inclined steeply, and heavily saturated with water. Sterling Mine. —Opencast working had been suspended during the greater part of the year. Preparations were being made for underground mining. Burndale Mine. —Seam 5 ft. to 6 ft. in thickness ; roof supported by timber, and working-places in fair condition. Coaldale Mine. —There being evidence of faulting underground and the seam thinning to dip, a bore was sunk and a seam of coal struck, to which the dip drive was being graded for haulage. Ventilation to be augmented by the fan acquired recently. Black Diamond Mine. —Fan ventilation good, and powder-smoke promptly removed. Excellent ambulance equipment kept in a special cabin at the mine. New Brighton Mine. —Seam to dip improved in thickness to 9ft., of which 7 ft. was being worked. A new dip haulage-way driven from the surface near the loading-bank to tap the dip workings will provide direct haulage and ventilation. Workings adequately timbered. Wairio Mine. —The seams having been worked out to the fault, beyond which no mining had been done, the place was abandoned. Resin-seam Mine : Seam 4 ft. 6 in. in thickness was being worked intermittently, demand for this class of coal being limited at the present time. Mossbank Mine. —The underground fire having become unmanageable, the openings were sealed with the object of damping it down. A new dip had been driven, from which levels were set off and output maintained. Efforts made to reopen the heated area had proved unsuccessful, a sufficient time apparently not having elapsed for extinction of the fire underground. Wells and Party's Mine. —A new mine opened at an outlier of surface, seam 5 ft. in thickness. After working a few months mining became suspended, owing to demand for any but the better-class coal having fallen away. Wairaki Mine. —Only safety-lamps and permitted explosives allowed to be used in the mine. Firedamp had not been reported during the year, but slight bubbling in water on the floor continued. Fan ventilation ; air clear and good. Wairaki No. 2 Mine. —Under fan ventilation; air well conducted by brattice to working-faces. Fire-damp had never been reported as occurring in this mine. Systematic-timbering notice posted at the mine, to be carried out by the management. Linton Mine. —Fan ventilation satisfactory and air good underground. The shot-firer appointed at the opencast working rang a warning bell, erected for the purpose, before firing. Ohai Mine. —Opencast workings. Two seams, 16 ft. and 7 ft. in thickness, in sight. Coal was being carted to the Wairio Railway terminus, three miles distant. Birchwood Mine. —Opencast working superseded by underground mining. Seam 20 ft., of which 10 ft. was being worked bord-and-pillar. Orepuki Mine. —A new sump had been made, and driving to dip continued. Ventilation good ; working conducted safely. Lynwood Mine..— An opencast pit, worked for supplies for the steamer owned by the Tourist Department on Lake Te Anau. Seam 7 ft., with stripping, or overburden 9 ft. in thickness. Dangerous Occurrences notified under Regulation 81. Tres Bon Mine, Milton.- —3rd January : Fire discovered at mine in surface seam, necessitating the closing of the mine and opening out on another part of the area. Pukerau Mine, Southland. —3rd March : Fire in workings extinguished ; no material damage done.