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Morgan, Seam, No. 1 Mine. — Coal-winning in this section was confined to pillar-extraction. The low-level tunnel has passed through two seams of coal. The first seam, of lift., has proved dirty and unworkable, and has been abandoned; the second seam, 16ft. in thickness, appears to be good clean coal, and is at present being prospected. Oas-reports from this section have been fairly frequent during the year. Liverpool, No. 4 Section. —This is a small section of workings near the Morgan Low Level Tunnel. The main dip has been stopped owing to its faulted nature, and pillar-extraction commenced. Liverpool, No. 3 Section. —This section is rapidly approaching exhaustion. Only six pairs of colliers are at present engaged on pillar-extraction. Owing to the collapse ,oi the upcast shaft it was found necessary to remove the fan to another site near the stables. Liverpool, No. 3 Extended Mine. —This is a small section of workings near the railway at present being developed. Six pairs of colliers employed on development work.James Mine. —The main heading is still being pushed forward. The coal is of good quality and 6 ft. in thickness. A fault has been struck in a heading going north-west. The workings to the north-east continue to improve, The coal is of a very hard nature. . . Grey District. . . . Paparoa Colliery. —During the year all coal has been won from pillars in No. 1 and Wilson's sections. Roadways in No. 7 section have been retimbered, and the section is ready to commence pillar-extraction. Prospecting has been commenced in the vicinity of the western fault with the object of proving the continuity of the coal in this direction. Blackball Colliery. —At the commencement of the year a small area was worked on three shifts, six pairs of miners being employed on each shift extracting pillars. During April, 1923, the main stoppings, which were erected in November, 1922, to seal off all workings inbye of No. 3 heading on account of fire, were reopened, and the fire area was successfully confined to No. 4 heading (main level) ; this allowed access to workings inbye of No. 3 hoading, and a commencement was made to unwater the flooded workings of No. 3 dip section. During July work in No. 3 heading ceased, the night shift was dispensed with, and coal-production was recommenced in No. I level workings of No. 3 dip section ; there were then forty pairs of miners employed. During November a start was made to unwater No. 3 dip. On two occasions indications of heating in old workings were noticed. co-operative parties. Scott and Party, Blackball. —This party, having exhausted the coal to the rise, are at present driving to the dip, but owing to the lack of machinery they are experiencing considerable difficulty with water, haulage, and ventilation. Dixon and Party, Brunner.- —This party, having secured a portion of the old Brunner lease, are at present engaged extracting pillars that have been left in the previous workings, the coal being carted to the Brunner Railway-station in drays. Three men are employed. Hillside Mine, Dunollie. —This party having met with a fault in their main heading, a second dip heading was started to the right of the old dip in a south-westerly direction. The coal is of good quality, 5| ft. in thickness. Eight men are employed. Hunter and, Party, State Coal Reserve, Runanga. —The dip workings having met a fault, operations were continued to the rise, where the coal became badly split with stone bands, rendering it unworkable. The drives were continued in stone to reach an area of workable coal known to exist to the rise. During December a borehole was put down, proving 4 ft. of coal beneath the prospeeting-drives. It is the intention of the party to immediately commence a stone drive to intercept this seam. Eight men are employed. Mclvor and Party's Mine, Runanga. —The dip has been driven 5 chains and levels broken away. 5 ft. of clean coal is showing in the dip-face. Seven men employed. Baddeley and Party's Mine, Runanga. —This party have continued opening out to the rise, where the coal maintains an average thickness of 5 ft. Smith and, Party's Mine, Runanga. —This party having reached the outcrop to the rise, pillar-extraction was commenced. As no gas had been met with the party were granted permission to use naked lights in this mine. Manderson and Party's Mine, Runanga. —This party have continued their dip workings. The coal in the main level is badly split by stone bands, rendering it unsaleable, and has. been abandoned. Safety-lamps only are used in this mine. Boole and Party's Mine, Runanga. —The coal to the rise having proved dirty and unworkable, tho party commenced a stone dip to intersect a seam 124, ft. in thickness known to exist at a lower level. Armstrong and Party, Runanga. —This party have worked steadily all the year. The coal in the main level has thinned to 4 ft., and is split by a stone band 15 in. in thickness. Moody Creek Mine. —Commenced to produce coal, but their area appears to he much faulted. At present they are engaged opening up a top seam, 12 ft. in thickness, having temporarily abandoned the two lower seams owing to faults having been met with. Duggan and Party, Rewanui. —This party continued working throughout the year. The coal is clean and of good quality, 34, ft. in- thickness. Spark and Parly, Slate Coal Reserve, Rewanui. —This party continue to drive their main level, which shows 8 ft. of clean coal. During the year, gas having been reported, safety-lamps were installed and a fan was ordered but has not yet arrived. ■ . Butter District. : Weslport-Stocklon Colliery.- —During the year the bulk of this company's, output was produced from the new mine, E field. This new field (to the south of Fly Creek) was opened for coal-producing in the early part of the y ar. The main developing headings in this new E field have advanced a distance of 10 chains. The coal is of good quality, averaging 18 ft, in height. In the No. 1 section of E field seven pairs of men are engaged on pillar-extraction. The coal in this section ranges from 18 ft. to 30 ft. in thickness. In F dip six pairs are engaged in solid workings. In the old mine, C section, seven pairs of miners were engaged in pillar-extraction : thickness of coal, 16 ft. A new section in the old mine, called the D area, is being developed ; the main heading shows 10 ft. of coal. The coal from this area is being carried to the main haulage system by a wooden flume plated on the bottom, approximately 90 chains in length, and having a section Of 12 in. by lOf in. This flume has been in successful operation for several months. The grades vary between lin 25 and lin 15, with a small portion near the centre having a grade of lin 4. It is the intention of the management to erect a large main flume, 17 in. by 12 in., for the carrying of all the coal from their two mines direct to the bins at Ngakawau, thus doing away with the locomotive-traction haulage and endless-rope haulage between No. 3 loop near the new.mine and the Ngakawau bins. Millerton Mine. —The output from this mine was obtained from, the following sections : Mine Creek, Old Dip, Mangatina, and Mangatina West. The Mine Creek section includes the major portion of the workings, and embraces south pillar section, Evans section, Evans Daylight section, fourth west solid, and fourth west pillars, third west extension, No. 1 dip pillars, No. 1 dip solid, and north-east. The coal won from these sections is of a friable nature, and is classed as a steam-coal, with the exception of coal.from the north-east section, which is of a harder nature. The Mangatina and Mangatina West sections are producing good steaming-coal. The sections in the process of development are the fourth west, third west extended, and Mangatina west. Old dip section : About thirty pairs of miners are employed in this section, principally on pillar-extraction. West of this section an area remains to be developed. Prospecting : A boring plant has been obtained to further prospect the field. Owing to an ignition of gas on 15th December, 1923, whereby two men received personal injury, safety-lamps were installed throughout the mine, in conformity with section 8 of the Coahmines Act, 1914,