C—2a.

2

Days worked. —During the year the No. 1 mine worked 249| days, and tho Nos. 3 and 4 sections 255|, out of a possible 3.12, an increase of forty days respectively as compared with the number worked last year. The difference between the days worked and the possible working-days is accounted for as follows :— No. 1 Mine. Nos. 3 and 4 Mines. Union holidays .. .. .. .. .. ..18 18 Pay Saturdays . . .. .. .. .. .. 26 26 Stoppages re, workmen's clothes in change and bath house ..4 Stop-work meetings .. .. .. .. 3 Slip on railway .. .. .. .. .. .... I Fatal accidents .. .. .. .. .. 4 1 4| Want of shipping .. .. .. .. .. 4 4 Quarterly cavils . . . . .. .. .. .. 1| I !, Fall on rope-road .. .. .. .. • • f I m 561 Employees. In connection with coal-winning the average number of persons employed in and about the mine was 291, made, up as follows: Underground —coal-hewers, 99; deputies, shiftmen, and truckers, 98. On the surface, 65 men and 29 boys. In addition to those employed under the head of " coal-winning " there were, on an average, 33 men and 2 boys employed on property and develop-ment-work, making a total number for this colliery of 295 men and 31 boys. Payments.— The total payments made in connection with coal-winning for wages, stores, minetimber, and compensation amounted to £79,177 lis., an increase of £9.563 Is. sd. in payments compared with the previous year. Coal-hewers' Average Daily Earnings. —The coal-hewers' daily average earnings (gross) were £1 ss. 6-58d., and after making deductions for stores (explosives) the net return was £1 3s. 7-54d., an increase of Is. I U34d. per day compared with the previous year. Daily Output. —The average daily mine-output was 53.1 tons, and the. daily average output per coal-hewer was 6 tons 4-73 cwt. Days worked, by Coal-hewers. The total number of days that could have been worked by coalhewers was 23,595 ; the number worked was 20,464| ; and the number lost, including those lost through sickness, was 3,130|. Taking the average tonnage per coal-hewer per shift of 6 tons 4-73 cwt., together with the days lost by coal-hewers, 3,130|, this represents a loss in output of nearly 13 per cent., or approximately 19,520 tons. Underground Exploration. —Operations underground have been carried out much on similar lines to that of the previous year —namely, the extracting of pillars from the Nos. 1 and 3 sections, and the developing of the No. 3 Extended and the Nos. 4 and 4a sections. The bulk of the output was obtained from the Nos. 1 and 3 sections ; and, apart from the ordinary routine of operations in opening out old bords and headings in order to extract the pillars effectively, there has been no new developmentwork in these sections. No. 3 Extended. —This is a small mine that was opened up during the previous year with the object of working a semi-detached area on the south-west side of the No. 3 mine, and it is situated at the end of the colliery sidings. During the greater part of the year this small mine opened out well, the coal being of good quality, and the average thickness of the seam was about 6 ft. During the latter part of the year, however, the main headings, which were being driven in a north-westerly direction, had to be stopped owing to the seam pinching and the intrusion of dirt-bands. Levels are now beingdriven in an east and westerly direction, but from present indications and knowledge of the. locality it is not anticipated that the levels will be extended any great distance. No. 4 Mine. —Development-work in this small mine, where four pairs of miners are employed, was confined to the driving of a new dip heading, and the opening of levels right and left off the same. A few pillars of coal were also extracted on the fault side of the old dip heading. The seam in this mine, although steeply inclined, is clean, and will average over 6 ft. in thickness. No. 4a Mine. —Operations in this section had to be abandoned during the year owing to the numerous bands of stone in the seam making it practically impossible for the miners to win and fill the coal in a clean and marketable condition. New Seam. —ln the course of driving the low-level adit to intersect the upper and Morgan seams, a seam of coal was met at a distance of 31 chains from the adit entrance. When first intersected it was rising at a grade of 1 in 8 in a northerly direction, and continued to do so for a distance of approximately 60 yards, when it dipped over at a very steep angle. The development of the; seam was therefore limited to two levels a little over a chain apart, and the driving of the necessary cutthroughs between. These levels have now reached the point where the seam dips over in all directions, and. therefore making it impossible for further work to be carried out unless power is installed for haulage and pumping purposes. Development-work. -This is confined to the construction of the two low-level adits that are being driven from near the middle brake to intersect the upper and Morgan seams. During the year good progress was made, and the adits are now in a distance of 42 chains from the entrance. From the information derived from bore No. 8, which is situated at the junction of the Seven-mile and Puru (Jreeks, the seams herein referred to should be met a distance of 46 chains and 56 chains respectively from the adit entrance. Surface Works. —The plant and machinery in and about the colliery has been maintained in efficient working-order, and the following new plant and buildings have been erected during the year : (a) An electrically-driven endless-rope-haulage plant near the entrance to the low-level adit (this was