5

C.—2

The cash received for water sold from the Waimea-Kumara Government Waterraces, constructed to assist alluvial-gold mining in the Kumara district, amounted to £914 6s. 3d. (including royalty on timber), and the expenditure to £1,298 15s. sd. Gold to the approximate value of £1,283 was obtained. MINER'S PHTHISIS ACT, 1915. The benefits under this Act are administered by the Pensions Department, and the following is a statement supplied by the Commissioner of Pensions showing the amount and the number of pensions payable, in force, and granted to the 31st March, 1926. Amounts paid since inception until 31st March, 1926 — £ From Ist November, 1915, to 31st March, 1925 . . 218,999 For year ended 31st March, 1926 .. .. 40,239 £259,238 Number of new grants for year 1925-26 . . . . 96 Annual value of new grants .. .. .. £6,851 Number of pensions in force at 31st March, 1926 . . 640 Annual value of pensions in force at 31st March, 1926 . . £40,482 Average pension payable per annum .. . . £63 ss. Total number of pensions granted to 31st March, 1926.. 1,259 Total number of pensions granted to 31st March, 1926, includes the following : — To unmarried miners .. . . .. 239 To married miners .. .. .. 487 To widows of miners .. .. .. 533 1,259 STATE COLLIERIES. Output and Sales. The operations of the State coal-mines and State coal-depots for the year ended 31st March, 1926, are briefly reviewed hereunder. Liverpool Colliery.—The gross output for the year was 107,277 tons, as compared with 116,175 tons for last year, a decrease of 8,898 tons. James Colliery.—The gross output for the year was 26,781 tons, as compared with 28,995 tons for last year, a decrease of 2,214 tons. A comparative statement for the two years is shown hereunder :—

Note. —The difference between the gross and the net output is the allowance for mine consumption and waste. In addition to the above 2,206, tons of coal were purchased for resale, of which 210 tons were purchased from co-operative parties on the West Coast. The disposal, inclusive of stock on hand at the beginning of the year, was as follows : Supplied to —Depots, 30,728 tons ; railways, 6,338 tons ; other Government Departments, 6,150 tons; shipping, 15,350 tons; gasworks, 62,212 tons; other consumers, 5,073 tons : total, 125,851 tons. The total sales of State coal from the Liverpool Mine for the year amounted to 102,953 tons, value £149,978, as compared with 112,197 tons, value £168,600, for last year —a decrease of 9,244 tons, with a decrease in value of £18,622. The average price realized by the mine on the total sales for the year was £l 9s. l-62d., a decrease of 11-03 d. on last year's average.

Output in Tons, 1925-26. Output in Tons, 1924-25. Mine. i !| Gross. j Net. ! ; Gross. Net. Liverpool .. .. 107,277 102,400 116,175 j 111,487 James .. .. 26,781 24,735 28,995 26,445 I 1 I