C.—2.

The following statement shows the tons of coal raised, persons employed, lives lost by accidents in or about collieries, &c., to 1930.

SECTION lII.—ACCIDENTS. The following is a summary of accidents in and about coal-mines during 1930, with their causes : —

The. fatal accidents for tie year under review were at the rate of 2-38 per thousand persons employed and at the rate of 5-5 per million tons of coal produced. Accounts of the different accidents are given in the reports of the District Inspectors (Annexure A); but two of the fatal accidents, involving the loss of four lives, require special comment. On the 28th April two miners, Thomas Hart and John Yates, were killed in the Rotowaro Mine when extracting a pillar. Their working-place collapsed without warning over an area of about 500 square feet. The place had been examined by the underviewer and also the deputy half an hour before the accident, and they both considered it was securely timbered and safe. The pillars in the old sections of the Rotowaro Mine are long and narrow, and the roof is of jointed fireclay. The method of extraction was to drive a narrow place off the bord and through the pillar at a distance of 20 ft. or

44

Lives lost by Accidents in or Persons ordinarily employed. Tong raised about Collieries. v Output, in per each Per- p Statute Tons. I son employed Per Million T . : H Number Above Ground. Below Ground. Total. be.ow Ground. Tons of Lives produced. employel j, lost. 7 1 i ' ~ ~ Prior to 1900 13,444,437 * * * " * * * 165 1900 .. 1,093,990 617 1,843 2,460 593 3-65 1-62 4 1901 .. 1,239,686 688 2,066 2,754 600 2-42 1-09 3 1902 .. 1,365,040 803 2,082 2,885 655 1-46 0-69 2 1903 .. 1,420,229 717 2,135 2,852 665 2-81 1-40 4 1904 .. 1,537,838 763 2,525 3,288 609 2-60 1-21 4 1905 .. 1,585,756 833 2,436 3,269 651 3-78 1-83 6 1906 .. 1,729,536 1,174 2,518 3,692 687 3-46 1-62 6 1907 .. 1,831,009 1,143 2,767 3,910 662 6-55 3-07 12 1908 .. 1,860,975 992 2,902 3,894 641 2-68 1-28 5 1909 .. 1,911,247 1,159 3,032 4,191 630 3-66 1-67 7 1910 .. 2,197,362 1,136 3,463 4,599 634 7-28 3-48 16 1911 .. 2,066,073 1,365 2,925 4,290 706 6-77 3-26 14 1912 .. 2,177,615 1,130 3,198 4,328 681 4-13 2-08 9 1913 .. 1,888,005 1,053 3,197 4,250 590 3-1S 1-41 6 1914 .. 2,275,614 1,176 3,558 4,734 639 21'53 10-35 49f 1915 .. 2,208,624 1,050 3,106 4,156 711 4-07 i 2-16 9 1916 .. 2,257,135 988 3,000 3,988 752 2-65 1-50 6 1917 .. 2,068,419 1,090 2,893 3,983 715 1-93 1-00 4 1918 .. 2,034,250 1,102 2,892 3,994 703 2-95 1-50 6 1919 .. 1,847,848 1,095 2,849 3,944 648 5-41 2-53 10 1920 .. 1,843,705 1,152 2,926 4,078 630 0-54 0-24 1 1921 .. 1,809,095 1,218 3,149 4,367 574 5 52 228 10 1922 .. 1,857,819 1,191 3,365 4,556 552 3'23 1'31 6 1923 .. 1,969,834 1,353 3,647 5,000 540 2-53 1-00 5 1924 .. 2,083,207 1,364 3,505 4,869 594 4-80 2-05 10 1925 .. 2,114,995 1,288 3,489 4,777 606 3-78 1*67 8 1926 2,239,999 1,336 3,823 5.159 586 6-69 2-90 15 1927 .. 2,366,740 1,386 3,988 5,374 593 4-23 1-86 10 1928 .. 2,436,753 1,366 4,010 5,376 608 3-69 1-67 9 1929 .. 2,535,864 1,370 4,127 5,497 614 4*73 2-18 12 1930 .. 2,542,092 1,437 4,430 5,867 574 5*50 2-38 14 Totals .. 73,840,791 .. .. .. .. .. .. 447 * For returns for previous years see page 32, Mines Statement, 1921. t Year of Ralph's (Huntly) explosion.

Fatal Accidents. Serious Non-fatal Accidents. Number of Persons Separate Fatol Number of Separate '""iuSby Acddents Deaths - P Tccid™ts p^PaSto their Companions. Explosions of fire-damp or coal-dusc FaDs of ground ...... 7 8 13 15 Explosives .... .. .. .. .. 1 1 Haulage ........ .1 1 3 3 Miscellaneous —Underground .... 2 3 1 2 On surface .... 2 2 2 2 Totals ........ 12 14 20 23