C.— 2.

VI. STONE-QUARRY INSPECTION AND STATISTICS. By section 2 of the Stone-quarries Amendment Act, 1920, the application of the Stone-quarries Act, 1910, was extended to include every place, not being a mine, in which persons work in quarrying stone and any part of which has a face more than 15 ft. deep. The Act also applies to any tunnel in the construction of which explosives are used, but it does not apply to any Government operations, or any road or railway cutting, or excavations for buildings. The following is a table showing the number of quarries under the Stone-quarries Act, also the number of persons ordinarily employed thereat, and the annual output and value of crude stone during 1931 : —

There were 37 more men employed than during the previous year, but a decrease in the value of the stone produced of £96,925. Quarry Accidents. The following is a summary of serious accidents during 1931 at quarries under the Stone-quarries Act

Accounts of the accidents are given in the District Inspectors' reports attached hereto.

VII. STATE AID TO MINING. (1) Subsidized Pbospecting. Upon subsidized prospecting operations 278 persons were intermittently employed during the year. The following is a statement showing the results of prospecting operations as reported by the Inspectors of Mines

20

I ajs g'g Output of Stone. % fh Si? h 1 s o o £ I o >2% a: ft £-5 3 5 • &; p a s 8 .2 ° o<u S . m p mv itu.ioi ! Name and Address of S © 0 § -g g ©<u ® ® 6 m § District : Government Inspector of -g o >. ,g a g a o « g g a District. , stone-quarries. » V gg S 2S 5s -=>S 2 9 86 S °li &£ »3 -I »S »1 s ■§ a so ft go if Sa S § a j ° fet 1 § 1° sag s* '3 a - 0 - 3 3 3 A 02 co M P hr Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. £ Auckland .. 1 James Newton, Mines 162 942 436,015 .. 10,988 56,049 148,961 .. .. 131,902 Dept., Auckland J. F. Downey, Mines 16 89 72,309 .. .. .. .. .. .. 22,405 Dept., Wailii (Hauraki Mining District only) Hawke's Bay James Newton, Mines 34 141 30,975 .. .. 15,831 .. .. .. 9,877 Dept., Auckland Taranaki .. Ditto .. .. 10 50 24,366 .. .. 2,900 .. .. .. 10.757 Wellington „ .. .. 39 219 81,084 .. .. 8,847 .. .. 2,848 26,279 Westland !! , JS. J. Scoble, Mines |g 180 lg Q17 2 2,167 62 6,066 36,879 .. 1,730 17,547 -««- 1*1 i ( Dept.. Keel ton Marlborough J 1 Canterbury ] „ iyr ( .M;n an Mj n es Otago .. i- tV" j- 39 374 210,915 98,325 1,082 81,466 40,407 .. .. 97,599 Southland.. J Dept., Dunedm Totals, 1931 .. 318 1,995 871,681 120,492 12,132171,159 226,247 .. 4,578316,366 Totals, 1930 .. 318 1,958 1,107,033 126,649 3,696204,811299,848 .. 31,204413,291

Number of Accidents. Number of Sufferers. Cause. Mai- Serious. Killed. Haulage .. .. .. .. .. .. Machinery Explosives .. .. .. .. .. .. 1 2 1 2 Falls of ground .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2 .. 2 Miscellaneous .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1 .. 1 Totals .. .. .. .. .. 1 5 J I 5