C.—2.

coal dips steeply and a place going in that direction has been stopped. In the southern portion of the workings pillaring has been completed. Two places in thin coal dipping to the east are being worked to the east, one just above the pillared area, and the other 3 chains farther north. It is hoped to cross under a gu.Uy 30 ft. wide with these east places and then reach thicker coal. Total output to the 31st December, 1931, was 89,301 tons. Blackburn Coal C'o.'s Mine, Mount Somers. —A telephone-line 27 chains long is in use from the brow of the surface jig to the foot of the incline. Each 2J in. steel rope on the jig is fitted with an extra short rope connection to the hopper. The main drive to the north-west was driven level for a chain then at a dip of 1 in 6. It again flattened and now, 4 chains in, the floor is rising 1 in 10. There the coal contains much siliceous matter. To the west a place has been driven 3J chains and the floor is rising 1 in 10 in that direction also, but the coal is of good quality. Opposite that west heading one was broken away to the east but the coal was so badly crushed and of such poor quality that the place was stopped when only 10 yards in. About a quarter of mile north of the main north-west drive a level was driven about 4 chains to the north and was then stopped in very poor coal. About 2 chains west of that level another was driven to the west. Thirtj? yards in it met troubled country and later the coal cut right out. Prospecting both above and below failed to locate the seam. Total production to the 31st December, 1931, was 2,362 tons. Sunnydale Prospecting Syndicate, near Mount Somers.—About nine miles west of Mount Somers Railwaystation two miners have been prospecting on freehold land. A few chains south of the Ashburton River a short drive was put in to the south in very stony coal, which thinned from 7 ft. to 5 ft. From near the face a place was driven a few yards to the east, but there the seam almost cut out, and to the west very stonj' coal 5| ft. thick was met. About 60 chains farther west, and about 300 ft. higher up the hill, a 12 ft. seam of coal is" exposed, but it is divided in the middle by a stone band 19 in. thick. This seam dips 1 in 2 to the east. Albury Mine. —Output is produced from the Woodbank lease. A level was driven under the traffic-road and places broken away to the rise, the one nearest the road being, at the commencement, only 6 yards east of the road, but it diverged away from the road as it was extended. A 60 ft. shaft was put up to the surface for ventilation purposes, but later a connection was made to the old upper level and the shaft was covered. Just inbye of the connecting-drive a stone stopping was built in the level to seal off the old upper workings. To shorten the haulage a dip has been driven to the south at a grade of 1 in 2 for 26 yards, and it connects with the lower level which is still being extended to the north-east and is in 5 chains from the surface. This level is being driven Bft. high and 2ft. of lignite is being left on the floor and lift, on the roof. Thin coal is not anticipated until the level is in another 6 chains. Total output to end of 1931 was 4,710 tons. Awakino Mine,.—About three miles and a half west of Kurow and one mile and a half south of Scott's old Awakino Mine a vertical coal-seam outcrops near the east bank of the Awakino River. At the outcrop the seam is 8 ft. in thickness, but it thinned to 3J ft. when the dip driven at a grade of 1 in 4 was only a few yards down. To the north there is evidence of an old drive which has fallen in. Total output to the 31st December, 1931, was 40 tons. Airedale Mine. —Production came from the dip workings. As it is too steep for horse haulage to go to the full dip a crosscut is being driven to the north-east and three places are being worked to the south - east off the crosscut and one to the north-west. Sale is found for all the slack produced; the roadways are liberally treated with lignite ash ; stoppings of Oamaru stone have been built between intake and return airways. Total production to the 31st December, 1931, was 5,198 tons. St. Andrews Mine. —Pillaring continued in the outbye dip areas until spring, when stoppings were built in three dips leading to the pillar workings. These will be again opened next winter. No further work was done in the rise workings ; the only places worked are the two levels to the north and the inbye north-east crosscut dip, down 3 chains from the main level. The lignite is very soft and friable, necessitating much timber. Total production to the 31st December, 1931, was 69,163 tons. Ngapara. Mine. —The east section workings were stopped in June owing to their proximity to a trafficroad. A fairly large pillar was then split io that section, which was then sealed off by stoppings of Oamaru stone. A dip" to work an area to the west was proposed, but boreholes put down from the surface, 18 ft. to 20 ft. in depth, proved running sand over very soft lignite of poor quality. Places driven narrow and up to a good parting 7J ft. from the floor are being worked south-west of workings formed about ten years ago ; one has only about a chain to go to hole into the old workings. To end of 1931 the total output was 46,147 tons. Oakdene Mine, Maheno. —This mine is about five miles south-west of Maheno and near the Serpentine Stream. Prom a spot a few feet above the level of the traffic-road a level was driven 90 ft. to the west into a fairly level seam of lignite 5 ft. thick at the outcrop; thinning rapidly to 15 in., black stone replaced the lower portion of the seam. Ten yards back from the face a place driven to the north-west was stopped when only 31 ft. in as the seam thinned rapidly in that direction also. About 2| chains to the north another level was driven from the surface and met thin coal when 28 ft. in. It is intended to sink a shallow prospect shaft 2 chains ahead of the face of that level. A total output of 122 tons was won to end of 1931. Diamond Hill Mine, Herbert. —About five miles south-west of Herbert and on the hillside about 700 ft. above the Waianakarua River a level has been driven to the south-west about a chain; lignite was met 6 yards in. To have the drive a workable height 2 ft. of the underlying fireclay and elay has been taken up.' Above the seam is a foot of black " batt " and then another foot of lignite with soft clay and sandstone above, so all places have to be timbered. A few yards back from the face of the level a place is driven 12 yards to the south-east. It will be continued to the surface about 15 yards ahead. Old workings driven about sixteen years ago to the north have fallen in, as also has an old drive to the west. Total output to the 31st December, 1931, was 263 tons. Shag Point Coal Mining Co.'s Mine.—ln the west side longwall section of the upper seam workings the coal became too thin and was stopped early in the year. The pillars were then worked back east of the longwall work. A short dip down 70 ft. is being driven to the north to work a small area between Perry's dip section and the old Allandale Mine workings. Below the old water-level, now completely drained, three solid places are being driven to the east in coal 2 ft. 3 in. thick with a foot of stone above and then another foot of coal. Pillars have been extracted to the rise of the old horse level and two pairs of miners are extracting pillars from the west end of the workings between the water-level and the horse level. In the inbye section of the lower seam workings, two levels were driven to the west in coal 3 ft. thick, but as the coal thinned farther west the pillars are being worked back. Off an incline to the south-west three places are being driven in coal 3 ft. to 3J ft. thick. The two highest levels to the west in the winch heading area were stopped owing to the heavy roof and to the coal thinning to 2 ft. 3 in., but the two lowest levels are still being driven; to the east the two highest levels were stopped also when only a chain in, as the coal thinned to 2 ft. Lower down the winch heading three levels are being extended and will be continued as long as the coal is workable. From the foot of the stone jig a level was driven through the fault and into the lower seam ; it passed under the stone jig and is in coal 3 ft. 3 in. thick of good quality; the face is ft. below a place on the east side of Perry's dip. Total output to the 31st December, 1931, was 301,635 tons. Shag Point Mine (Old). —The main dip, 6| chains down from the surface, has not been extended far during the past year, work being done chiefly in two levels to the south and one on the north side. Ihe upper of the south levels, started 5 chains down the dip, was stopped at the downthrow fault met 4 chains in. The upper north level was stopped also at a downthrow fault when 2 chains in from the dip. The lower north level is in 40 yards and has 20 yards to go before reaching the fault. The lower south level, producing most of the small output, is in 45 yards and has reached thin coal, but coal 6 ft. thick is expected to be met few yards farther in. Total output to the 31st December, 1931, was 421,019 tons.

55