a—2.

ANNEXURE B.

STONE QUARRIES. SUMMARY OF REPORT BY INSPECTOR OP QUARRIES POR THE NORTH ISLAND. (Jambs Newton.) I have the honour to present my annual report for the year ending 31st December, 1933, having reference to the working of quarries within the scope of the Stone Quarries Act, 1910. As a general rule, I have found during inspection that the responsible persons upon whom the duties of carrying out the requirements of the Act with regard to the safe winning of the stone have shown a reasonable appreciation of their duties, and very rarely have I found it necessary to voice a complaint regarding their methods of working or any unsatisfactory conditions of the quarry-face. In most of the quarries operated where, owing to the shattered, erratically jointed rocks (which are frequently traversed by treacherous backs or slicken-sides), it is impossible to lav down a hard-and-fast rule or method of working. I generally counsel a method of keeping the quarry faces on a reasonable backward gradient, thereby assuring support to the upper portions of the quarry-face. In very few quarries throughout my inspectorate is the strata so disposed that a strict method of benching could reasonably be enforced The output of all classes of stone during 1933 amounted to 570,426 tons, which, when compared with the previous year, discloses a decrease of 62,926 tons. The value at the quarry-face decreased by £22 966 The decreased output of quarries may be attributed mainly to the fact that the Public Works Department is obtaining an increasing proportion of stone from its own quarries. These quarries are not subject to the provisions of the Stone Quarries Act, and returns therefrom are not available. The year under review has not been free from serious accidents when measured by the standard laid down by the Act, but, fortunately, there was no loss of life. On the 6th June, R. W. Thompson was injured in the Wainui Tunnel, Lower Hutt. He was engaged in jacking up the steel concreting casing at the time of the accident. The jack slipping caused the timber supporting the casing, to tilt, the timber falling and crushing his chest and ribs. No bones however were fractured. ' , , on , tlle 19th June > in the Wainui Tunnel, J. G. Stevens was injured by being struck on the back of the head the result being slight concussion, but no fracture. None of the employees appeared to know just what caused the injury, but expressed the opinion that most likely the injury was caused by Stevens rising from a stooping position and coming in contact with a bar that was lying crosswise on the metal truck, by the side of which he was working. i June, Frank Bullock, employed in Gallagher's Quarry, Kaukapakapa, received a fractured skull, the result of being struck by a shingle stone which fell from the upper reaches of the quarry-face ihe material quarried is a shingle conglomerate, and, apparently one of the stones (approximately about the size of a hen s egg) became detached and struck Bullock whilst he was shovelling in a stooping position. On the 11th August, in the Te Kuiti Agricultural Limestone Quarry, D. O'Connell received a rather badly crushed toe the result of a stone falling whilst he was loading it into a truck. On the 28th November, W. Martin, employed in the Waro Quarry, had his big toe fractured, the result of a large stone rolling on to his foot whilst spalling.

ANNEXURE C.

MINING STATISTICS.

Table 1. Statement showing the Quantity of Quartz crushed and Bullion obtained in the Northern Inspection District for the Year ended 31st December, 1933.

41

J " — = Average Bullion obtained. Locality and Name of Mine. | jJ"™ 01 Quartz crushed. Value. employed. Amalgamation. Cyanidation. : L_ . • Waihi Borough. _ .. . . „ T Tons cwt. qr. lb. Oz. dwt. gr. Oz. dwt. gr. £ s. d. Waihi GoId-mmmg Co. Ltd .. 593 175,812 0 0 0 .. 418,981 0 0 400,071 0 0 Waihi Grand Junction Gold Co. 47 24,804 0 0 0 .. 64,187 0 0 0 0 640 200,616 0 0 0 .. 483,168 0 0 466,720 0 0 T _ _ l Ohinemtjri County. Karangahake— Talisman-Dubbo .. .. 4 405 9 0 0 .. 2,210 8 0 2,326 10 10 New Talisman .. .. 2 35 13 0 0 i .. 27 11 8 75 12 3 3 99 16 0 0 .. 555 5 8 564 7 1 *™P erlal ! 3 10 11 0 0 ! .. 14 15 5 30 13 8 olr 3 18 13 0 0 - 30 2 8 92 8 11 Waitekauri-'" " '• 98 8 ' 047 °°° •' 16 ' 716 0 0 35 > 681 9 6 Old Maoriland .. .. 1 9 4 0 0 .. 23 18 12 55 13 7 Scotia .. .. .. 2 51 7 0 0 .. 93 11 1 203 17 9 Prospectors .. .. .. 7 172 0 0 0 .. 482 6 0 1,069 7 1 123 8,849 13 0 0 .. 20,154 7 18 ; 40,100 10 8