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Victory Mine (Brighton).—Development work at this mine has proved an additional area of workable coal, and a new haulage road has been driven to the surface. Willowbank Mine. —No further development work has taken place at this mine, and all work in future will be confined to pillar-extraction. Kaitangata Mine.—The whole of the mine output has been obtained from pillar-extraction, and this work is continuing at a fairly rapid rate, practically all places being worked double shift. There is an encouraging feature of the operations, in so much that a borehole has intercepted a seam of coal 14 ft. thick at a point approximately half a mile beyond the termination of the workings of the old No. 1 Mine, thus proving the continuity of this seam. No decision has yet been made regarding the development of the new area, but its early development will be a necessity if this coal is to remain continuously on the market, as the present mine is being rapidly exhausted. Summer Hill Mine. —A small amount of development work has been continued at this mine and the necessary reticulation work to install electric plant has been completed. However, the quality of this coal is distinctly inferior to the Kaitangata coal. Riverside Goal-pit (Milton). —A small quantity of coal was won from this opencast pit, but operations ceased during the year and the pit was abandoned. Viewbank Pit (Crighton).—Opencast operations were continued on a small scale. This is the old Crighton Mine. Akatore Mine (Milton). —Development work was continued at this mine throughout the year, and although operations were on a small scale the results were encouraging, and present indications are that a fairly extensive area of coal is available for development. The seam is from 7 ft. to 12 ft. in thickness and is of reasonable quality. Southland District Hedgehope, Coster's, Waimumu, Raby, Argyle, Ota Greek, A sherds Siding, Newvale, Mataura Papermills, Gladfield, Taunga, Nightcaps, and Taradale Goal-pits.—Opencast operations were continued at the above coal-pits and along lines previously adopted. Boghead, Terrace (Balfour), and Glenlee Mines. —Underground mining operations were continued throughout the year at these mines and along lines previously followed. Black Diamond Mine. —Pillar-extraction was carried out throughout the year, and it would now appear that no further development work can be put in hand at this mine. The coal-seam is thick and very liable to spontaneous combustion, with the result that quite an appreciable quantity of coal has been permanently lost by fire. The company is now concentrating on winning the remaining coal by the opencast method, and it would appear that this will be to their advantage. Star Mine.—ln the No. 1 and No. 2 East Level Sections, pillar-extraction has continued throughout the year and the work has been remarkably free from spontaneous combustion, this being unusual in this coalfield. No attempt has been made to prove the fault which cut o£F development to the dip. From the lower east level some development has taken place in Magee's Dip, but this work has been attended by small faultings and the strata has been somewhat irregular in contour. Birchwood Mine. —The whole of the output from this mine has continued to be obtained from pillar-extraction, and, as is usual under conditions such as these, there is undue crushing of the pillars, with a resultant loss of coal and increased hazard so far as spontaneous combustion is concerned. Towards the end of the year steps were being taken to prove the coal lying to the west of the No. 1 West Dip Section, this work being somewhat late in being put under way. Mossbank State Mine.—Development work was continued in Cappie's Dip Section and was completed towards the end of the year. Pillar-extraction was continued in the balance of the mine, and it would appear that pillar-extraction is all that now remains at this particular mine until its end. Wairaki State Mines. —No. 1 Mine : Pillar-extraction was continued in a satisfactory manner throughout the year, this work being responsible for the total mine output. No. 3 Mine : The general development of this mine was continued throughout the year, the total output being obtained from this work, there being no pillar-extraction attempted. The results of all development work could be regarded as reasonably satisfactory and all roadways are standing in good condition. Bar 20 State Opencast.—This pit has been exploited to the full during the year and a steady output maintained. Black Lion Opencast.—Opencast operations were commenced during the year along the outcrop of the seam in the northern portion of the lease. Linton No. 1 Mine. —The development of the coal-seam in No. 10 Section—i.e., the lowest portion of the mine—was made the chief interest during the year, and this work yielded very satisfactory results until towards the end of the year, when faulting was encountered. In view of the fact that the

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