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a general air of carelessness or ignorance about the place. Messrs. Levi and Perotti, directors of the Progress Quartz-mining Company, promised that another outlet should be made, and the place be put in order. On the 12th December, 1887, I wrote requiring attention. 18. Coal Greek Goal-mine, Buller Moad. —About two miles below Mr. George Walker's station on the Buller Eoad a seam of pitch-coal crops out in the bed of the river, and at this point working has occasionally been carried on, the last person who took anything out being Mr. Berlin, who informs me that the mine " never had any manager nor any name other than Coal Creek." 19. Golden Fleece Coal-mine, lieefton.- —I have visited this mine once since last report. It appears to be carefully worked and well timbered, but the Act has not been observed in some particulars. 20. Brunner Coal-mine, Greymouth. —The West Coast coal-mines having been reported on so recently as the 30th September, there remains but little to say on this occasion. During my inspections of October, 1877, Mr. J. Gow, resident Inspector at Greymouth, accompanied me, as did also Mr. Bishop, manager of the mine. We found a little gas in the prospecting-level through the fault. The main return registered only 13,159 cubic feet per minute, but doubtless by now the new fan will be producing a much larger quantity. On the sth October the miners made their inspection with a satisfactory result. Eeport duly kept, but plan nearly seven months old. On the 20th October we made an inspection of the old workings without discovering any gas. At that time Mr. Bishop was expecting an extensive compressed-air hauling-plant for opening out the dip. The machinery was to consist of a pair of 26in. air-compressors, two steel Lancashire boilers, 30ft. by 7ft., two pumps capable of raising 300 gallons per minute, and a hauling-engine with a pair of 18in. cylinders. Mr. Bishop shares my strong predilection for a hydraulic plant, but the first cost was found to bo excessive. 21. Goal-pit Heath Colliery, Greymouth. —At the time of my visit in October, 1887, only four men—including the underviewer—were working in this mine. Gas was found in two places in the two lowest level workings. The ventilation near the extreme in-bye point measured 2,683 cubic feet per minute, but the air was oppressively warm. As usual, the plan was not at the mine, but if only four men were employed of course no plan would be required, the exemption not having been, so far as I know, withdrawn. Copies of the Act and special rules were exhibited, but no names .were attached. 22. Tyneside Colliery, Greymouth. —ln October last Mr. James Hodgson was again in charge of the mine, and ten men were said to bo ordinarily employed. The ventilation was natural, and no gas could be found. No weekly report was kept, and the daily report (which was at that time kept usually fully written up in advance, lacking only the signature) was a week late. No copy of the Act could be found about the premises, though Mr. Kilgour a few days subsequently found it stowed away about the office. The " conspicuous place " chosen for the special rules was behind a door, and there were no names of manager, inspector, &c, attached. Plan up to the sth June, 1887. No approved lamp was provided, although in December, 1886, Mr. Kilgour was most anxious that the Government should import some. On the 2nd December I wrote to the manager requiring him to observe the law, and pointing out that continued neglect could result only in prosecution. On the 12th December Mr. Hodgson wrote that he had constructed a furnace and kept a weekly report, that the daily report should be written every day, that the special rules and Act with names attached were duly exhibited, and an improved lamp had been ordered. 23. Greymouth-Wallsend Colliery, Greymouth. —On the 13th October, 1887,1 found with regret that, in spite of frequent requests and notices, safety appliances (under General Rule 23) had not been fitted to the cage at this mine. On the 14th we found about lit. of gas in No. 4 incline on the east side; the air was noted as " Good, but by no means too much." On the Ist October two of the miners had examined the mine, and reported gas as occurring in three places, bat that no shots were fired in there during working-hours. The report continued : " With these exceptions we found all the other workings, road-ways, and air-courses in good condition. We also examined the shaft, accompanied by the engineer, and found it in good repair." These examinations by workmen are, in my opinion, if properly carried out by experienced and judicious men, the most valuable safeguard that can be devised. Nobody is more likely to know of and detect danger than the men who daily work in the mine, and whose personal acquaintance with their own portion of the workings is supplemented doubtless by intercourse with the whole working-staff of the colliery. On the 18th October we found a good deal of gas in the No. 1 back-heading, which Mr. Elliott had stopped on that account. The ventilation was as follows : Main return from west side, per minute, 18,746 cubic feet; from east side, 17,360 cubic feet: total, 36,106 cubic feet. As regards the general working of the mine a good deal more care seems to have been taken since the inquiry, the lamps better cleaned, and the brattice better kept up. As will be seen on reference to the accident table, out of thirty-one separate accidents, eleven have occurred at this mine; and, of thirty-four persons injured, this colliery is responsible for thirteen. I shall have some remarks to make on this head in a subsequent portion of this report. On the East Coast the mines have not been reported on since the 15th April, 1887. 24. Springfield Goal-mine, Springfield. —This mine is gradually becoming of less and less assistance to the coal output. Since 1879, when the output was 4,589 tons, it has been reduced more than 50 per cent. In 1881 the tonnage was 11,928; since which time it has, with one exception, steadily fallen off. In 1881 the coal output of the Malvern Hills was 25,328 tons ;in 188 d, 13,972 tons ; and in 1887, only 10,301 tons. On the 9th August a trial was made of the safety-cage, which fell only 2^in. when the rope was cut; the detaching-hook, too, acted very well. The pit was in very good order, and the Act seems perfectly observed, except that the pit-bank was not covered, and no approved lamp was used. Since my visit Mr. Lindop has written to say that he has two EvanThomas lamps. Special rules have been established. 25. Canterbury Colliery, Sheffield. —On the 13th August, 1887, the air was better, but the mine was not examined every morning with an approved safety-lamp, neither was a copy of the Act kept at the mine,