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output 50,000 tons. During the first twenty-one years a royalty of 6d. per ton iproved to be increased thereafter to Is. per ton. The rent is not charged if the royalty exceeds it in amount. Tie total output to date has been 577,190 tons, and the rent and royalty received approximately £14 404 The mine is a continuation of the front part of the Brunner Mine or old workings to the dip ' It was at one time worked by a shaft 280 ft. deep, but, on the amalgamation of the comPonies this shaft was abandoned, and the coal was hauled to the Brunner Mine stage by means of A rib of coal, varying from 60 ft. in front to 400 ft. near the fault, has beeri leit along the boundary between the Coalpit-heath and Brunner Mines. This gives support to the hill and formerly cut off all the drainage from the Brunner Mine, but now the water has been allowed to accumulate in the Coalpit-hea°th, which is flooded. From a large area the pilars a*n| -the, «de of the fault were worked from the Coalpit-heath, and serious cracks in the roof extended to the surface and admitted storm water. Sir J. Hector is the director of the New Zeafan Department, and is such a recognised authority m mining-science, that we do not hesitate to quote from the report he and his colleagues gave in 1891, and which, on this point, still states thesituation correctly They say, " The danger of a heavy slip from the hill, in consequence of theexcavaton of the coal, i S V not imminent bo long as the pillars in the old Brunner Mine and in .the louthern part of the Coalpit-heath Mine and the said dividing rib of coal are left Wβ are of opinion that great caution must be exercised, as there is evidence of extensive slips from the hill having taken place in former years higher up the river than the Brunner Mine. Very shortly after the amalgamation the waters overcame the pumps and the mine was drown ou The Coalpit-heath Mine represents a loss of some £100,000 in shareholders capilal There appears to be some reason to believe that it would pay to open it out again inconkmVtion with the Brunner Mine, but not alone, unless satisfactory arrangements were made for usbg the Brunner Mine adit, and the mutual use of pumps. We have to take the opinionsi of a few individuals on this point, and cannot obtain knowledge at first hand ; we therefore cannot third of the group gathered into, the Grey Valley Coal Company fLimited) Its history is as disappointing as that of the Coalpit-heath. _ Originally leased and workedl & 1875 by the Greymouth Coal Company, which fell into liquidation, it passed to a syndiSwhSh transferred it to the Westport Coal Company. We have not attempted to he veil which hangs over the operation of transfer and amalgamation, but we have no reason to think there was any thin* very unusual in the transaction. The exceptional circumstance, however, is £ facTthat Se le°ase, which was for 1,000 acres, allowed the lessee to 150 acres at £5 an acre. This option was exercised, and 150 acres through winch the railway runs was purchased, and is the freehold property of the Grey Valley Coal Company. On this freehold two shafts 650 ft. deep, were sunk, and were furnished with most costly appliances. It ridtnlt £120,000 was in equipping this mine and that the whole> of this amount has been lost The whole of the workings have been withm the 150 acres freehold, and, with the exception of the portion under the Eailway Eeserve and under the river, are private property. Mr Joachim, the general manager of the Westport Coal Company told us that the company bought the 150 acres for £750, and then put it into the pool out of_ which the Grey Valley Conmanv was formed. He says the Westport Coal Company had spent in purchase-money and works prio"to the amalgamation, £80,000 on the property, but they did not spend any subsequeSy for they closed the mine, dismantled the fine machinery, and allowed the workings to flood The reason given for this is that the quality of coal in the Wallsend was inferior to the Brunner and the coal was cut by faults on all sides. They found they could supply all the demands made upo'them from the Brunner Mine, and therefore closed the Wai send Mine and losTthe £K> OOoTnvested. It has been alleged that when a trial shipment of Wallsend coal was °ent to fus'tralia it was purposely made up of inferior coal, so as to rum the reputation of he mine but the charge is so grave and is so entirely unsupported by any proof that, even in the See of denial we could not treat it as having any weight; but the question was specifically nut to Mr Joao'hdm, and we are satisfied that the management of the company were neither Foolish enough nor b ase enough to do anything of the kind, and that the shipment was made ud and sentfn good faith, and proved a failure. It will be remembered that this was ten or "wetve years a»o when the coal-market was better supplied than at present. The mine was recenti/eoSL at auction to a private individual for a small sum, and is still lying idle, but as it is nrivatp DroDertv the Government cannot interfere. P Ts to the statement of Mr. Wills that the company desired to impose a condition that al coal got from the mine by any purchaser should be sold out of New Zealand we accept the denial of the company's officers and manager, and the statement is, on the face of it incredible ° The d 4 Mne is opposite the Brunner Mine and it was first worked by Mr J. Kilgour. It was acauired by the Greymouth Coal Company, and afterwards by the Grey Valley Coal Oomrlr It really forms part of the Wallsend lease The output was 18,398 tons, and it was closed E thef the companies. It is said to be faulted to such an extent as to render W ° rk ffiX°S le Mn e is situated some seventeen miles from Greymouth and three miles from the Grey RaUway. It comprises a lease or leases of 1,914 acres in all, foi: a term of twenty o y ne yea?s from January, 1886. The leases were originally held by Messrs Kilgour and oThers but were transferred in 1886 to the Blackball Company, who purchased the freehold from the Midland Bailway Company, and we understand that the property has recently been sold to Sir E. the mine had been working for about seven years a P nd a half, and the workings extended over about 60 acres. The mine is three miles in a straight line from the Ngahere Eailway-station, on the northern side of the Grey Eiver. 3—C 4.