c;— 4

42

13. In round numbers, what do you suppose you have left ?—ln the 10 acres we have got sufficient coal at present rate of output of 42,000 tons a year for, say, ten years' work. 14. You have 420,000 tons in the 10 acres ?—Yes. 15. And in the whole of the company's property ?—I could not speak as to the whole of the property, because it has not been explored. We have 800 acres of freehold, 150 acres of leasehold, and, with the pillars in view and from what I know from boring ahead, we have sufficient coal at the present rate of output for, say, thirty years. The remaining part of the property has not been explored. We know that we have sufficient coal at the rate of 42,000 to 45,000 tons a year output to last for thirty years. 16. What is the average output for the last two years?— About 40,000 tons per annum. 17. How much do you suppose you have put out altogether? —About 300,000 tons. 18. What is there to prevent you from materially increasing the present output ?—The absence of a market. 19. Do you know anything about the arrangements made by the company for the disposal of the coal ? —No ; that is beyond my province. 20. Have you anything to say as to the rate of wages or pay ?—I think the average rate of wages earned by the representative miners during the last two years would be 9s. per day. The average rate earned by medium men would be about Bs. 21. What is the average of their pay per fortnight ? —We average between five and five and a half days a week—say, five days a week. I may say that during the last three fortnights some of the best men earned £7 10s. clear", and during the past fortnight some of them earned over £6 clear of all expenses. I think the general average during the past two years, taking the best and medium men, would be about Bs. 4d. per day, or £2 10s. per week. With regard to the men employed by the day, we are paying the truckers 7s. per day, the men who work in small places and pumping 7s. per day, boys 4s. 6d. to 65., engine-drivers Bs. constant wages, and when some of them are sick their pay goes on. At Christmas we give them a fortnight's holiday and pay them full wages. We pay our overman 10s. a day and give him a free house and coal. All our men are entitled to their household coal free. 22. Do you know enough about the coal-measures of this part of the country to tell us how the output of your mine compares with that of any other mine north of Auckland ? —The only other mine that compares with this is the Collieries Company's. 23. Is it a fact that your own and the Collieries Company are the only companies north of Auckland that are supplying coal ?— No. The collieries north of Auckland are the Hikurangi Coal Company, Hikurangi Collieries Company, the Ngunguru Coal Company, and the Kiripaka Coal Company. Those four are the only mines working north of Auckland. 24. How many men have you at present working in the mine? —Fifty-two altogether—viz., one manager, one underviewer, one shipping agent, one roadman, twenty-eight miners, nine truckers, two horse-drivers, two pumpers, two deputies, two timber-men and engine-drivers, one upper ground boss, one boy, and two tippers. 25. Is your underviewer a man of long experience? —Yes; he has been in my employ for twenty-two years, and holds a first-class certificate under the Mining Act. 26. It is his duty to inspect the mine every morning ? —Yes; and he examines all places with a locked safety-lamp. 27. Does he report every morning?— The men are not allowed to go into the mine before he comes out. ' 28. How does he report?—He goes in at 5 o'clock in the morning, examines all places, and reports to the men'at the tunnel-mouth whether everything is safe or not. '- 29. Does he enter his report in any book?— Yes. 30. Where is the book kept ? —ln the office. 31. And when does he write his report in the book? —Every night. 32. Would it not be better to do it every morning before the men go in?— Something might take place that might require to be entered in the book. His book is a daily report, and therefore he enters the transactions of the day. 33. Can he read and write ?—No, though he holds a first-class certificate. 34. How does he manage to make a report, then?— Well, he gives the particulars to me or my bank agent, who has charge of all surface-work. He is another man who has been with me twenty-°two years. He is a very intelligent man. Although the underviewer can neither read nor write he is a first-class miner. 35. I suppose in such a well-ventilated mine as yours all the precautions that are suggested and stipulated for in the Coal-mines Act are not necessary ?—No. 36. You have no necessity for brattice-cloths for ventilating purposes ?— No; we do not use brattice-cloths at all: we use stoppings and canvas doors. 37. Roughly, from the experience you have had, you think you have half a million tons of coal on the south-eastern side of the railway? —Yes, within the present workings. 38. And an unknown quantity on the other side ?—Yes. 39. Do you anticipate a large quantity on the north-western side?— Yes, very much so, because our area extends one mile and a quarter from the railway. 40. Could you give us any idea of what sum would be required to be expended in order to thoroughly open up this mine and push the output to its fullest extent, so as to prove remunerative to the "shareholders?— Considering the area of the company's land, an expenditure of £100,000 would be required to thoroughly explore the entire area. 41. And, in your opinion, "such an expenditure would prove remunerative? —Yes, it would. ' 42. How much capital has the company expended so far ?—I could not say. The nominal capital is £15,000 in 30,000 shares of 10s. paid up to 7s. 6d., leaving a liability of 2s. 6d. per share.