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NGUNGURU. Wednesday, 19th December, 1900. Alfred Henry Taylor examined. 1. The Chairman.] You are mine-manager of the Ngunguru Coal-mining Company (Limited)? —Yes. 2. How long have you been so? —A little over a year. I entered on the management in November, 1899. 3. The mine is situated on the southern bank of the Ngunguru River, which is a tidal river? — Yes. 4. The entrance to the mine is about 150 ft. above the level of the riverbank?—About 140 ft. We have a self-acting incline, the first section of which is 8 chains in length, rising to 100 ft. Then practically a flat of about 5 chains, and then another incline of about 6 chains, rising 40 ft. 5. The mine has been working for how long?—lt commenced eight or nine years ago, I believe. The output, I understand, has been about 15,000 tons a year, or about 150,000 tons in all. The coal is lowered down the incline in trucks containing about 8 cwt. It is then taken along by a horse tramway about a mile, and shipped on board small vessels carrying about 140 tons as a maximum. We also send coal down to the sailers by pontoons, which take the coal in from hoppers at the bottom of the incline on the creek. We also load the sailers from pontoons loaded at the end of the horse tramway. 6. How many men have you at present working in and about the mine?—A total of forty-one men and boys—viz., twenty-two hewers, six truckers, three shift-men, two borers, an engine-and-pump man, a deputy, a blacksmith, a carpenter, two tippers, a horse-driver, and two on the steamlaunch. 7. How do you pay the hewers?—So much per skip, which varies from lid. to Is. sd. The Conciliation Board increased the price lately by Id. per skip. 8. How much are the men able to earn per day ?—At the last pay they earned an average of 9s. 3d. 9. What is the average per fortnight ? —There were 32| working-days in the last six weeks— about lOf days per fortnight. The wages-men get Bs., the truckers from 6s. 6d. to 75., per day, according to the work they have. 10. You are not troubled about the ventilation in the mine ?—lt is very changeable, according to the winds. 11. Is it thoroughly ventilated by natural means?— The ventilation is very good. 12. Is there any gas?—l have never seen any except black-damp. There is no water except in the wet seasons. We use a duplex Tangye pump. 13. What is the size of the seam near the entrance of the mine?— The seam varies from 2 ft. to 7 ft. 14. What proportion of the coal procurable from your present workings and purchased do you suppose you have taken out ? —I estimate that the total quantity left in the mine is about 35,000 tons. 15. Is that in the whole of the company's property ?—Yes. 16. Do you know of any other coal-seams contiguous to the company's property or in the immediate neighbourhood ?—Yes ; but I do not know much about them. 17. Then, the value of the property can be reckoned at 35,000 tons in situ ? —Yes. 18. When you have taken this 35,000 tons out what will happen?—We are proceeding in the direction of procuring more. If the 35,000 tons are taken out the mine will be done. We are prospecting and have obtained indications of coal, and an expenditure of £300 will connect with the present workings if the prospecting operations turn out to be successful. 19. Where does the company sell the coal ?—I do not know what price the company gets for its coal, nor the arrangements it makes for the sale of it. 20. You do not know whether the company is profitable to the shareholders? — I believe the company is holding its own as far as receipts and expenditure are concerned, and I think that is about all. I have not heard whether it has paid a dividend. 21. How would you class the coal? —Semi-bituminous, useful chiefly for steaming purposes for vessels. We do not prepare any for household purposes ; we have no sale whatever for that. 22. What was the output for the last month?—l,6oo tons. 23. Was that an average month?— That was a very good month. 24. In some places the seam is very thin ?—Yes. 25. Is that more expensive to work?—lt costs 3s. 4d. a ton to hew the coal, and about 4s. per shift on that to blow the bottoms up. 26. For hardness, how does your coal compare with the Hikurangi Coal Company's?—lt is about equal in hardness. The thinner the seam the harder the coal. The company loses on the thin seam, but we go on because it helps the prospect. 27. Do you think you have sufficiently prospected the whole of your area by means of boreholes to ascertain whether there are any other seams available ?—No. 28. What system is in use —the pillar and bord?—Yes. 29. Have you taken out any of the pillars ? —We are taking out pillars all the time, with the exception of the low bords, for prospecting purposes. 30. What is the width of the bord?—l2ft. wide, and the pillars 18ft. to 21ft. thick. We could not use the longwall system in our mine, because there are too many faults. The cover of the coal varies from almost nothing to 100 ft. in thickness : that is at the crown of the hill. The contour of the hill is very irregular. 31. What is the area of the property ?—The company has about 2,000 acres altogether. Ido not know the title.