o.—3a.

18

Blackstone Hill Pit, Blackstone Hill (R. Thurlow, lessee). —Opencast pit. Water-inflow heavy Price's Coal-pit, Blackstone Hill (G. Price, lessee). —Coal taken out for private use only. St. Bathan's Coal-pit, St. Bathan's (J. Enwright, lessee). —Opencast pit; stripping; afterwards blasting down lignite with powder. Rough Ridge Coal-pit, Idaburn (William Beck, manager; Mrs. M. Beck, lessee). —Opencastoverburden stripped. Coal-face 30 ft., being shot down with blasting-powder. McLean's Pit, Idaburn (Mrs. M. Beck, lessee). —Mrs. Beck has acquired this pit but no coal had been taken out during the year. Idaburn Coal-pit, Idaburn (J. White, lessee). —Opencast pit; stripping in advance and shooting down lignite face. Border Coal-pit, Rough Ridge (G. Turnbull, lessee). —Lying as it does in low-lying creek-bed this pit has been inundated by the Idaburn Stream several times during the year to the monetary loss and arduous exertion of Mr. Turnbull. Gimmerburn Coal-pit, Gimmerburn (C. Docherty). —Coal mined for private use only. Commercial Colliery, Upper Kyeburn (Christian Archer (permit), lessee). —Seam vertical; worked by levels driven to boundary in solid head-coal, then brought back and roof allowed to fall behind. McCready and Coombes's Pit, Kyeburn Diggings (W. Coombes, lessee). —A few tons taken out per annum for private use only. Dairy Creek Colliery, Clyde (J. Robertson, permit; W. J. Tonkin, lessee). —(15/5/1903): The lessee having disposed of his interest in this colliery to the Clyde Collieries Company, the mine is now under control of and is being worked by the latter company. Clyde Collieries Company, Clyde (G. F. Turner, mine-manager ; L. G. Reeves, secretary).— (15/5/1903): This company acquired the adjoining Dairy Creek Coal-pit in March, 1903. Both mines are in good working-order and capable of a much larger output than the present local demands. (24/9/1903): Men now working in Dairy Creek section. Mine in good order. Report-books to date. Rules posted. Holt's Pit, Shepherd's Flat, Clyde (W. J. Holt, licensee).—(ls/12/1903): This mine is being opened solely to supply the Loch Lomond dredge, which is to start work on Shepherd's Flat, Fraser River, at an early date. Several sets of strong timber will be required at mine-mouth before work may be recommenced with safety. Doolan's Creek Coal Company, Gibbston (A. C. Murray, secretary).- —Several hundereds of pounds had been expended in road-making, prospecting, <fee, but either the trade requirements of the district or the inaccessibility of the mine, or a combination of both, militated against success. The company is now in liquidation and the area abandoned. Gibbston Coal Company, Gibbston (J. Hodson, mine-manager ; G. R. Cheeseman, secretary). — (6/10/1903): Operations have been continued in the upper workings during the early part of this year until a heavy slip came away from the mountain-side causing their temporary abandonment. A new low level begun in April is now in good coal with considerable area of solid to the rise. Connection for ventilation is made through to the old workings. This mine is situated at an altitude of about 3,500 ft. above sea-level. Cardrona Colliery, Cardrona (D. Scurr, manager; R. McDougall, lessee). —(22/5/1903): As the coal-seam is removed, heavy hillside slips are becoming more numerous. The water-supply is inadequate to deal efficiently with the heavy material thus brought down into the pit. A new road up the mountain has been formed to the pit for the convenience of heavy traffic, but access to the pit is impossible during winter months, the road and pit being snow-covered and ice-bound. Altitude, about 4,000 ft. The requirements of a large district are supplied from this pit, Cromwell and Bannockburn Collieries Company, Bannockburn (A. S. Gillanders, minemanager; T. K. Harty, managing director). —Excelsior Mine: (18/5/1903): As the requirements of the district are easily supplied from the company's other pits, which are more accessible than the Excelsior, operations in this mine are suspended in the meantime. (5/10/1903): Mine shut down after having been worked about four months during winter. (16/11/1903): The minemanager informs me that, the mine is kept unwatered and ready to resume operations, if required, at any time. The coal in north-going places is good, and the roof strong; going southward the coal-seam is thinning, and the roof frets considerably. Bannockburn Mine: (5/10/1903): The main level is now in 400 yards, and the coal-seam continues regular, 6 ft. in thickness. Workingplaces and roadways in good order, but air rather dull in far-in places. Places being driven narrow and large pillars left, consequently small amount of timber required. Kawarau Mine: (5/10/1903): Shepherd's Creek dip drive: At 360 ft. coal became thin and unprofitable to work, being much broken with soft and faulted coal. A similar result was experienced going northward, and as the dip was bounded on the south by a large downthrow fault, it was resolved to work back on the pillars, of which the area is not large. Prospecting on the north side of Thorn's Gully a 14 ft. seam was struck. An inclineel drive had been put down a distance of 235 ft., and is capable of extension. Old workings were passed through for a distance of 108 ft. from surface, into which heavy water-drainage percolated from the creek-bed, necessitating the laying-down of a 20-horse-power steam-boiler and Tangye pump of 10,000-gallon-per-hour capacity. The workings are in good order and condition. Later information is to the effect that the Shepherd's Creek Mine pillars are exhausted, and the dip drive is now closed. Jeffrey's Area, Bannockburn (George Jeffrey, licensee). —(5/10/1903): The several trialshafts sunk have apparently not been successful in striking coal. Nothing doing on this date. All shafts filled up Cairnmuir Pit, Bannockburn (Crow and Anderson, lessees). —(5/10/1903) : Sinking in a small way, and a few tons of coal taken out. Further operations are dependent upon the erection of efficient machinery to deal with water met with.