C—3a.

22

year on the same efficient lines as formerly. In October the property was sold to the Mataura Collieries Company, Gore. 8,145 tons of coal was mined during the year. Six men were employed. It is the intention of the new company to employ mechanical means of dealing with the overburden now removed by hand-labour. Mataura Lignite-pit, Mataura (Beattie, Coster, and Co., owners; W. Coster, manager).— (2/8/1907): This pit continued in regular and systematic work during the year. Ua/mumu Colliery. Waimiunu (William Wallace, permit). —(2/8/1907): This mine has been worked opencast for many years, and has supplied the dredges in the Waimumu Valley. Owing to the task of stripping off the overburden becoming too heavy, a start was made to win out the coal by underground mining. The seam is fully 9 ft. in thickness, and lies nearly horizontal, presenting no difficulty in working, provided the workings are not taken too wide. Five men employed. Ota Creek Coal-pits —Jas. E. Genge's freehold coal-pit.—(3l/7/1907): Seam, 5 ft. : stripping, 10 ft. clay and gravel. No one about on this date. .Lis. E. Genge's leasehold coal-pit (31/7/1907): Thomas Lobb has a grazing right over the coal reserve, and James E. Genge takes coal from this reserve also. Seam, 5 ft.; stripping, 4 ft. No one about on this date. Shields's Coal-pit (31/7/1907): This is freehold, and James E. Genge gets coal from this area also, and Shields carts the coal away. No one about on this date. Wyndham Coal-pits —Ferry Road Coal-pit (M. Greene, owner). —(31/7/1907): This pit is situated on Greene's freehold land. The seam is 12 ft. in thickness, with a band of rubbish 1 ft. in thickness in the middle of the seam. The stripping is 8 ft. in depth, and consists of peat. The coal is hauled up by a horse, and the-drainage is effected by a small steam plant and a Gould pump. Magazine provided. Two men employed. Clarke's Coal-pit (Samuel Clarke, owner). —(31/7/1907): This pit is situated on Clarke's freehold land. The seam is 12 ft. in thickness, split by a band of rubbish. The stripping is 10 ft. in depth, and consists of clay aud gravel. Drainage is effected by means of a centrifugal pump, actuated by a portable steam engine and boiler. Three men employed. Thomas Genge's Coal-pit.(3l/7/1907); There are several coal reserves in this district vested in the Wyndham Town Board. A large quantity of coal was won in former years from these sections, known as Genge's and Munro's respectively. These have been practically worked out for some years. During the first half-year of 1907 Thomas Genge took a few tons out of the area known as Munro's. At the time of my visit the pit was idle and full of water. Robin Rood Coal-pit, Pine Bush (Win. Couser).—(l/8/1907): Thickness of seam, 20 ft.; depth of stripping, 5 ft. The pit was not in good working-order, and was evidently idle during the greater part of the winter months. No one about on this date. Nightcaps Colliery, Nightcaps (J, Lloyd, mine-manager; William Handyside, managing director). —(25/4/1907): Ventilation is registered at 30,000 cubic feet per minute. Nine missshots having occurred in seven days, the manager condemned balance of a barrel of fuse as defective. No. 2 District: Pillaring extraction is being conducted in the old Maritime section. No. 1 District : Robbing of pillar and bead coal continues. A fire in the rise pillar workings on the fringe of the gob is attributed to the resin seam (which overlies seam being robbed) falling and heating among the fallen clays and gravels. Double stoppings are in, and water-hose laid for emergency of outbreak. New Tangye pump installed in the dip; capacity, 15,000 gallons per hour. Mine in good working-order. Ventilation efficient. (21/6/1907): An unfortunate accident happened this day, whereby William Duncan, deputy, and two repairers named P. Welsh and Wm. Carson were poisoned by fumes containing white damp from an underground fire. From a variety of causes the fire had got out of hand, and the men were overcome while attempting to complete stoppings intended to confine the fire-area. After the bodies were recovered the mine was sealed down, but subsequently reopened and restored toward the end of the year. (11/12/1907): During the closure of No. 1 district output was maintained from the pillars in No. 2 district and from the opencast workings. A ventilating-fan, 6 ft. diameter, electrically driven, has been installed for No. 2 district. Full supplies of timber and material kept on the premises and liberally used as considered necessary. Safety-lamp inspections duly made. Rules posted, and reportbooks to date. Hit or Mis< Coal-pit, Nightcaps (William Tinker, lessee, permit).—(7/6/1907) : Workings advancing towards the south-easterly boundary and up to a triangular area of coal available in the adjoining section, No. 174; estimated area, about 1 acre. Lamont's Coal-mine (H. 8.), Nightcaps (G. R. Spence, lessee). —(7/6/1907) : Opencast workings have been resumed on a small scale. Morley Coal-pit, Nightcaps (G. R. Spence).-—(7/6/1907): Operations are again suspended, available coal having been exhausted. The Willow Coal-pit, Nightcaps (John Clark).—(23/9/1907): 326 tons of coal was mined by two men during the year. The pit was in good working-order, except that the drainage system required to be improved in order to obtain the coal lying underfoot. Manuka Hill Coal-pit, Nightcaps (Geo. Groves, lessee). —(23/9/1907) : The lessee had installed a winding-plant at the top of the hill, and had laid down a tram-line to the pit. Three men were engaged stripping and opening up the coal-seam, which at this point appeared to be 30 ft. in thickness. The pit is drained by means of an oil-engine and pump. Remarks. The output of coal and lignite (Southern District) for the year 1907 amounted to 462,010 tons, a decrease of 3,425 tons on the previous year's output.