225

0.-4.

t. KEABNEY.

24. What proportion of baths should by provided —how many men to a bath? —About eight or ten men to a bath. 25. Have you anything to say regarding sanitary arrangements? —Nothing more than what the last witness has said. 1 agree with that. 26. Mr. Dowgray.] In regard to ladderways : you heard previous witnesses give evidence : would you suggest that a ladder be put up each pass I—Yes,1 —Yes, in hot places, and where the quartz passes are kept full. 27. Then there would always be one means for ventilation? —Yes. 28. Do you consider, along with Mr. Opie, that the mine ought to be ventilated with fans2 — Well, I have not had any experience of fan ventilation, but sometning requires to be done so as to distribute the air better and draw it from the stopes. 29. Have you had any experience with the trucks in that mine , / Do you agree with the previous evidence in regard to them?— Yes. 30. Mr. tarry.] Do you consider it essential that a standard temperature should be fixed for a six-hour place? —\es. 31. What temperature would you suggest?— About 75° should be the standard. Anything over that should be a six-hour place. 32. Have you made any complaints about the stope where you are working? —Yes, to the shift boss. We told him it was too hot. 33. Did you suggest anything should be done to improve the air? —We said that brattice should be put up on the level. They did that, but it did not seem to improve matters, for the stope is still just as bad. 34. Was any other attempt made to make the stope cooler? —1 believe there was a door put up in No. 7 level to send the air down to No. 8 and bring it into our stope. 35. Do you know if any men have fainted in your stope? —No, 1 do not know, but several of us have nearly done so. 36. In regard to the height of stopes, do you think a standard should be fixed? —Yes. 37. Why'f —A man should be able to try his stope to know if any danger is to be feared. He ought to be able to touch the back and roof with bar or pick, and sound it to find if the rock is loose or not. 38. What is your opinion re firing holes with electric battery or fuse?—l consider that if more than five or six holes are to be fired the battery should be used, because when more than that number are fired a man may miscount them. 39. The Chairman.\ What time do you think should elapse before a man goes back after a misfire? —No man should go back under one hour. 40. Do you think one hour is sufficient?— Certainly, two hours would be better. 41. Mr. Parry. J What is your opinion as to the employment of shot-firers in a mine?—l do not approve of them myself. I think that a man who bores a hole would have a better idea of loading it than a man going round. Of course, there aru places where they have shot-firers. 42. Do you think many accidents would be obviated if a shot-firer had a district in a mine and was a qualified man? —Perhaps they would, but I know myself 1 have come into contact with young fellows in the mine who were very inexperienced and were very careless. 43. The Is it not usual to fire shots at crib-time? —No, they fire them whenever they are ready. 44. In a large section of the mine would not delay be caused if only shot-firers were allowed to fire? —Yes, perhaps there would, unless a man had plenty of room to bore. If he were working in a small place it would be very inconvenient for him to have to wait for the shot-firer to come along. 45. Mr. Parry.] Do you think it would minimize the risk of accident if no man who depended upon the amount of material gotten was allowed to use dynamite ? —I believe it would. 46. In regard to bath-houses, do you think a space for each man should be fixed? —Yes, each man requires about 2 ft. of room. 47. Mr. Cochrane.] Have you worked with rock-drills?—No, only hand-drills. 48. Not with poppers or hammer drills? —Yes, hammer drills; but there is no machinery where we are. 49. Have you had any experience of the small hammer drill, called a popper?—No, not here. James David Blair sworn and examined. (No. 10.) 1. The Chairman.] What are you, Mr. Blair? —A miner. 2. How long have you been mining?—Ab6ut six or seven years in Waihi, ami about two years in railway-tunnels. 3. What mines have you worked in? —Waihi, Grand Junction, Extended, and Waihi West. 4. Are you working in the Waihi Mine at present?— Yes, on the Royal, No. 9 level. 5. Have you had any experience of taking temperatures?— No. 6. Have you seen temperatures taken?— Yes, when the Inspector of Mines has been round. 7. What do you wish to inform the Commission upon? —Sanitary arrangements, temperatures, change and bath houses. I have also known of a few accidents which occurred in the stopes 1 have been working in. 8. What is it you wish to say as regards ventilation? —There are places 1 have worked in on the ltoyal reef which have been very warm. 9. Was your place visited by the Commissioners? —Well, I did not know if it was visited. I was trucking in another level at that time. 10. Whose stope is it? —Horan and party's. 11. Was that the stope which was closed down on account of the temperature?—No, we had finished our place, and are trucking now. It was not closed down on account of the temperature.