C.^2

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VI. STONE-QUARRIES. (1.) Quarrying Operations. For the closer inspection of those 283 quarries and places which come under the operations of the Stone-quarries Act, 1910, at which about 1,648 persons were ordinarily employed during the year, and from which 1,331,003 tons of crude stone was produced, the whole of the statutory quarryinspection has been transferred to the Inspectors of Mines ; and for North Island quarries an additional and special Inspector, Mr. J. F. Downey, has been appointed. The respective inspection districts are defined in the tabulated statement of output accompanying this report. For the bettor regulation, of the stone-quarries of the Dominion, amendment of the Stone-quarries Act appears desirable, so that quarries or places having a face exceeding 20 ft. deep, whether explosives are used thereat or not, shall come under the provisions of the Act; and, judging by the number of fatalities at Government quarries during 1915 and 1916 —viz., eleven, in comparison with four at all the other quarries in the Dominion—it also appears desirable that Government quarries shall be brought under the Act and receive independent inspection in the interests of safety, by persons other than officials in charge of and directing the operations, who at present act in a dual capacity and inspect their own work. It is also desirable that provision shall be made for annual returns from quarries, similar to those required from coal-mine owners and mining-claim holders. Owirg to there being no legal authority for the collection of returns of output, the following tabulated statement must be regarded as incomplete. The exportation of the produce of our quarries is not yet extensive. During 1916 email quantities of serpentine, lime, pumice-stone, and building-stone were exported, also 4,064 tons of pumicesand—value, £11,944 —mostly to Australia for use as insulation for cold storage and freezing-works.

Table showing the Number of Quarries under the Stone-quarries Act, 1910, also the Number of Persons ordinarily employed thereat, and the Annual Output of Crude Stone.

(2.) Quarry Accidents. The following is a summary of persons killed or seriously injured during 1916 at stone-quarries and places within the operation of the Stone-quarries Act : —

Provincial District. Name and Address of Government Inspector of Stone-quarries. taDHH eg . aa sis B fcH *& "o ° >*. ft E2 31 - si S G?-ij 3 o ft ft rrH bO Pi SI. &- «s 2 o S3 03 -"5 gS|H O aj i © rP h -**. CO Output of a o Its I ■p Drude Stone during 1910. ,S oB s'i "H< rSo s si % S fc-C S OJ QJ . CD (- an ■» 8 ?, 3 5° «3 °_, Ph fCJ** v O en ** "5-5 « 3 o o 1-1 rH Q rH Auckland .. J. P. Downey, Mines Dept., Auckland M. Paul, Mines Dept., Waihi (Hauraki Mining District only) J. F. Downey, Minos Dept., Auckland 100 823 Tons. 500,016 Tons. 1.40,000 Tons. Tons. 3,000 Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. 59,000 II 77 61,871 109 Hawke's Bay 47 109 7,300 3,000 3,900 80 Taranaki Wellington Marlborough 44 28 2 123 148 7 42,600 44,250 7,200 0,000 7,800 1,200 Nelson T. O. Bishop, Mines Dept., Reef ton T. O. Bishop and J. Newton, Mines Dept., Westport (Buller County only) T. O. Bishop E. R. Green and A. Whitley, Mines Dept., Dunedin Ditto 1 = 40 21 10,000 57,690 1,500 31,000 Westland . . Canterbury.. 3 14 24 98 82,459 2,713 48,333 3,062 1,601 151* 1,474 Otago Southland .. 23 6 146 32 55,354 9,000 47,050 2,300 2,443 130 59,346 7,300 7,985 7,600 2,500 l,386f 100 7,600 2,500 Totals .. 1870,540 ! 1,537 283 1,048 12.50,590 7,844 [90,147 100,239 [7,600 |2,500 * S Serpent! inc. t Miscc) llaneous and unspecified.

Cause of Accident. Number o1 Accidents. Number oi f Sufferers. .Fatal. Serious. Killed. Seriously I Injured. Explosives Falls of ground Falling from face, or during ascent or descent Machinery Miscellaneous 1 1 i 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 Totals 2 4 2 4 The fatal accidents per 1,000 persons ordinarily employ of 1-23 deaths per 1,000 persons employed. During the previ killed. This may be regarded as a reasonably low proportio: ■ed at quar: !ous year tvties were 1 ro persons ;wo, being i also were a at the rate ccidentally n.