C.—2

31

Matthew K. Hillhouse was killed on the 19th July, 1916, at the Talisman Mine by fallingdown an inclined shaft at the top of which he was working. Thomas F. Rowney was killed on the 11th August, 1916, at the Waihi Mine by a fall of ground in a stope. John. Mcintosh was killed on the 13th October, 1916, at the Waihi Mine by the criminally mischievous act of a person who put a, rail into a shaft in which deceased was being lowered in a cage, the rail knocking him out of the cage. Full details of these fatal accidents are contained in the tabulated remarks of the Inspecting Engineer. Non-fatal Accidents. H. Wroe : On the 17th July, Waihi Mine, Wroe was engaged blasting two boulders, using fuses 3 ft, 6 in. in length. Only one explosion took place. Wroe states that he waited twenty to thirty minutes, and on going back to relight the unexploded charge he reached a point a few feet from the boulder when it went off, peppering him in the legs with small, grit. Alfred Waite : On the 28th September, Waihi Mine, in a stope on the Martha lode, Waite and his brother were working down the loose ground when about half a ton of rubbly quartz suddenly came away, striking A. Waite on. the head and shoulders, injuring his back. Stope not more than 5 ft. in height where the accident occurred. William Strongman (Hauraki Reefs Mine, Coromandel) : On the 31st March, 1916, Strongman was engaged gadding a piece of reef down when a lump came away from the hanging-wall, breaking his right leg above the ankle. Alfred Briggs (New Zealand Crown Mines, Karangahake) : On the 25th July, 1916, Briggs, engaged tributing in (bis mine, went down to repair a pass by means of a rope; his candle went out, and when he got to the end of the rope, thinking himself only a few feet from the bottom, he let go and fell 20 ft, He suffered severe bruises about the body and legs, but escaped serious injury. There were numerous minor accidents during the year, but those quoted are the most serious. Cinnabar-mining. The following reference to the Whangarei. Cinnabar-mining Company is from the report of Mr. Boyd Bennie, Inspector of Mines :— During the whole of the year the mine of the Whangarei. Cinnabar-mining Company has been worked with from four- to six men. The main reef has been driven on for some length. The lode dips at an angle of about 10° north, is from 3 ft. to 4 ft, wide, and at one place there is a pipe formation or thickening of the lode where good assay values have been obtained. Three drives have cut into the lode, and samples of ore taken by me and assayed at the Dominion Laboratory gave very satisfactory percentages of mercury. I found the mining carried on in a satisfactory manner. The treatment-furnace, &c, erected some time past was found" to be unsatisfactory and the manager discontinued its use. The directors are making inquiries as to the best treatment plant and the probable cost; in. the meantime mining is carried on with a limited staff, and is mainly in the nature of prospecting the extent and value of the ore-deposit, Collins Bros, are preparing to work an alluvial flat for cinnabar-ore north-east of the Whangarei. Cinnabar-mining Company's claim. Dish prospects of fine ground cinnabar- from the washed dirt are very encouraging, but there cannot be a great area of deposit, Sufficient water is available to drive a primitive pug mill and for washing purposes. I could find no trace of any other mining being done by other claim-holders in the district, Marlborough, Nelson, and West Coast Inspection District. (Mr. T. O. Bishop, Inspector of Mines.) Quartz-mining. MARLBOROUGH. Dominion Consolidated Mining a.nd Development Company (Limited). —Work has been steadily carried on at this company's mine throughout the year, but the returns of both gold and scheelite show a considerable falling-off as compared with those for 1915. Development of the mine has not opened up any further supplies of ore, and nothing of value has yet been found in the bottom level. A surface tramway about one mile and a half in length is being constructed round the hillside to the south of the present mine to enable stone from the Golden, Bar old levels to be conveyed to the mill. There is a fairly large ore-body in these levels, but the grade appears to be low, and there is some doubt as to its being payable. Deep Greek Gold-mining Syndicate has carried on prospecting-work during the year. Numerous outcrops of quartz have been found and have been tested by trenching and driving. Most of these appear to cut out very quickly in depth, and in nearly all of them values are very low. On the north side of Deep Creek there is one reef from 3 ft. to 5 ft. thick which shows gold, and this is being driven on at present, In some of the outcrops there are traces of scheelite, but so far I have seen nothing which would warrant the erection of even, a small battery. Alford and Party (Mountain Camp). —This party has discovered a small scheelite-bearing lode, and is at present driving a crosscut to intersect it about 80 ft, below the outcrop. Tlie country is very hard and flat, and it would have been much better prospecting to have sunk on the reef first. Ultimate results are doubtful. There has been a little prospecting for scheelite at Top Valley during the year, but no defined lode has been found. There is no other quartzmining in Marlborough.