C—2

23

VI. STONE-QUARRIES. (1.) Quakry Inspection and Statistics. The operations of the Stone-quarries Act are confined to those places (excluding mines) where stone is quarried or tunnelled by means of explosives, and to those places where the rock-face is more than 20 ft. deep. It will thus be seen that an important section of the quarrying industry, including the Oamaru limestone-quarries and those at which high faces are worked without explosives, likewise all Government quarries, do not come under the operations of the Act, which is unfortunate from the viewpoint of safety or the collection of statistics. In the Stone-quarries Act or Regulations no provision has been made for annual returns of quarrying statistics, such as is provided in the Coal-mines and Mining Acts, for the annual returns of output and other particulars necessary for the compilation of statistics. Under these circumstances the Quarry Inspectors are dependent upon the generosity of quarry owners or managers for any statistical information which is required for official use. The table accompanying this report, containing the number of quarries, the number of persons employed, also the output, must therefore be regarded as approximate only. From the information available, however, it will be seen that the quarrying industry is rapidly growing to considerable importance. The production of 247 stone-quarries which are under the operation of the Act amounted to 840,426 tons. At these quarries 1,453 persons were employed. The production of limestone for agriculture and cement-manufacture amounted to 123,314- tons. A decline occurred in the quantity of stone used upon harbour-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 during 1918.

Further particulars regarding the inspection of stone-quarries in the North Island, are contained in the annual report by Inspector James Newton, appearing in Annexure B accompanying this report. (2.) Quarry Accidents. The following is a summary of persons killed or seriously injured during 1918 at stone-quarries and places within the operation of the Stone-quarries Act: —

Provincial District. anas as • s 3 h >r§ Name and Address of Government Inspector of "g fttone-qimrriCB. « I'L S so acy-t, 'A O 4. — — ffi & "J» 1-6 at'5 a s At ll M gig a u" a c i S£ 3 ffl Sb »|g 5* CIS Olltpn 1 be a '3 M it of Orudi o u 9 wi ■ Stone. i- < ■So SB 03 I: 2S . S T- -H ■2 3 J FF 2 & ff ss f?i Si *s «jj J3 -t! .6 § S Pf N a! Auckland .. Hawke's Bay Taranaki Wellington .. Q r e y m o u t h and Westport Nelson Westland f Canterbury \ Otago L Southland ) .lames Newton, Mines Dept., 100 Auckland M. Paul, Mines Dept., Waihi I 11 (Hauraki Mining District only) .lames Newton, Mines Dept., j 11 Auckland Ditto .. .. .. 15 ..60 (J. Duggan, Mines Dept., [ 2 Greymouth .'J. F. Downey, Mines Dept., j J 4 Reefton j \ 1 E. R. Green and A. Whitley, i „„ Mines Dept., Dunedin j - I l Tons. Tons. Tons. , Tons. 651 ;322,92l \ 8,505 Tons. 2,578 Tons. I Tons. Tons, 250 115,420 Tons, 71 j 39,904 : 735 I 65 I 18,215 16,000 60 j 38,237 147 ! 59,773 12,605 15 ' .. 15,369 4,001 .. ' 112 | 400 15| •• 98 65,993 33,602 161 56,430 7,980 48 j 9,296 12,000 653 23,494 400 4,428 1,642 56,748 11,371 5,000 4,980 86,807 36,507 Is.OOO 69,861 154,717 5,050 ! 231 '.'. 437 2,500 5,749 i '' "* 2,500 6,186 .. 3,124 Totals 1918 Totals 1917 247 151 247 151 1,453 kill,169 90,061 1,000 620,261 180,161 4,197 6,409

Cause of Accident. Explosives Falls of ground Falling from face, or during ascent or descent Miscellaneous Number of Accidents. Number oi Fatal. Serious. Killed. 1 2 2 2 Seriously Injured. Sufferers. 2 2 Totals ..2 3 2 i _