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APPENDIX 13. REPORTS RELATING TO THE INSPECTION OP COAL-MINES. The Inspecting Engineer of Mines to the Under-Secretary op Mines. Sir,— Wellington, 31st March, 1920. I have the honour to present my animal report, together with statistical information, in regard to coal-mines of the Dominion, for the year ended 31st December, 1919, in accordance with section 78 of the Coal-mines Act, 1908. The statistical tables here published arc in the same form as personally compiled by me and published in the Mines Statement and Year-book during the past fourteen years, likewise as supplied in advance by me by request to the Board of Trade and published by such Board without acknowledgment in its report on the Coal Industry, 1919. The report is divided into the following sections : — I. Output of Mineral. 11. Persons employed. 111. Accidents. IV. Working of the Coal-mines Act— (a.) Ventilation. (6.) Inflammable Gas and Safety-lamps, ((•-.) Systematic Timbering. (d.) Permitted Explosives. (c.) Crushing of Coal Pillars and Subaqueous Mining. (/.) Inspection of Old Workings. (g.) Mine Rescue Work. (h.) Electricity at Collieries. V. Legislation affecting Coal-mining. Annexures— A. Summary of Annual Reports by Inspectors of Mines. IS. Colliery Statistics.

SECTION I.—OUTPUT. The output of the several classes of coal mined in each inspection district is summarized as follows :—

Output of Coal during 1919. Ont.nnr. nf P.r Class of Coal. (Jutput Of (Jc oal c ~i during 1919. Total Output to the End of 1919. Northern Distriot. West Coast Distriot. Southern Distriot. Total. 3ituminous and semi-bitu-minous Tons. 115,390 Tons. 845,717 Tons. Tons. 961,107 Tons. 32,132,112 3rown... Liignite 393,841 2,220 109 290,381 200,190 684,331 202,410 15,164,488 2,744,088 Totals for 1919 ... 511,451 845,826 490,571 1,847,848 50,040,688 Totals for 1918 ... 549,778 997,089 487,383 2,034,250 48,192,840