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several other brick stoppings be strengthened. This has been done. With the exception of this stop-work referred to, the work at the mine has gone on as usual during the year. Main headings are being extended into the newly leased south-east area, where the coal is good and the seam approximately 20 ft. thick. Waipa Collieries. —This mine has worked continuously throughout the year (day shift only). I have examined the colliery a number of times during the year. The roof clay overlying the coal-seam is friable and much jointed, requiring careful timbering. The timber is systematically set, but not braced or strutted. There does not appear to be any danger on that account, but occasionally the timber near the bord-face is shot out when the workmen are shooting off side coal at the tail end of their bord. Recently, owing to a workman, on returning to his working-place after firing shots, being struck on the arm and slightly injured by a fall of roof claystone loosened by the shooting-out of the timber near the face, I had to direct that the miners should not continue this dangerous practice. The endless-rope haulage-system has been installed from the ground-tram tail-rope terminus into the mine through a new stone drive, and this is a great improvement over the old system previously employed. There have been no additions to the mining machinery during the year. An up-to-date bath and change room has been erected and is now in use. There has been no new development-work undertaken for the opening-up and extending of the mining operations to any other part of the company's property. No. 2 mine has been closed, the pillar coal being exhausted. Waikato Extended Mine. —The mine is worked with only a few men. The coal is shipped to Hamilton and to places on the Waipa River. No special effort appears to be made to increase the output of coal from the mine. I have visited the mine several times during the year. lluntly Coal and Fireclay Mining Company. —The coal mined is from pillars left in by a former mining company many years ago. It has been found that the coal can be mined only by the opencut method, and, the overlying cover being soft clay, and at places from 12 ft. to 15 ft. thick, the cost of mining is high, and the only advantage in mining the coal is that the company can get a regular supply for their brickworks furnaces. The company do not sell the coal to the public, and the coal available for their own use is very limited, and may fail them in the near future. The fireclay quarry gives them sufficient clay of a good quality for their own use, and the supply appears to be sufficient for many years to come. The work at the mine and quarry has been carried on with great care for the safety of the workmen. Uunua Colliery. —This small mine is situated near Hunua Township and about eight miles east of Papakura. The coal-seam is 6 ft. thick, with a shale band of about 6 in. in the centre of the seam. The quality is slightly inferior to the Taupiri coal. There appears to be a large area of coal in the district, but, the quality being inferior to the Waikato coal, and the difficulty of constructing even a light railway being great, 1 do not anticipate that the coal-deposit will be worked on a large scale for many years. The coal from this mine is carried by motor-lorry to Papakura. Four men are employed at the colliery. Greencastle Colliery, Aria. —Early in the year I visited the mine and made a careful examination of the fault referred to in my previous report, and advised the owner with a view to the coal-seam being cut into beyond the fault. Later Mr. Morgan has informed me that he has cut into the coal beyond the fault, and it appears to be much harder and of a better quality. This coal-supply is a great boon to the settlers around the mine and to the butter-factory at Aria. There is a fair supply of timber for mining purposes close to the mine. Hikurangi Colliery. —The colliery is near Waro Station, about a mile north of Hikurangi. The Phoenix section of the mine lies under the southern end of the Waro lime-rock deposits which are of so much interest to travellers and geologists on account of the varied form of the rocks. The coal-seam is from 8 ft. to 10 ft. thick, but the area is not large. At the line of the Great North Road there is an upthrow fault-line. The first working has been completed up to the fault-line, and the pillar coal is now being worked. I believe there is sufficient pillar coal to last for two years at the present rate of working. Nos. 2 and 6 sections, also under the lime rocks : Both mines are working pillar coal, mining from the centre back toward their respective main entrances. Northern Company's Waro Rocks Section.- —The managing director, having recently arranged for an electrical mining plant, the engineers are preparing the foundations for the erection of such machinery. It is intended to utilize electrical power for haulage, pumping, &c. It will take some time before the mine can be unwatered and cleaned up so that coal-mining may be resumed. Northern Company's Tauronga Section. —This mine is worked on contract by a small party of miners. The coal-seam is 4 ft. thick, containing a band of stone. The contract let to the miners in this case is more to the advantage of the coal company than to the miners. The minemanager is in the employ of the mining company and is a careful, capable man. Four men are employed. Foot and Doel's Crown Lease (Section 4, Block XVI, Hikurangi Survey District). —Silverdale Mine : The mine on part Section 2, Block XVI, having been worked out, these men applied for a lease to mine coal on Section 4, Block XVI, and have opened a mine there. The coal-seam is about 5 ft. thick, but is intersected with a band of fireclay, which is in some places from 6 in. to 15 in. thick. They are working very carefully and doing good work. The coal is sent by motorlorry to Hikurangi Railway-station, where it is loaded into trucks and sent where required. The County Council and Town JJoard are levying a tax on these miners for damage to the roads. Kerr and Wyatt's Crown Lease (Section 39, N.E. Block XVI). —These men have done good work in locating and mining some coal left in by a former coal-mining company. In prospecting they found a small area not previously mined. The coal was very thin, but they are now working it. Previously they sold their coal to the Hikurangi Company, but the price paid for it was not enough to meet the expenses of mining the thin coal, and now they are taking their coal to