67

C—2

Linton Coal-mine, Nightcaps. —An opencast working on the Coal Reserve. Operations resumed, and tram-line laid to the Wairio Branch Railway line extension. Diamond Lignite-mine, Seaward Bush. —Opencast working continued on a moderate scale. Orepuki Coal-mine, Orepuki. —Dip drive at 358 ft. at face, where a fault was met. Four levels were being driven on either side of the dip, one being in a distance of 100 ft. The coalseam was worked 7 ft. in height and overlain by a seam of shale 9 in. in thickness. Lynwood Coal-mine, Te Anau. —Worked opencast for supply of fuel to the steam-launch on Lake Te Anau, the property of the Tourist Department of New Zealand. Southport Goal-mine, Preservation Inlet. —Not at work, owing to various causes, as stated by the acting secretary to the company, among which post-war conditions, influenza epidemic, and labour shortage are enumerated. Fatal Accidents. Kaitangata No. 1 Mine, Kaitangata. —Bth July, 1918: A. E. Hawkins, 37, miner—compound fracture of right tibia and bruised chest by fall of coal and timber from roof while repairing. Deceased died in Dunedin Hospital on the Bth May, 1919, ten months after the accident, from which he never properly recovered. Cause of death, blood-poisoning, the outcome of the accident. Bth November, 1919: Robert Grundy, 38, miner—leg fractured and body crushed by fall of coal from lip of roof in a pillar place while filling a box of coal. Kaitangata No. 2 Mine. —31st January, 1919 : Archibald Weir, 41, trucker—severely injured pelvic region; caught by ventilating-brattice and crushed against roof while riding on a rake of boxes. Black Diamond Mine, Nightcaps. —sth May, 1919 : Thomas Blight, 36, miner—injuries to back and groin region; struck by fall of stone from roof while filling a box of coal ai face Deceased died in Riverton Hospital on the 7th August, 1919, three months after the accident occurred. Homebush Mine, Glentunnel. —4th August, 1919 : John Peuiuan, 39, miner—-killed by fall of stone from roof of trucking-road which he was travelling at the time accident occurred. Brighton Coal-mine, Dunedin. —26th August, 1919: Robert W. Smith, 53, miner—fracture of skull by fall of stone from low roof while filling a box of coal at working-face. Serious Non-fatal Accidents. Shay Point Mining Company's Mine. —l7th April, 1919: ('. Mauderson, miner—injury to eye, corneal ulcer; struck by piece of coal flying from working-face; 106 days off work. Kaitangata No. 2 Mine. —7th May, 1919: lan Marshall, 16, engineer apprentice—injury to eye; eye out by piece of flying steel while riveting, causing subsequent removal of eye; forty-four days off work. Shag Point Colliery. —9th December, 1919 : Charles Cook, miner—by the fall of a small piece of stone suffered fracture of small bones in the wrist; off work seventy-one days. Coal-miners' Relief Fund. A total of 153 accidents was reported to me during the year, mostly in connection with the Coal-miners' Relief Fund, of which seven claims were not prosecuted or disallowed, leaving 146 eases of workmen injured by accidents met with in and about coal-mines. The following is an abstract of accidents:— Above Below Ground. Ground. Fatal accidents ... ... ... ... ... 6 Non-fatal (serious and severe) ... ... ... 2 Non-fatal (ordinary) ... ... ... ... ... 20 126 Totals ... ... ... ... ... 20 134 Eye accidents from various causes comprised twenty-one of the accidents reported. Of these fourteen cases occurred at Kaitangata Mines, two at Shag Point, and one each at Homebush Waronui, Taratu, Green's, and Nightcaps Mines. Prosecutions. With respect to the death of John Penman, miner, at Homebush Mine, Glentunnel. on the 4th August, the Homebush Coal Company as owners, I he mine-manager (David Kane), and fireman and deputy (Thomas Burt) were subsequently charged with having committed breaches of the Coal-mines Act, 1908. Kane and Burt were each fined .£5 Is. and costs, and the company was fined £2 and costs, for negligence under section 59 of the Coal-mines Act, 1908, and for contravention of section 40, subsection (9), of the Act, the Magistrate holding that the drive had not been made safe for the persons employed therein. In regard to the fatality at Brighton Mine, Dunedin, where Robert William Smith was killed on the 26th August, the mine-manager, David McNeill, was prosecuted and fined £5 and costs for failure to withdraw the workman from an unsafe working-place, as required by Special Rule No. 21 of the Coal-mines Act, 1908. further proceedings were taken against D. McNeill for inquiry into the matter of his certificate (2nd class) under section 7 of the Coal-mines Amendment Act, 1914, when the Court, consisting of the Stipendiary Magistrate and two assessors, declared the certificate suspended for a period of seven days.