37

C.—2

At Dobson Mine, on the 12th October, James Ford, aged 67 years, was injured by a fall of roof, and died from shock on the same day. Deceased was engaged taking out a lift of a pillar in the Mount Buckley section of the mine. The lift had been holed through to the level above and was in faulted ground. When stripping back the coal, deceased uncovered a greasy back. A fall took place, which swung the timber and struck deceased. At Millerton Mine, on the 23rd October, a miner named James White was killed by a fall of top coal. A narrow road had been driven through the corner of a pillar to get at the top coal inside, a triangular stump being left on the right-hand side for protection. The seam had a thickness of over 30 ft. Tops had been dropped ahead of the narrow place, and as the stump had crushed it was taken out. The rails were then lifted and laid along the continuation of the board, and top coal was being filled from the left-hand side. To the left of the road the roof was too high for timber, and the truckingroad was protected by one row of props on the low side. The place was very wide, the width being necessary to get the tops to fall. Just prior to the accident a shot had been fired, and deceased had thereafter returned to his place, and was engaged in filling a truck when a piece of top coal fell from overhead and injured him so seriously that he died almost immediately. SECTION IV.—WORKING OF THE COAL-MINES ACT. (a.) Permitted Explosives. (Regulations 241 to 245 inclusive.) The following is a table showing the quantity of permitted explosives used and the number of shots fired at New Zealand coal-mines during 1925 :—

Sixty-six per cent, of the coal produced in the Dominion during 1925 was broken down by permitted explosive, and the average production of coal per pound of explosive used was 3-8 tons and per shot fired 3-2 tons. ' (b.) List of Mines required by Law to use Permitted Explosives. The following is a list of mines as at the Ist December, 1925, required by law to use permitted explosives : — Northern Inspection District. Pukemiro Collieries, Pukemiro—throughout South Mine. Rotowaro Colliery, Rotowaro—throughout Nos. 1 and 3 Mines. Glen Afton Colliery, Glen Afton —All sections of the mine with the exception of A section. West Coast Inspection District. North Cape Mine. Ferndale-Timaru Coal Company's Mine. Puponga Mine. Sherwood (now Morrisvale) Mine (Morris and Westport-Stockton Mine. Learmont). Westport Coal Company's Mines. Paparoa Mine. J. T. Dove's Mine. Blackball Mine. Coal Creek Mine (McGuire and party). Armstrong and party's Mine. Cardiff Bridge Mine. Baddeley and party's Mine. Old Cardiff (Clay Pit). Boote and party's Mine. St. Helens Mine (McAllister and party). Dixon and party's Mine. Westport-Mokihinui Mine. Clark and party's Mine (Hillside). Chester and party's Mine. Duggan and party's Mine. Marris and Murray's Mine. Hunter and party's Mine. Ngakawau Mining Syndicate's Mine. Manderson and party's Mine. Whitecliffs Mine. Mclvor and party's Mine. Reefton Coal Company's Mine. Moody Creek Mine (Simpson and party). Phoenix and Venus Mine. Smith and party's Mine. Victory Mine (now. Caliope). Spark and party's Mine. Woodlands Mine. James Mine. Empire Mine. . Liverpool Collieries. Lankey's Creek Mine (Bolitho Bros.).

Quantity of Permitted ! AT , . Explosives used (lb.). | Number of Misfired Shots. — 11 ' AT r ® ® © r+H Number > > . >> C'g Inspection District. of « m Jj <u 6 Shots fired. ©> « gj? o -fi © Eo a>«<u m , , 915 a -g "g yo y g «w m Total. *3 o O P O © p. © O © -O M 0 * & g flB 1 fig flg §«« < m cc pq pq p-} <i< Northern (i.e., North Island) .. 79,103 .. .. 94,639 .. 184 32 216 217' n 389 West Coa,st (of South Island) .. 159,209 .. 68,155 255,045 43 352 145 540 949*957 Southern (i.e., Canterbury, Otago, 26,745 .. 25,096 78,159 .. 48 15 63 22s'o76 and Southland) Totals .. .. 265,057 .. 93,251 427.843 43 584 192 819 1.392.422