G.—±

Kaitangata No. 2 Mine.—ln the No. 1 dip section the pillars near the bottom are being extracted, and levels are proceeding to the north from higher up the dip. Pillaring is also being done in the 6 ft. seam area in No. 1 dip. In No. 5 (McMillan's dip) section the bottom level, going south, entered soft and faulted coal when about 10 chains in, so pillar-extraction has been commenced there. To permit of the upper pillars being worked a crosscut was driven, commencing from the main stone drive and connecting with McMillan's dip at the bottom near the fault. Pillars are also being extracted to the rise off the main south level. In the No. 4a seam workings the coal thinned in the drive which will connect with the No. 1 Mine. Three lower places are in better coal; the bottom one shows 7 ft., and the others 5 ft. It is anticipated that the connecting-drive will have workable coal to the dip, which will be tested when the connection has been made. Castle Hill Mine. —No coal, except a few tons for boiler purposes, was produced from this mine during the year. Benhar Mine.—The main dip went through a 3 ft. downthrow fault, then an upthrow of 7 ft. The coal was full of clay backs. Another large downthrow fault was met, and the dip was then stopped. As reported elsewhere, a fire occurred in a section on the south side of the dip. Good substantial brick stoppings with buttresses were built around this extensive heated area. In the bottom north level a band of conglomerate is showing 3 ft. from the floor. In the upper places the conglomerate is not found, but many clay backs are met. Should it be decided to again extend the dip a more powerful haulage-engine would be required. Whiterig Mine. —The places were being driven too wide, so the manager was instructed that they were not in future to exceed 18 ft. in width. A later inspection showed that the instruction was being complied with and the mine in better working-order. Green'.? Mine. —The levels to the south have been continued, but no work was done in the main dip. Another boiler was recently purchased and installed in a concrete seating near the mine-entrance. A concrete tank of 2,000 gallons capacity has also been made nearby. Springfield Pit. —A small opencast pit worked for local requirements. Olenlee Mine.—The top level was stopped and fenced off. The two other levels were continued, and the upper one driven into broken ground of old workings. No further work has been done in the dip. Ramsay's Pit. —Stripping has been continued, and the customary output maintained. Landslip Pit.—Very little work was done at this opencast-pit during the year. Argyle Pit.—The output has lately been obtained from the south-east side of the pit. Above the lignite is a seam of hard clay 18 in. to 24 in. thick. This cannot be removed by the hydraulic nozzle, so it has to be carted from the pit. The lignite is dipping to the south-east, and there is only 5 ft. now showing at the face. Melver's Pit. —Only a few tons worked for own use. Terrace Mine, Kingston Grossing.—The level on the west side has been driven past the old fallen ground, and places off this level have connected with the old workings on the east side. Princhester Creek Pit.—The overburden is from 15 ft. to 20 ft. in thickness. Two seams are being worked; the lower, from 4 ft. to 5 ft. in thickness, appears to be identical with the middle seam of the Ohai Coalfield. It is here overlain by the " Rosin seam "of from oft. to 6ft. in thickness. The seams dip steeply to the north-east, but this appears to be due to a fault, as the general dip is to the south. Boghead Mine. —Formerly an opencast pit, but, as the overburden became too thick for stripping, a couple of short dips have been driven to the north and level places broken away from them. Owing to the large quantity of water made the No. 1 dip is now stopped. The No. 2 dip is down about 200 ft., and two levels have been broken away both on the west and east sides. Mataura Lignite Mine.—The dip has been driven a few yards lately, but development has principally been to the east and west. As the western boundary is now only 5 chains from the dip and the eastern boundary G chains, to keep up the output the dip must be extended without further delay. Ota Creek Pit.—The small output from this opencast pit has again fallen, being 45 tons less than that of 1924. Clarke's (Wyndham) Pit.—The stripping is well ahead of the face of lignite. The output from this pit also shows a small decrease. Diamond Lignite Pit. —An opencast pit, seventeen miles from Invercargill, from which 1,386 tons were produced during the year. Broomhill Mine (late Wattle). —This mine, now owned by two miners, is rapidly approaching exhaustion. They are how working the pillars alongside the dip and have already retreated 3 chains. They expect the remaining pillars to provide another year's output. Black Diamond Mine. —The dip is now down 20 chains. At the bottom of the dip a large fault, apparently a downthrow, was met. As the greywacke country is known to be not far ahead no attempt will be made to extend the dip any further. Several of the levels on the south side of the dip have since reached this fault. The places going north-east and north-west are rising rapidly. The pillars now being formed are much larger than the former ones, in compliance with a requisition from the Mines Department. A 49 in. double-inlet Keith-Blackmail ventilating fan, 35 in. wide, capable of passing 50,000 cubic feet per minute, with a 1 in. W.G., has been installed ill a concrete casing. The fan is properly equipped with means for air-reversal. An Ingersoll-Rand two-stage air-compressor is now running in the power-house, and is giving every satisfaction. It is capable of compressing 940 cubic feet of free air per minute to a pressure of 1101b. per square inch. A substantial bathhouse, chiefly of concrete, is being erected. Three walls and the cubicles are of concrete to a height of 7 ft. The fourth wall will be of C.G. iron, so as to be easily removed should the building later on need enlarging. New Brighton Mine. —After several underground fires, sometimes accompanied by explosion, had occurred it was finally decided in December to fill the mine with water, and the management was instructed not to pump it out for at least three months. They have since sold most of the colliery plant, and have given up the lease of the WairioMoretown Railway, which they acquired from the Ohai Railway Board early in the year. A small section at a higher altitude and south of the main mine was worked during the year. The coal was from 3 ft. to 4 ft. thick, and for a while was of good quality, but later it became soft and stony, so work was abandoned. Wairio Mine. —The section opened during 1924 proved very disappointing, as the coal became too thin for profitable working. The few pillars were extracted, and the mine ceased production in July. Near the end of the year another section of workings was commenced further to the north-west and approaching the Mossbank No. 2 mine-workings. Two low narrow drives have been put into the hillside about 10 chains south of the Ohai traffic-road. The west one met a large upthrow fault when only 40 ft. in. The east drive is in 90 ft. The coal is only about 3 ft. thick, and is now dipping. The outlook for the mine does not appear very promising. Mossbank No. 2 Mine.—Tho fire in the old heated area eventually reached the fan-house on the 7th Juno and destroyed it. The available pillars were exhausted, and work ceased in December. Mossbank No. 1 Mine (New). —The upper-seam workings entered very dirty coal, and were stopped in August. The level going east in the lower seam is a continuation of the main dip. It is now in over 10 chains in coal containing many clay backs. The remainder of the present working-places are all north of this level. Many of them are in good coal, but its value is lowered through the clay from the " backs " falling amongst the coal. Most of the workings are damp. Wairaki No. 1 Mine.— During the year the main dip going south-west has been extended over 6 chains, and is now 28 chains in length. The face of tho dip is now only 4 chains from the most northerly street in Ohai Township. This company's southern boundary is only 2|'chain's beyond this street. The places on the east side in No. 2 section are very stony, but those in No. 4 section are fairly clean. An upthrow fault of about 3 ft. displacement was crossed in the bottom level of No. 4 section about 4 chains from the main dip. Development is also proceeding on the west side in fairly clean coal. This company recently purchased a 49 in. double-inlet Sirocco ventilating-fan from the New Brighton Coal Company, and an excavation is being mado for the masonry casing in which moans will bo provided for reversal of the air-current. Another multitubular boiler has also been purchased, and is being placed in position, near the mine-mouth. An excavation for a bathhouse lias been made nearby. Wairaki No. 2 Mine.—The coal at the face of the level going north became very stony, so it was decided to split the pillars under the swamp, as it would be unsafe to attempt their complote extraction. This work has proceeded apace since May. The pillars in the higher levels will later on be extracted in lifts.

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