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On the 17th February a miner named J. Meikle, employed in the Blackball Mine, had a bone in his leg fractured by a piece of coal falling from the face. He was pulling down a piece of coal from the face, and in stepping out of the way his trousers caught a projecting rail, and about 1 cwt. of coal struck him on the ankle. On the 26th February a miner named George Forbes met with an accident while putting stringers over a set. A fall of coal occurred while the operation was going on and caught Forbes on the arm and back. The arm was fractured and the back all bruised. On the 24tli May a miner named James Blanc had his forearm fractured while engaged at the coal-face in the Dob.son Mine. His mate was trimming the roof, and Blanc was leaning on his shovel, when a small piece of coal fell from the roof on his arm and fractured it. On the 15t.h October a miner named George Higham ignited a small quantity of gas in his working-place (a split in a pillar) in the Kruger section of the Ironbridge Mine of the Denniston Colliery. He was burnt on the arms and side of face. On the sth November a youth named Eric Hanstock tripped over a trailer and received a greenstick fracture of the small bone of the right forearm whilst coupling a set of trucks in the Deep Creek section of the Ironbridge Mine, Denniston Colliery. On the 12th November a miner named Frank Tinning sustained a simple fracture of the left leg by a fall of coal from his working-face in the Dobson Mine. Dangerous Occurrences under Regulation 94 (1). Dove's Mine, Seddonville.—On the 20th January the barrier between this mine and the old Cardiff collapsed and the fire entered Dove's Mine. Clay stoppings were erected and the fire controlled. Millerton Mine.—On the 10th June a serious fire was discovered in Evans section of the Millerton Mine. Steps were immediately taken to deal with it, as the fire was extending rapidly. Large volumes of flames were shooting to the surface through surface breaks, as the cover is shallow at this point. Several stoppings were burnt out in quick succession, the fire advancing in one instance a distance of 10 chains in two hours. By strenuous efforts all roadways leading to the fire were blocked with wood a.nd clay stoppings sixteen hours after the outbreak. The following sections comprise the fire area : Evans Pillar section (completely lost); Evans Daylight section (completely lost); Dutton's section (completely lost); No. 2 dip section (completely lost); No. 1 dip section (partly lost). As soon as the fire could be controlled arrangements were made to seal off the area with brick or concrete stoppings. Ironbridge Mine, Denniston Colliery.—On the 15th October an ignition of gas took place in a pillar in the Kruger pillar section of this mine, whereby a miner named George Higham received slight injuries to arms and face. Millerton Mine.—On the 25th December the fire broke over No. 15 stopping in the fifth west section of this mine. Stopping was repaired and fire checked same day. Prosecutions. On the 23rd February an underviewer was convicted and fined £1 and costs for using abusive language to a workman. The information was laid under Special Rule 57. On the 24th March a mino-manager was convicted and fined for employing an engine-driver who was not a duly certificated person in terms of section 31 (2) of the Coal-mines Act, 1908; also for failing to appoint one or more compotent persons to act as fireman-deputies of the mine in terms of Special Bule 22, Coal-mines Act, 1908. Fined £1 and costs in each instance. On the 24th March an engine-driver was convicted and fined because he acted in the capacity of engine-driver in charge of a winding-engine without the necessary certificate of competency in terms of section 31 (1) of the Coalmines Act, 1908. Fined £1 and costs. On the 12th July a mine-manager was convicted and fined £1 and costs because he failed to appoint a competent person to examine a safety-lamp required to be used in such mine, as required by section 97 (a) of the Coal-mines Act, 1925. On the 12th July an owner of a mine was fined £2 and costs because he provided a safety-lamp of a type for the time being not approved by the Minister of Mines to be used by a person in the course of his employment in such mine, as provided by section 96 of the Coal-mines Act, 1925. On the 12th July an acting-deputy was fined £1 and costs because he failed to make a full and accurate report as to the condition of the mine, as required by section 128 (1) of the Coal-mines Act, 1925. On the 12th July an acting-deputy was fined £1 and costs because he used in the course of his employment in such mine a safety-lamp, provided by the owner, of a type for the time being not approved by the Minister of Mines, as provided by section 96 of the Coal-mines Act, 1925. On the 12th July an acting-deputy was fined £1 and costs because he used a safety-lamp that had not, since last in use, been thoroughly examined at the surface by a competent person appointed by the manager for the purpose and found by him to be in safe working-order and securely locked, as provided by section 97 (a) of the Coal-mines Act, 1925. SOUTHERN INSPECTION DISTRICT (Mr. George Duggan, Inspector). Coat.-output. The output for the year, 463,974 tons, is a decrease of 27,222 tons compared with that of 1925. The increased use of electrical appliances for beating and cooking has resulted in reduced outputs from the Central Otago, South Otago, and some of the Southland mines. In Canterbury and North Otago there were slightly increased outputs, these increases being 339 tons for Canterbury and 1,158 tons for North Otago. The decreased outputs were: Central Otago, 652 tons; Southland, 7,181 tons; and South Otago," 20,886 tons. From the Jubilee Mine 4,778 tons less were produced than during 1925, and 5,665 tons less at the Taratu Mines. The decrease at the Kaitangata Mines was 9,585 tons, and owing to financial difficulties the New Zealand Coal and Oil Co.'s mines had to cease operations a week earlier than usual, the company being then unable to pay the wages due. Pumping and repair work has continued since, but coal-winning has not yet recommenced. Owing to labour troubles, which commenced about the middle of the year, the number of miners employed at the Black Diamond Mine was reduced from twenty to eight, and in consequence the output was reduced by 4,983 tons. Apart from this the year has been practically free from stoppage through labour troubles. The iignite-mines at Mataura show a decrease of 7,084 tons, whereas the mines of Ohai and Nightcaps produced 200,402 tons, as compared with 198,691 tons, an increase of 1,711 tons for the year. It is pleasing to report that most of the slack produced in the Ohai field is now being sold to various cement and gas works. Mount Torlesse Mine. —The main dip in the section opened out last year west of the old safety-lamp area met a large downthrow fault when about 5 chains from the entrance. The seams met in the main dip were almost perpendicular and very thin. A little thick coal was worked to the east, but the area of workable coal proved very small. Towards the end of the year only four places were being worked. One of these was near the fault met in the main dip, and the others were in the upper east levels. Sales were slow even during the winter months, as over 200 tons had to be stored for many weeks alongside the railway-line. The flood of Ist November did much damage to the surface haulage-road alongside the north bank of Broken River. About 2 chains of the formation was washed away near Stony Creek (near the foot of the endlessrope road), and another couple of chains of formation also further up the river. A large concrete block which was supporting the rails of the surface jig across the river was shifted and broken.