C.—2.

Austin*B Gtaystone Mine, Sheffield. —The pillars are now being worked back on the south side of the main dip haulage-road. The main dip is stopped, as also are the places on the north side, as the claystone pinched out there. Homebush Mine.—Development has proceeded in the engine seam area, and the main dip, driven at a grade of 1 in 3, is now down 7 chains. Owing to the large inflow of water caused by the heavy rains of November the dip was temporarily stopped. In the bottom north level the coal thinned slightly, but it is of very good quality. All the south places met faulty coal when only a few yards in from the dip, so they were stopped. The upper north level met an old drive in former workings. As this place is connected to an old air-shaft the natural ventilation was considerably improved. A new surface jig was made, giving a more direct route to the main surface tramway. Work was resumed towards the end of the year in the claystone drive, and two miners are now employed there. Bush Gully Mine.—The 3 ft. seam having thinned and the middle stone thickening, the pillars are now being extracted in this small mine. Another level is being driven which will give another line of pillars below those now being worked back. St. Helens (Whitecliffs) Mine. —A new dip, 6 ft. by 5 ft., was driven south of the section which had to be sealed off last year owing to an underground fire. This dip is now down 3 chains at a grade of lin 3, and is close-timbered owing to the very heavy country met. At the present face the miners holed into an old level which was full of black-damp. Steventon Valley Mine. —Two miners commenced operations on a small area north of the St. Helens Mine. A level has been driven to the south-east, and when 80 yards in it pierced a seam 7 ft. thick dipping almost due south. A few places have been driven on the east side, but they met old workings when about a chain in. On the west side a downthrow fault was struck only 10 yards from the level. The miners intend driving another level from the surface on the west or downthrow side of the fault. They anticipate getting a fair area of workable coal in that direction. Glearview Mine. — Owing to the short distance between the large fault met in the main level and the known break in the hill ahead no attempt has been made to cross the fault. The first working of the rise coal will soon be completed. Three places are now being worked off the last inbye incline. Two of these were in very soft coal, but that in the third one was clean and hard. A considerable area of coal should exist to the dip of the main level. Haulage and pumping gear would have to be purchased before it could be worked. Tripp's Mine.— orJone" pillar and some top coal above the main haulage-road the lower workings of this mine are finished. A drive has been put in about half a chain from the opencast area where the upper part of the seam was formerly worked. The new drive, commenced last year, did not reach the seam. It was flooded by heavy rains early in the year and has not been unwatered since. Burnwell Mine.—There was no output during the year from this mine. Towards the end of the year preparations were made for working the silica sand on the area. Albury Mine. —The mine-fire has been well cut off on the north side from encroaching upon the traffic road. A cutting 22 yards long was made, and continued as a tunnel through the clay overburden to the bottom of the middle seam. The owner continued working the coal west of this tunnel, but the fire worked around behind him in the middle seam, and it is still active there. He had to abandon trenching, and has since broken away a place to the west, out of the tunnel, and about 15 ft. from the fire. This place is in the top seam with about 19 ft. of coal below it, and he intends picking up the middle seam and pumping water from a creek to check the fire while he is doing so. The fire is about a dozen yards from the traffic road, and it may manage to cross to the road in the unworked coal to the south. WoodbanJc Mine. —There was no output during the year from this small pit. Allanholme Mine. —Two men have been employed throughout the year in the east level area, where the coal continues of good quality. The proposed new main dip haulage-road has not been commenced, evidently owing to lack of funds. Bellemore Mine. —Miners were engaged, who drove 100 ft. into the faulted ground north of the main level, but without success in meeting any coal. Numerous small drives were put in and shafts sunk north and south of the creek, but all efforts proved futile. The small area first worked appears to have contained all the coal in the locality. Ngapara Mine. —Three levels are still being driven to the north, and the places regularly undermined by handlabour. A plan of the airway is now posted at the mine-entrance. Shag Point Mine. —This mine was again flooded during May, and owing to a large slip the new haulage-road collapsed. The level which was driven to the south-west met a downthrow fault of 6 ft? displacement. Another level was driven below, and a few of the pillars have been extracted. The electric power has been extended to the mine, and the underground pump is now driven by a 5 horse-power three-phase 400-volt motor. Another motor has been ordered, of 7-g- horse-power, to drive the haulage-engine. Work is now confined to driving the dip which is going towards the seashore. Shag Point Goal-mining Go.'s Mine. —During the early part of the year most of the output was obtained from places east and west of the long crosscut. In the middle section places were worked in coal 7 ft. thick, but split up by a stone band, 18 in. thick, in the centre. This stone thickens, leaving about 3 ft. of coal, which will probably continue to the old Allandale workings, only about 8 chains ahead. Off the top west level one place was worked in coal 3 ft. 9 in. thick. East of the long crosscut the coal rapidly thinned to less than 18 in. thick. Near the bottom of the main haulage-road a new dip has been driven almost due north a distance of chains. The coal is of very good quality, but is only 3 ft, thick, with a very tender roof. The face of the dip is about 15 chains from high-water mark. Pillars were worked during the year both east and west of the long crosscut. Many " safety first " notices (painted on sheet iron) are now posted at the tunnel-entrance and at the bottom of the main dip. A good deal of attention has been paid to these notices by the workmen, with beneficial results. Gimmerburn Pit.—No coal having been produced for some time, the lease was determined in November. Rough Ridge Pit.—There was no output during the year from this opencast pit. Idaburn Pit. —The output has again decreased, and is now about half of that produced two years ago. Alexandra Mine.—Pillaring was continued during the year, three men being employed. Near the bottom of the crosscut the goaf showed pronounced signs of heating in August, and two stoppings had to be immediately put in. Early in October the timber of the air-shaft gave way and the top portion fell owing to a large inflow of water down the shaft. A water-race, constructed by the Public Works Department, crosses the gully about 60 chains north of the shaft and at a considerably higher altitude. This race was completed three years ago, but no trouble was experienced at the mine until the inflow which caused the collapse of the shaft. It is claimed the inflow was caused by seepage from the race. After completing repairs to the air-shaft a narrow crosscut was driven about 5 chains down from surface and towards the return airway. The heated area mentioned above is now well under water. Mcpherson's Pit. —Three hydraulic jets are now used for stripping away the heavy overburden, which in places is 60 ft. thick. One of the jets is directed on to the old mine-fire, which is rapidly being cut off; there is now no trace of it near the traffic road. There is workable coal under Washpool Creek, which flows across the western side of the lease, but permission would have to be obtained to divert the creek before the underlying coal could be mined. Water from this creek is used for irrigation purposes. Shepherd's Greek Mine. —The pillars in the old mine are almost exhausted. A new drive was started about 7 chains south of the pillar section. This drive, going almost due west, commenced as a level, but is now dipping at a grade of lin 7. The coal, 8 ft. to 9 ft. thick, containing two thin seams of clay, has been reached. This drive will command about 7 acres of unworked coal between the two sections of old workings. Gardrona Pit.—No coal was produced during the year. Nevis Grossing Pit. —The customary output was maintained from this small pit, used for local requirements. Doolan's Greek Mine } near Gibbston.—A few tons were mined early in the year, but owing to the cost of haulage over the mountain by drays it became unprofitable to continue working.

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