C.—2

The following is a table showing the number of quarries under the Stone-quarries Act, also the number of persons ordinarily employed thereat, and the annual output and value of crude stone during 1935 : —

There were 184 more men employed than during the previous year, with an increase in the value of the stone produced of £27,637. Quarry Accidents. The following is a summary of serious accidents during 1935 at quarries under the Stone-quarries Act: —

An account of the four fatal accident's at stone-quarries during 1935 follows There were no fatalities at any of the South Island Quarries, but four fatal accidents occurred at North Island Quarries during 1935. On 22nd January three men were shovelling waterworn stones and clay into a lorry which was backed in a cutting 9 ft. high and 10 ft. wide at the Waikato Council's Maramarua Quarry. A fall occurred from the face 6 ft. ahead and struck one of the workmen. He was killed instantly, his spine and almost every rib being fractured. The other two men avoided the fall by stepping back along the sides of the lorry. On 12th March another fatality of a similar nature occurred at an old quarry at Kiore. Three men had gone in with a lorry which was backed to within 7 ft. of the face. While discussing what material they would fill into the lorry a fall occurred and struck the centrally situated man who was standing behind the lorry. The other men got clear of the fall. The seriously injured man was conveyed to the Stratford Hospital, where he died of his injuries the next day. On 4th June a quarryman was struck by a fall of clay from about 40 ft. up a very high face of shell rock and clay at the Kaiwhaiki Quarry, Wanganui. He died within half an hour of the accident. About a month later the manager of the quarry and another man who had been,relieving manager for a few weeks previously were charged with breaches of the Stone Quarries Kegulations. The first defendant was convicted and ordered to pay costs, while the information against the second defendant was dismissed. The Magistrate remarked, however, that, although proceedings had been laid in respect to the fatality, there was no direct personal responsibility for that accident to be imputed to the first defendant from the fact of the conviction of a breach of the regulations. The evidence showed that the deceased and another man had gone to the place of danger, which was not then being worked, after having been ordered by the first defendant to leave the place. On 10th Jxdy a quarry-worker was killed by being crushed between a moving railway truck and the side of a hopper or bin built near the railway-line. There was only 6 in. of clearance between the truck and the side wall of the bin. Such an accident shows the need of an addition to the regulations under the Stone Quarries Act debarring the erection of any building within 5§ ft. from the centre-line of the nearest line of rails.

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SPS Sua Output of Stone. .3+3 o £ ! ; :—— r S & £-2 *g ā*; ! ■ i - § -2 «§ S <§ &•§ h a l-l s 1 §» g . . b i, • ■ i Name and Address of a ca "£ c 22 2 m +»2 2 a Dist'S Government Inspector of -g o£ |g g g£ 0 ° *3 o § Stone-quarries. a | g g| g 03 4r ~* m H CO V £3 ■§§€. ■§« S?m SO 3 3 SS alg o& g g Is §S s §* =13 --5S x:«i 8 I ■I S : i 1 " 0 ■! H_ « na j hi ph t> Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. £ Auckland .. B,. H. Schoen, Mines.. 205 1,042 621,074 1,000 800 80,892 126,356 .. 32,000 133,045 Dept., Huntly E. J. Scoble, Mines 14 89 52,509 .. 966 15,104 Dept., Waihi (Hauraki Mining District only) Hawke's Bay R. H. Schoen, Mines 19 93 32,877 .. .. 26,080 8,417 Dept., Huntly Taranaki .. Ditto .. •• 12 69 13,733 .. ■■ •• 1,174 Wellington.. „ .. .. 43 193 88,997 6,976 .. 8,022 .. .. 6,120 18,758 Nelson .. ] Q . W . Lowes, Mines 20 124 39,374 11,513 .. 6,820 22,314 .. 17,800 16,211 Westland , „ Keefto „ Marlborough J Canterbury.. "]x. McMillan, Mines 45 392 136,882 50,868 24,400 166,745 34,274 .. .. 96,565 o fi°i j f Dept., Dunedin Southland .. J Totals, 1935 .. 358 2,002 985,446 70,357 26,166 288,559 182,944 .. 55,920 289,274 Totals, 1934 .. 327 1,818 741,428 67,241 31,500 261,940 168,662 .. 15,014 261,637

Number of Accidents. Nuinber of Sufferers Cause. ' —; ; _ , Fatal. Serious. Killed. J injured? Haulage ■ ■ • ■ • ■ • • • • • • ■ ■ 1 ' ' Machinery .. .. • • • • ■ ■ • • ■ ■ j 1 A Explosives .. . • • • ■ • • • • • • • ! 2 •• ..J jj Falls of ground . . . . . . • • • ■ • ■ 3 2 \ a Miscellaneous .. .. ■■ •• • • ' Totals .. .. •• •• 10 4 j 10