C.—2

Goal-cutting machines of the arc-wall type are in use in the solid workings in four of the Northern District collieries, and, for a few months, they were used for pillar-extraction also at one mine. Their use in Southern and West Coast mines has not extended, there being two in Southern, mines and one only in a West Coast colliery. Protector helmets, or " hard hats," as they are called, are now fairly extensively used in the Ohai Coalfield, but, although there are a few in use at Kaitangata and in some of the Grey and Waikato mines, I regret to state that most of our underground workmen still refrain from wearing them. Several of the head injuries which occurred during the year would, I am sure, have been avoided had the injured men been wearing hard hats. Beside the American-made hats, which have been on the market for some years, at least two English firms make hats of several shapes and designs, which can now be obtained in New Zealand. Those with soft rubber pads between the hat-band and the hard shell of the hat are the most comfortable to wear, but in some cases early deterioration of the rubber pads has been reported, thus rendering the hats unserviceable. Some 50,000 hard hats were manufactured in Great Britain in 1934 and supplied for use. To facilitate the introduction of protective equipment in Great Britain one of H.M. Junior Inspectors of Mines is undertaking that work for three years from Ist March, 1935. The cheaper hats available early in 1934 failed to give entire satisfaction, particularly in the warmer mines, but now that lighter and better-ventilated hats are available their use should become more general. For many years American miners have worn boots with specially strengthened toes and heels, gloves or mitts, and shin-guards, and the use of such protective equipment has made progress in Great Britain lately. Except for the rare case of a miner who in former years worked in American mines using gloves when at work, the use of hand and foot protection is practically unheard of in our New Zealand coal-mines. At the Denniston, Millerton, and Linton Collieries several sets of " Proto " self-contained breathingapparatus are kept. There is a small testing and practice chamber at Denniston near the brake-head, but no central rescue-station has been provided in any of our coal-mining districts. The need for one in the Grey District is again being considered. In the meantime, and owing to its isolated position, the Liverpool Colliery is being provided with five sets of " Proto " apparatus, with sufficient spares and accessories, and a Bullard-Davis inhalator. In Great Britain the electric cap safety-lamps used by the miners employed at the working-faces must, after nine hours' continuous burning, now emit a light of not less than 0-4 mean spherical candlepower. To comply with that requirement higher candle-power lamps have recently been designed by manufacturers, and lamps of that type have been ordered for use in New Zealand mines, and should arrive shortly. It is certain they will prove very popular with our miners, particularly those working in top-coal and pillar places in thick seams. As in other coal-producing countries, the hydrogenation of coal into fuel oil and motor-spirit is receiving much attention here. An able officer of the Dominion Laboratory was sent to England, and spent some months investigating the processes of hydrogenation and low-temperature carbonization. On his return to New Zealand the Committee on Coal Research and Utilization met and reported that the Billingham hydrogenation plant was still regarded as an experiment, and that it would be inadvisable to consider the erection of a similar plant in New Zealand for the present. They recommended, though, as the quantity of suitable coal in New Zealand is not yet definitely known, that an immediate survey of the coal resources of the Dominion be undertaken. The production from and the number of persons employed at the collieries of the Dominion are shown in the following table

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Total Ontmit fnr Totai Output to Number of Name of Colliery. Locality. Class of Coal. 31st December. Persons 1935. ordinarily employed. Northern District. Waro .. .. .. .. Hikurangi .. Sub-bituminous 22,859 22,859 80 Rotowaro .. .. .. Huntly .. Brown .. 156,698 2,147,157 265 Pukemiro .. .. .. „ .. „ .. 119,600 2,372,039 188 Wilton .. .. .. .. GlenMassey .. „ .. 93,391 397,718 161 GlenAfton .. .. .. Glen Afton .. „ .. 77,697 1,610,020 154 MacDonald .. .. .. Waikokowai .. „ .. 156,825 566,373 217 Renown .. .. .. „ •• „ 113,591 651,958 133 Egmont .. .. .. Tatu .. „ .. 20,760 27,460 40 West Coast District. Westport-Stoekton .. .. Ngakawau .. Bituminous .. 94,671 3,309,691 244 Charming Creek .. .. .. ,, .. ,, .. 24,639 77,563 32 Millerton ,. .. .. Mfflerton .. „ .. 51,458 8,337,823 82 Denniston .. .. .. Denniston .. „ .. 115,352 10,557,245 291 Cascade .. .. .. Cascade Creek ,, .. 20,011 129,677 23 Paparoa .. .. .. Roa .. Semi-bituminous 28,537 792,471 49 Blackball .. .. .. Blackball .. Bituminous .. 27,082 4,047,463 61 Blackball Creek .. .. .. „ .. „ 19,205 80,418 31 Liverpool (State) .. .. Rewanui .. ,, .. 124,015 2,698,068 304 James (State) .. .. .. Rapahoe .. Sub-bituminous 30,224 428,610 87 Dobson.. .. .. .. Dobson .. Bituminous .. 44,092 719,487 123 Brunner .. .. .. Wallsend .. ,, .. 42,541 570,660 j 99 Southern District. Kaitangata (2 collieries) .. .. Kaitangata .. Brown .. 108,542 5,323,748 I 265 Linton (2 collieries) .. .. Ohai .. „ .. 92,714 1,110,454 j 132 Wairaki (2 collieries) .. .. „ .. ,, .. 19,104 454,883 ! 34 Mossbank (2 collieries) .. .. ,, .. J ,, .. 48,512 508,974 ! 78 174 other collieries .. .. All coalfields .. Various .. 463,064 9,862,955 1,058 Collieries abandoned or suspended, &c. Various .. „ .. .. 27,031,552 j Totals .. .. .. .. j .. 2,115,184 83,837,326 4,231