C.—2.

In the Grey District a central rescue-station is to be equipped with sets of self-contained breathingapparatus and resuscitators, and coal-miners are to be instructed in their use. As there is no traffic road to the Liverpool Colliery a small subsidiary rescue-station has been equipped at Rewanui and, with the five sets of Proto apparatus provided, twenty miners have already been trained to work underground while wearing the apparatus. Samsonite No. 3, one of the permitted explosives most generally used in New Zealand coal-mines, was superseded during the year by an explosive of the non-freezing type. It is called Polar Samsonite', and is manufactured at Deer Park, Melbourne, as well as in Scotland. Another of the non-freezing permitted explosives, called Polar Saxonite, is also soon to be manufactured in Australia. The effect of Polar Saxonite is claimed to be about midway between that of Polar Samsonite and A 2 Monobel, which is another permitted explosive used in New Zealand collieries. Explosives called Sheathed Explosives, in which each cartridge is enveloped (except at the ends) in a cover of sodium carbonate, have been in use in Europe for some years, but none are, as yet, available in this country. The production from and the number of persons employed at the collieries of the Dominion are shown in the following table:—

SECTION II.—PERSONS EMPLOYED.

61

Total Name of Colliery. _ Locality. Class of Coal. ° Ut 1 P 9 f 6 for 1936. ordinarily employed. Northern District. Tons. Tons. New Kamo .. .. .. Kamo .. Sub-bituminous 31,900 48,975 62 Rotowaro .. .. .. Huntly .. Brown .. 155,785 255 Pukemiro .. „ .. 117,940 2,489,979 204 Wilton.. .. .. .. GlenMassey .. „ .. j 74,432 472,150 159 Oden Afton .. .. .. Glen Afton .. „ .. 87,562 1,697,582 149 MacDonald .. .. .. Waikokowai .. „ .. 148,220 714,593 249 Renown .. .. .. „ .. .. 106,466 758'424 159 Egmont .. .. .. Tatu .. „ .. 10,932 38,392 44 West Coast District. Puponga .. .. .. Puponga .. Sub-bituminous 14,315 381,728 38 Westport-Stockton .. .. Ngakawau .. Bituminous .. 108,574 3 418 265 033 Charming Creek „ .. „ .. 25,133 ' 102'696 "44 Millerton .. .. .. Millerton .. „ .. 56,187 8,394,010 86 JJenniston .. .. .. Denniston .. „ .. 128,329 10,685,574 302 Cascade .. .. .. Cascade Creek „ .. 21,894 151 571 22 Burke's Creek .. .. .. Reefton .. Brown .. 18,342 27o'618 34 Paparoa .. .. .. R 0 a .. Semi-bituminous 20,995 49 Blackball .. .. .. Blackball .. Bituminous .. 21,986 4,069 449 67 Blackball Creek „ .. „ .. i 7;2 68 97,686 31 .Liverpool (State) .. .. Rewanui .. „ .. 125,320 2,823,388 316 James (State) .. .. .. Rapahoe .. Sub-bituminous 35,397 464,007 96 Dobson .. .. .. .. Dobson .. Bituminous .. 45,581 107 Brunner .. .. .. Wallsend .. „ .. 48,672 619,332 110 Southern District. Kaitangata (2 collieries) .. .. Kaitangata .. Brown .. 111,080 5,434,828 234 Taratu •• •• •• .. Lovell's Flat .. Lignite .. 11,834 '792,'549 32 Linton (2 collieries) .. .. Ohai .. Brown .. 103,910 1,214 364 155 Wairaki (2 collieries) .. .. .. „ .. 12,978 467,861 28 Mossbank .. .. „ .. „ .. 54,381 563,355 90 Birchwood .. .. „ .. .. 19,808 185,921 50 Black Lion .. .. „ .. „ .. 24,524 164,749 25 163 other collieries .. .. All coalfields .. Various .. 380,472 8,367,087 824 Collieries abandoned or suspended, &c. Various .. „ .. .. 27' 206 '934 Totals •• •• •• •• •• 2,140,217 85,977,543 4,257

Average Number of Persons employed during 1936. Inspection District. — ——.— . — " : ■ ■ Above Ground. Below Ground. Totai. Southern 269 669 938 West Coast .. .. .. .. 516 1 334 x 8S0 Northern .. .. .. .. 318 j 151 j'^g Totals, 1936 .. .. 1,103 3,154 7~257 Totals, 1935 .. .. j 1,127 3,104 4^231