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South Mine : Development was continued to the north in the Taupiri section, east of the road separating the Pukemiro and Taupiri holdings. This is worked by agreement with the Taupiri Co. The main headings north have been extended some 28 chains from the main entry roads and panels have been developed to west and east. Pillar-extraction in the new panel section, to the north of No. 2 right haulage road, has been almost completed, while pillar-extraction in the south of the Taupiri section and in the Mid section was continued. The oloaning-up and retimbering of No. 1 west haulage road has proceeded slowly owing to extremely bad roof conditions while passing through faulty country. The face is now 29 chains from the main haulage. A small panel is being developed to the south of this haulage road in coal previously left unworked. Glen Afton No. —During the year pillar-extraction in the south-west portion of K1 section continued, and this work is now nearly completed. Retimbering of the stone drive west from the end of L section haulage road was completed to the face. Pillar-extraction was continued in 153 and El panels. Owing to a large fire which was discovered by the night-shift deputy at 1.15 a.m. on 12th November, 1941, in the overcast over the main haulage road, E section, this section had to be sealed off by stoppings at a point 33| chains from the main haulage. This caused a stoppage of El, E2, and E3 sections and necessitated men being transferred to the Mac Donald Colliery. The stoppings were opened on 6th February, 1942, in an unsuccessful attempt to reach and put out the heating. The stoppings had to be rebuilt at a point close to the overcast where the heating occurred. Glen Afton No. 2 (Mac Donald Colliery).—Pillar-extraction in B2 left and G sections was completed and the sections sealed off, while El left was completed except for two pillars in the north-west corner, which can be more conveniently reached from H haulage road. H section headings have been extended to the boundary and E section headings to a distance of 38 chains from the main haulage, and panels are being developed on both sides of these main headings. Owing to an ignition of CH 4 in the dip heading of H2 section on 2nd October, safety-lamps had to be introduced into this mine, and the management has since agreed to equip the No. 4 (Daylight) Mine section with safety-lamps. In No. 4 mine pillar-extraction of No. I east panel is approaching completion, while on the west side of the main dip pillar-extraction is being continued from the south end of No. 1 west. Development headings north-'east from the main haulage have been extended 18 chains, and panels are being developed on both sides of these. Graham Colliery.—Pillar-extraction is nearly completed. Taupiri East Colliery.—Pour men were engaged in pillar-extraction during the year in the area east of the main dip. Whatawhata Campbell, Colliery.-—The area opened up last year, 10 chains south-west of the old mine entrance, is now being pillared, and tlie-surface haulage has been extended to the west, where a dip heading has been driven across old workings and has reached unworked coal 8 ft. thick and of good quality. A connection is being made to the present fan drift for better ventilation as the drive advances. Wailcato Extended, Colliery.—All available coal in the southern area having been exhausted, a prospecting drive is being put in near the old Waikato Mine entrance to reach a block of coal thought to have been left unworked. Taranaki District. Old Stockman Colliery, Mokau. —The main No. 2 drive has been extended some 5 chains from the outcrop in a north" east direction. The seam is 4 ft. 6 in. thick and is hard bright coal with sandstone roof. Several bords have been driven to the north-west. Tatu State Colliery, Ohyra.—The main drive has been extended 14J chains and the companion heading the same distance. Both headings are stopped on a large upthrow fault of some 40 ft. displacement which is evidently the same fault which has been crossed by two development roads driven north-east from the main drive 7£ chains from the mine mouth. These have reached what is thought to be the main field beyond the fault. The coal here is 0 ft. to 7 ft. thick and is dipping at a grade of linB in the direction of the drives. A small area of coal lying between the main drives and another fault running between the present mine workings and the old Egmont Colliery workings has also been developed during the year. Mangapehi State Colliery.—The development roads east at Nos. 6 and 7 levels have been driven 21 chains from the main haulage and are standing in good-quality coal. Development of No. 1 panel between No. 6 level and the outcrop is nearly completed and the coal has been of good quality throughout. Levels driven east at Nos. 13 and 14 levels had proceeded 8 chains from the main haulage by the end of the year, the quality of the coal being good. To the west, Nos. 6 and 7 levels have been driven 12 chains from the main haulage. At this point a steepening of the dip of the seam towards the west has come in, together with thinning and interruption of the seam. At the face the levels have reached a point directly under the surface contour at 1,264 ft. which is level with the mouth of the mine. The lower west levels, Nos. 13 and 14, have been driven 6 chains from themain haulage and are stopped ill troubled country. A small panel is being developed to the rise of these levels, and panel development is also proceeding on the rise side of Nos. 6 and 7 levels west. Mine Rescue-station. Erection of the building at Rotowaro Village was completed early in the year. Owing to delay in the delivery of the necessary equipment the training of rescue brigades has not yet commenced. Fatal Accidents. There were no fatalities in the Northern District collieries during 1941. Sebious Non-fatal Accidents. On 26th March, 1941, H. A. Peel, a boy employed at the Pukemiro Colliery, slipped and fractured his right radius while walking across a moving screen. On 6th August, 1941, A. J. Singer, a miner employed at No. 3 Rotowaro Colliery, received a fracture of the right lower leg due to a fall of coal from the roof of his working-place, which was 7 ft. high. A slab of coal 8 in. thick on the roof which had been tested fell off a back while coal was being cleared away to set a prop. On 13th November, 1941, S. Smith, a trucker employed at Pukemiro South Mine, received a fracture of the right femur while trucking to a jig head. Smith was caught between two full skips, and it is thought the second had been left behind him on the slight grade and had followed him down the incline. On 20th November, 1941, R. Fairhurst, a miner employed at Rotowaro Colliery, lost his right index finger when coal he was trimming on the roof slid down the pick and jammed his hand on the skip. The roof was 7 ft. high. ' Dangebous Oocubeences (Regulation 81, Coal Mines Regulations 1939). On 19th February, 1941, a small fire was found in a wooden temporary stopping near the back heading of the " Korfmann " rope-road, Mac Donald Colliery. The fire was put out and the stopping repaired. On 31st May, 1941, a small quantity of inflammable gas was reported when a heading driven from No. 2 right section, Pukemiro South Mine, was holed into old workings. The holing was sealed until the companion heading was holed through and ventilation was possible. On 2nd October, 1941, a miner in H2 heading, H section, Mac Donald Colliery, reported the accidental ignition of a small jet of gas issuing from a borehole in the coal-roof. Tests showed the presence of CH 4 and the mine was put on safety-lamps. On 13th October, at the Alison Colliery, Rotowaro, an inrush of clay and water from a surface subsidence where water had accumulated owing to heavy rain occurred in the No. 1 headings to the right of the main haulage. The section had been idle for some time. The surface subsidence was filled in. On 12th November, 1941, a serious outbreak of fire was discovered by the dog-watch deputy at 1.15 a.m. at the overcast over the main E section haulage road at El panel, Glen Afton Colliery. Permanent stoppings were erected at K shaft and in the E rope-road, and returns to control the fire, the whole of E section being temporarily sealed off. On 30th November, 1941, during the early hours of Sunday morning, a small fire was discovered at the booster fan in K1 section, Glen Afton Colliery. The fire was extinguished before much damage was dpne. On 16th December, 1941, a trace of, firedamp was discovered by a deputy in the main west level section, Renown Colliery. As a precautionary measure the manager installed electric safety-lamps in the section.

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