C.—2

ANNEXUKE A. SUMMARY OF REPORTS BY INSPECTORS OF COAL-MINES. NORTHERN INSPECTION DISTRICT (R. H. Scboen, Inspector of Ooal-mines). The following is iny report on the working of coal-mines in tlie Northern Inspection District for the year ended 31st December, L 942: — Summary of Operations of each Colliery for the Year 1942. North Auckland District. Kamo Colliery.—Slant Heading Section, No. 3 Mine: The main drive was not extended during the year, but development of the coal area to the north-east was continued by advancing the face of the slant heading 10 chains to a distance of 28 chains from the mam dip. With the exception of about, 40 ft of faulty country, this extension was in coal which is of good quality and 8 ft. thick at the lace. I lie connection of' this heading to the main drive early in the year allowed a considerable shortening of haulage and the release of two winches for other work. , , „ , Panel development to right and left of the main slant headings has been continued, no large faults being met with. Ventilation has been maintained by the erection of concrete stoppings between intake and return as the mam Blant heading proceeds. No. 2 West Heading Section: A sub lease has been arranged with British Standard Portland Cement, Ltd and development headings have been driven some eight chains over their boundary m a south-west direction in good quality coal 7 ft. to 12 ft. thick. The headings are now nearmg the Railway Reserve and application has been made to drive two headings across it to work the area to the west of the railway. The coal is dipping slightly towards the west, and several small intrusions have been met with in workings to the north-west of ;hese [leadings. , ..„i No 4 Mine: Work has been confined to cutting up mto pillars a small area of coal under residential property adjacent to Hall and Meld rum Streets and also the area abandoned m May by the Whangarei Collieries, this area being much faulted and the coal patchy. Good-quality coal amounting to 13,520 was won from this mine section during the year. . . Waro Colliery.—The main heading is standing at a distance of o7 chains from the mine entrance, the cover at this point being 475 ft. Here a 5 ft. upthrow fault was crossed and the seam followed tor 2 chains. The coal is 4 ft. 3 in. thick at the face and dipping at 1 in 0. , To the east of the main drive the seam rises sharply and is much interrupted by rolls and small faults Within 5 chains to 6 chfiis it thins in this direction to 3 ft. 6 m or less. Nos 1 and 2 slope dips, to the west of the main drive, both had inrushes of water from fissures in the limestone roof at about 8 chains and 6 chains respectively from the mam drive No 3 slope dip has also struck faulty ground at about 5J chains, but with, so far, no extra water. Ihe t '" h The strio'Vl''workable coal being followed in the mine is therefore little more than 12 chains wide, and thin and there seems no prospect of economic development either west or east of the mam drive. The country is heavily watered and pumping and power costs are considerable. A large turbine pump installed in December of this year has not proved successful, and has had to be combined with anothei pump in order to handle the inflow to the surface in one stage. This pump is operated twenty hOUr Ow£f to the long strip of coal being worked, haulage is slow and expensive while ventihrtion difficulties due to the low seam and long airways are increased by high humidity, bad roof, and the fact that fully one-third of the air inflow short-circuits through fissures in the limestone covei betoie 1 caching the auranfJa Block)— This party were working pillars left by the Northern Co. m the upper seam All available coal was extracted by the end of March and the mine abandoned. Bmtmgata Colliery (Whangarei Collieries, Ltd.).-Pillar-extraction to the east of the mam drive was completed early in May. As development to the west was not possible owing to the thin seam and fanltv conditions, the mine was sealed and abandoned as 1 from 15th May. Whareora Colliery (Pollock and Party).—The small area of coal developed by this party was worked out and the mine was abandoned as from 13th April. Avoca Opencmt Coal-mine (S. G. Foot),-Work ceased at this mine m January, the owner having nie Keteni^ md Party).—Thffe men are employed reopening old workings of the orio-inil Whanearei Coal-mining Co. at Three-mile Bush, Kamo. An access road has been formed, and Son of the old wkings dewatered and ventilated. The seam is 4ft thick and of fair quality. Kirivaka Fireclay-mime (Ngwngwru Fireclay and Coal Co.. Ltd.).—Early m the year operations weie resumed at this mine, which had previously been worked intermittently as a quarry. A seam of good fireclay 10 ft thick is now mined owing to the increase in thickness of the overburden, and good results have been obtained. Four men are employed, and the product is shipped to Auckland. Waikato District. Hotowaro Collieries (Taupiri Coal-mines, Ltd.)-No. 1 Mine: Pillar-extraction has continued throughout the vist in the New Haulage No. 4 main rope section (top seam). . y in Cana-han's Dip section (bottom seam) the main headings have been advanced some 12 chains in a southerly Section A rising grade, in this direction, of 1 in 12 greatly asssts the endless-rope haulage, sate* srs sjsur-i-»** a r, top r« of No 3 panel Zs continued throughout the year, and development of No. 4 panel is well forward. Late in 4-Vitt va'iv two nan el headings were started to the west. , . Ooalcuttrng machiZ were reintroduced into the section in August As tins is a gassy section, special conditions as regards the periodic, examination by means of a CH 4 detector of the places to be CUt I^^si^^or b future^m^)ing' > fTorir , tWs section has been made by the construction of a large sump. A tuS pump has been ordered for this task, and two bores have been completed to carry electric, Cabl No an 3 Mine' (fem'sTm)? has continued throughout the year in Brown's section, ~ , i t V ;ii.;„'u Din while in B section pillar-extraction was commenced eaily m the yeai. Gre6 No. 4 g kLe: a f reiLn in thL mine on either side of the dip. At the end of the ear \iison^o^'l 8 Mine• lle pilla?-eAtoction has continued throughout-the year in No. 1 panel and in Nos 1 and 2 dips In No. 2 dip a, large quantity of coal is being won from the top seam by regmtUng the roadiT over the fallen stone band between the seams after extraction of the bottom seam. Ihe top seam varies between 12 ft. and 15 ft. thick, and a good percentage is being obtained seam vanes Between. continued steadily and also of an area to the north-east of IA. The are™ to tte weTrf panll, whrcl U commenced early in the year, is being developed on the rise side of fault met with m No. | P^ mmenced in Feb ruary reached the coal-seam in May and Alison No. - Mint. Ihe s , b advanced 7 chains to the north-west towards the Koto waro Township to oiien up the main coal aiea.

22