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A bore 24 cliains distant and in a direct lino with the main heading lias recently proved 20 ft. of coal. Wilton Colliery.—No. 1 Mine: Throughout the year pillar-extraction was continued in all sections. As the seam is not a thick one and the width of working-face lias narrowed considerably, it is expected that this mine will be completely worked out during the current year; No. 2 Mine: At 24 chains from the mine-mouth an upthrow fault of 33 ft. displacement was met. it is proposed to retreat from this line with pillar-extraction. The coal on the other side can readily be got from an outcrop by extending the surface haulage, and this would save maintenance of the underground roads. No. 3 Mine: This mine commenced work in April, 1942, from an outcrop 8 chains east of the main entrance. The seam at the main entrance is tliin, and a stone drive of 4 chains will be required to connect with workings developed from the outcrop. The quality of the coal is good, the thickness being from 5 ft. to 7 ft. 6 in. The surface endless-rope haulage to the mine-mouth is working satisfactorily, and an access road has been completed to within a few chains of the mine-mouth to allow miners to be brought to work by bus. A large and well-designed bathhouse is nearing completion at the mine. Renown Colliery. —No. 1 Mine: During the year further development of No. 3 south haulage was stopped when a 30 ft. downthrow fault was met. As the coal on the southern side of this can be more easily won from the new No. 2 mine workings, pillar-extraction was commenced immediately the fault was encountered. Pillar-extraction in the No. -5 west panel is now completed, while No. 4 east levels are being pushed ahead to connect with. No. 2 mine and simplify haulage. The face is now 13 chains from the No. 3 south headings. Off No. 4 south headings the No. 2 panel is being developed rapidly, but the seam here appears to be thinning. In the No. 2 north section pillar-extraction has been continued steadily. Work has been retarded somewhat owing to considerable floor movement, which affects the liaulage. No. 2 Mine: The new drive has now been advanced a total distance of 2.1 chains from the mine entrance. The coal is approximately 10 ft. thick and the-quality good. A 00 ft. airshaft has now been constructed for the ventilation of this mine, and the work of lining it with concrete is half completed. Considerable repair work lias recently been done to No. 1 tunnel on the surface haulage to the screens. Due to the hillside, slipping, the tunnel sides were being pushed out of alignment. To prevent this the tunnel has been lined with a concrete retaining-wall for some 30 ft. from the soutli entrance. During the year a, start was made to use the coal-cutting machines, with which the mine was already equipped, in the splitting of pillars as well as development in the first working. Use in pillars has allowed of full-time use of the six machines and has had a definite effect in increasing output and speeding up pillar-extraction. Pukemiro Colliery,—North mine: Pillar-extraction was continued in the straight heading section and in the remaining pillars at the head of the stone drive. Good results were obtained considering the conditions, which require the splitting and extraction of long narrow pillars which have been formed for many years. South Mine: In the Taupiri section the dip panel to the west of the main headings has been developed and the endless-rope haulage has been extended down the main heading. A pair of headings is being advanced parallel to the main Taupiri headings in order to test the seam in thfis direction. By June the main Taupiri headings had been driven a distance of 12 chains beyond the turn into the west dip section. At this distance they were stopped as the faces were .in dirty coal obviously near the outcrop. A. small panel to the east of these headings has been completed. Pillar-extraction has continued in the southern part of the Taupiri section. Pillar-extraction of the new panel section was completed in June, and was continued, in the Nelson's .Tig area and in the Rope End section. By the end iof the year development of the small panel to the south of No. 1 right haulage had been completed. The clearing and retimbering of this road had been carried out for some 31 chains from the main haulage. From this point a drive is being pushed forward, parallel with the No. 1 right haulage, to reach the next pair of development roads to the south, a distance of 9 chains. Glen Afton No. 1. —An. attempt was made in February to re-enter the area sealed off in November, 1941. However, further heating developed, and the stoppings were replaced. The stoppings were again broken in June, and by mid-July a road had been spiled through a large fall of stone at El overcast and concrete stoppings erected, the haulage being once again continued past this point. Pillar-extraction was continued in E3 and El sections, and E1 section was worked out and sealed off in October. Development of E2 section was proceeded with, and another panel was started to the north-east off the main E2 headings on the Mac Donald area. The pillar-extraction of Kt panel was completed late in August. The stone drive in E section has been continued, but has not yet reached the coal-seam. Glen Afton No. 2 (Mac Donald Colliery).—Korfman Section: II main headings reached the barrier at the north-west boundary at a distance of 31 chains from the main drive, and have been continued for 8 chains in a north-east direction along the boundary, leaving a 1-J-chain barrier. Panels 113 and 114 left were further developed, while development was also continued in HI, 112, and 113 right panels. E headings have almost reached the barrier against the north-east boundary at 41 chains from the main drive. The splitting of pillars in E2 right section under a surface stream has been continued, and development of E4 and E5 right panels has proceeded. No. 4 Mine: In the No. 1 left section pillar-extraction has proceeded steadily, while the main, rope has been extended along the old tail-rope haulage to the north-east. The face of these levels is now only some 0 chains from the north-ea'st, boundary of the) lease. Development of the second and third dip panels is proceeding, while to the rise three panels are being developed. Coal-cutting machines are used throughout the Mac Donald Colliery. Graham. Colliery, Glen Afton. —The last of the roadside pillars were extracted near the mouth of the main haulage, and work, at this mine ceased on 3rd March, .1942. Taupiri Host Colliery, Kimihia. —Work continued until October in pillar-extraction east of the main haulage, and has since been confined to splitting pillars and taking some top coal in a small area of Crown lease to the south-west. Whatawhata Campbell Colliery, Whatawhata. —Early in the year a dip drive was put down, in continuation of the surface haulage and 14 chains south-west of the previous mine entrance. After going 10 chains to the dip and clearing old workings, three headings have been driven 11 chains slightly east of south in good-quality coal 10 ft. thick. Waikato Extended Colliery (Boose Shipping Co., Ltd.).---Work continued throughout the year on the small pillars left at the entrance to the old Waikato 'Mine workings. As these are on the point of being worked out, the company is preparing to develop another area on the Taupiri holdings about one mile north of the present workings. Here about 16 ft. of coal can be worked by stripping the light cover of about 4 ft. to (5 ft. of surface clay. A small area 40 ft;. square has been stripped and a tram-line laid from the river-bank, a distance of about a quarter of a mile, and a start will shortly be made to produce coal from the area. Glen Afton Potteries opencast. —The works have been limited in output by shortage of men, but throughout the year quarrying of fireclay for the manufacture of pottery has continued, k face of 8 ft. to 10 ft. of coal is being worked as an opencast, the coal being used in the works. The seam has been stripped of overburden. Ttuntly Brickworks. —Fireclay, which is used in the works, lias been worked continuously throughout the year. No coal is worked at present. 'Daily's Mine, Kawhia. —No work has been done at this mine owing to the difficulty of obtaining experienced assistance in such, an isolated district.

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