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ANNEXURE A

SUMMARY OF REPORTS BY INSPECTORS OF COAL-MINES

NORTHERN INSPECTION DISTRICT (R. H. Schoen, Inspector of Coal-mines) Summary op Operations op bach Colliery por the Year 1945 , ,• North Auckland District Kamo Colliery.—No. 3 Mine : The No. 1 East dip heading is standing at 18 chains from the main haulage, but panel headings in the top seam have been extended 13 chains to the north-west in the •direction of bore No. 3. In the No. 2 East Section the main headings are at 53 chains from the main haulage, and development is being continued both in these headings and in panel development north and south. In the No. 2 West Section a pair of headings being driven south-west to the north of the British Standard old workings struck faulting, and development ceased in June. In order to provide better ventilation for the No. 2 East headings, now the main development headings of the mine, it is intended shortly to construct a new ventilation drive from the surface at a point 15 chains south of the present loading bank. This will reach No. 1 West Section at a grade of 1 in 3 and will be equipped with a modern fan. Waro Colliery, Hikurangi.—The splitting and extraction, where possible, of pillar coal has continued throughout the year, the face of work having progressed during 1945 from 3 chains south of No. 3 Slope Dip to a point on the main haulage 6 chains north of it. Some splitting and extraction of pillars has also been done in preparation outbye of this at two points east of the main laybye where the area previously developed widens. Output has improved slightly owing to the shorter haul, but pumping has given rather more trouble than usual during the year. Avoca Opencast.—Early in the year stripping of portion of the 20 ft. seam was undertaken by the party, and the stripped area is now worked as an opencast, the coal being sold locally and in Dargaville. An output of 787 tons was produced during the year by the two men employed. Whareora Opencast.—During the year a small amount of coal was produced by stripping a small area of old workings of the Whareora Mine, some nine miles from Whangarei. Much of the coal was found to be of poor quality, and the upper 3 ft. only was marketable. Two men were employed. Campbell's Opencast, HiJcurangi.—During the first three months of the year a small quantity of coal was obtained by stripping in the area covered by this lease near the Marua Road, Hikurangi. Owing to the seam thinning and becoming unworkable, work stopped in March. I Sherwood's Lease, Hikurangi.—A small area held under lease adjacent to Long's Road is being prospected by boring. Waikato District Pukemiro Colliery.—North Mine : On the south side of the main headings pillar-extraction has been completed to a point 19 chains from the mine entrance and is proceeding in Nos. 2 and 3 Sections. On the north side, pillars in the inbye panel are being withdrawn in preparation for taking the rope-end pillars. Output from this mine has been steady in* spite of difficult conditions, and fourteen pairs of miners have been regularly employed. South Mine (Taupiri Section) : In the shaft section, pillar-extraction has been continued, and pillaring has also started at the end of the Morgan's Dip headings, development of which ceased in June -owing to thinning of the seam as it approached the outcrop. Some further development to the west of these headings has been carried out, but faulting has limited this. The Home's Dip workings have been extended to the boundary south-west of the dip, and development is till proceeding to the west. The coal, however, is thinning and is very friable, and the heavy «over of 600 ft. in this locality make conditions diffieult. Pillar-extraction in the Mid Section was completed in June, and is proceeding steadily in the Nelson's Jig - New Panel area, which are connected. The No. 1 Right Section was cleared of water and reventilated. The coal near the end of the old drives was found to be 8 ft. to 9 ft. thick with some splinty bands. A small amount of development to the south-west has been carried out. Renown Colliery.—The No. 2 Mine headings have been advanced to a distance of 11\ chains from the mine mouth, an extension of 1,200 ft. during 1945. Development of Nos. 1 and 2 Panels East is nearly completed, No. 3 East is well forward, and Nos. 4 and 5 East have been started and development is proceeding rapidly. The advantage of the intelligent use of machines and power boring where conditions suit, combined with close attention to the haulage, has been well shoWn in the rapid development obtained in this mine. In the No. 1 Mine the No. 1 North (top seam) pillars have now been extracted to a safe distance from the main haulage road and the area has been sealed off. In spite of considerable floor movement, pillar-extraction of the No. 2 North pillars has proceeded steadily and a good extraction for the difficult conditions has been obtained. In the No. 4 South

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