C—2

ASSISTANCE TO MINING Financial assistance to the mining industry by subsidies and loans during the year ended 31st March, 1947, amounted to £21,314. Of this sum, £3-54 was for gold-mining,. £420 for cinnabar-mining, £4O for scheelite-mining, and the balance for coal-mining. MINERS' BENEFITS The provision for payment of a miner's benefit is contained in the Social Security Act, 1938, which has been operative since Ist April, 1939. One of the necessary qualifications is that the applicant should be seriously and permanently incapacitated by miner's phthisis or totally and permanently incapacitated by heart or other occupational disease associated with mining service in New Zealand. The rate of benefit for a miner is £lO4 per annum, increased, in the case of an applicant who is married, by £lO4 per annum for his wife. The widow of a miner who died while in receipt of a miner's benefit may be granted a benefit of £7B per annum during widowhood. This scheme, which originated with the Miner's Phthisis Act, 1915, is administered by the Social Security Commission, and the following is a summary of the operations for the year ended 31st March, 1947 : £ Payments from Ist November, 1915, to 31st March, 1946 .. 1,663,026 Payments for 1946-47 .. .. .. .. .. 105,416 £1,768,442 Number of new grants for year 1946-47 ============== Males.. .. .. .... .. .. 44 Females .. .. .. .. ... .. 4 48 Number of benefits in force, at 31st March, 1947 Males.. .. .. .. .. .. .. 634 Females .. .. .. .. .. .. 84 7lB Annual value of benefits in force at 31st March, 1947 .. .. £101,956 Dissection of benefits in force at 31st March, 1947 Single miners .. .. .. .. .. .. 320 Married miners .. .. .. .. .. 314 Widows .. .. .. .. .. .. 84 718 LEGISLATION The Coal-mines Act, 1925, was amended by section 17 of the Statutes Amendment Act, 1946, to provide that leases under Part I of the Act may be restricted to a specified seam of coal or to a defined coal-bearing horizon.

20