G—2a

Days worked.—The colliery worked 237 days out of a possible 242 ordinary working-days. In addition, the colliery worked 16 back Saturdays, 2 statutory holidays, and 3 substituted statutory holidays, making the total days worked 258. The difference between the ordinary days worked, 237, and the possible number of workingdays is accounted for as follows : 2 days, union meetings ; \ day, break in haulage ; f day, power failures ; § day, West Coast v. England football match; 1 day, fault in bathhouse boiler ; J day, election. Employees. —In connection with coal-winning, the average number of persons employed in and about the mine was 169 men and 4 boys, made up as follows : Underground: coal-hewers, 51 ; deputies, shiftmen, and truckers, 91. Surface: 27 men and 4 boys. Coal-hewers' Average Daily Earnings.—The coal-hewers' average daily earnings (gross) were £2 10s. Bd., and after deducting stores (explosives) their net return was £2 7s. 6d., a decrease of 6d. per day when compared with the previous period. Daily Output.—The average daily output was 232 tons 14 cwt. and the coal-hewers' average daily output was 5 tons 14 cwt. 1 qr., as compared with 232 tons 13 cwt. and 6 tons 16 cwt. respectively for the previous year. The number of hewer shifts for the year was 10,510. Deficiencies. —The total amount paid under the minimum-wage clause was £144 Bs. lOd. Accidents. —In addition to numerous accidents of a minor nature 1 serious accident occurred on 19th December, 1946, when a shiftman sustained a fracture of the right ankle. Underground Workings.—The whole of the mine is on double shift. Five pairs have been engaged extracting pillars, sixteen pairs developing in machine-cut places, and five pairs developing in pick places. Continual undulations and numerous thinnings in the seam continue to hamper development and make it impossible to concentrate the miners and reduce haulage and trucking personnel. Moreover, excessive power in the form of winches, pumps, &c., is utilized. Extremely wet conditions in the working-places with the consequent short hours explains the particularly low output. No improvement whatever has been achieved with the screen-coal percentage, which for the year has averaged approximately 30 per cent. The coal continues to be very soft and friable when mined, and present indications are that this percentage may be even lower during the coming year. A larger proportion of £ in. screen plates were installed during the year, but no worth-while improvement was noticeable. Crow's Nest Section : Early in the year pillar-extraction was commenced here, as the whole of the section was surrounded -by thin coal. Good working-conditions and high percentage of extraction has been obtained. No extra water whatever has resulted from pillaring. Dunn's Dip : At present eight pairs are developing with the Korfmann machine. This dip has been driven 8| chains in a southerly direction during the year and is working coal around No. 1 Bore. Coal thickness varies up to 20 ft. and quality, on the whole is good. Undulations and thinning have seriously affected this section. All of these places are generally wet time. It has been intended - to connect up this section with the Main and Tail Section so that by extending the endless rope better haulage could be provided. Thin coal, however, has been encountered when driving both from the Main and Tail side and the Dunn's Dip side, so that this scheme may have to be abandoned. Four chains of this connection remain to be driven.

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