G—2a

Days worked. —The colliery worked 228 days out of a possible 242 days. In addition, the colliery worked 14 back Saturdays and 5 statutory holidays, making the total days worked 247. The difference between the ordinary days worked and the possible number' of working-days is accounted for as follows : 1 day, funeral of ex-employee ; 1 day, extra Christmas holiday ; 3 days, bus dispute ; £ day, election ; day, power failure ; 4 days, Pukemiro dispute ; 4 days, stop-work meetings ; \ day, floods. Employees.—ln connection with coal-winning, the average number of persons employed in and about the mine was 176 men and 5 boys, made up as follows —Underground : coal-hewers, 64 ; shiftmen and truckers, 61. Surface : 51 men and 5 boys. Coal-hewers' Average Daily Earnings.—The average daily earnings of the coalhewers after deducting explosives were £2 10s. lid., which shows an increase of Is. sd. when compared with the previous year. Daily Output.—The average daily output from the mine was 323 tons 12 cwt. and the hewers' average daily output was 9 tons 19 cwt. 3 qr., compared with 346 tons 2 cwt. and 9 tons respectively for the previous year. The number of hewer shifts worked was 8,0011. Deficiencies. The total amount paid under the minimum - wage clause was £lB5 13s. Id. Accidents.—The colliery was free from serious and fatal accidents during the past year, although 190 accidents were reported, mostly of a minor nature. Underground Workings.—ln the No. 3 Mine (east side) the output was obtained from pillar-extraction. This work is now completed. Pillar-extraction in No. 2 Mine and the B Panel in No. 3 Mine and development work in No. 3 Extended Mine, still continue. No. 2 East Heading Section is now in a distance of 16 chains from the main haulage road, whilst No. 3 East Headings are in about a similar distance. Stone intrusions occur fairly frequently in both of the above sections. The latter section has passed through several small faults, and at the present time we are crossing another 6 ft. downthrow fault. The coal-seam approaching this fault becomes interspersed with stone intrusions. On the other side of the fault, from the little we have seen, the coal is apparently clean and fairly hard. A coal-cutter has been installed in each of these sections, also an electrically driven boring-machine in No. 2 East Heading Section. Whenever the other borer comes to hand it will immediately be installed in No. 3 East. Heading Section. The installation of the coal cutter and borer resulted in a much larger output being produced from these particular sections. No. 4 West Heading Section was advanced approximately 11 chains until it encountered a downthrow fault with a displacement of 12 ft. When the other coal-cutter arrives, present intentions are to have it installed in No. 2 Extended Mine. Because of the shape of the field it will necessitate driving the main headings as fast as possible, and since we are confined to working one shift producing coal, it is only by means of the coal cutter and borer we can accomplish this. A small dip heading is being driven from B Panel into A Panel so> as to be ready for extraction whenever the former panel is completed, which will be in the near future. No. 4 East Section was developed up to the fault in several places. When all of the development has been completed in this section, extraction will take place as the coal on the other side of the fault can be more conveniently and economically worked from No. 3 East Heading Section through opening up a panel on the south side of same. A small amount of developing is still being carried on in No. 3 West Section in good coal notwithstanding that in the other sections —i.e., Nos. 1 and 2 West Sections — the coal thinned and the seam split until we had only about 3 ft. of coal. I intend driving a pair of developing headings from No. 4 West to the north in the direction of a borehole which shows 7 ft. 2 in. on the plan and about which there is apparently some doubt. During the year considerable repairs were effected to the surface ropeway from No. 3 Mine. These were necessary, due to the havoc played by the elements last winter.

2—C 2A

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