C—2

On 23rd April at Wilton State Mine, F. Hale sustained injuries to his face as a result of being caught by the blast from a shot hanging fire; fortunately the injuries were not so serious as was at first suspected. The use of fuse and ordinary detonator was condemned. On 9th May at Mangapehi State Mine, as a result of being affected by carbon monoxide coming from a heating area, a miner, T. M. Hall, was overcome and had to be conveyed to hospital for observation, where he was confined for two days before being allowed to go to his home. On 13th June at Mangapehi State Mine, R. Ormsby, employed as a trucker, when caught by a runaway full box against the ribside sustained bruising of the abdomen and possibly fractured pelvis. On 18th June at Taupiri Coal-mine a miner, M. Joyce, had his left hand fractured when he was •caught by a runaway empty skip. On 23rd June at Waro Coal-mine, due to having his head jammed between a bar and an empty skip, a trucker, P. Wei, sustained a fracture of his skull. On 21st July at Pukemiro Colliery a screen worker, T. Awa, had his right wrist caught between two full skips, due to which the wrist was fractured. On 14th August at Taupiri Coal-mine an employee, T. Cooper, whilst dressing in the changehouse at the mine slipped and fell on the corner of a seat and as a result sustained a fracture of the sixth right rib. On 22nd September at Wilton State Mine a deputy, J. Williamson, received facial burns when he opened a tin containing carbide ; he had a lighted carbide lamp on his head at the time. Fortunately the burns were of a minor nature. On 13th October at Mangapehi State Mine injuries to the left foot were received by A. Robinson, trucker, when, after having lifted a derailed box on to the track, he allowed the box to run forward ■over his foot. Examination revealed fractured phalanges of the second and third toes of left foot. Reports regarding Dangerous Occurrences in Mines On 2nd January at Tatu State Mine a heating in the South Heading was subdued by cutting an airway over a fall of stone under which an incipient heating existed. Allowing the heat a way of escape cooled off the area. On 6th January at Pukemiro Mine a fire in the Morgan's Dip Section was isolated by the erection of two stoppings. On 18th January at Mangapehi State Mine in an old heading in No. 2 East Panel a heating was located ; this was cooled off with applications of water. On 3rd February at Mangapehi State Mine a fire was discovered at the foot of a stopping in a cut through between intake and return airways of No. 2 Panel. This fire was brought under control by means of water applied under pressure. A new stopping required to be erected. On 11th February at Mangapehi State Mine traces of gob stink were detected on return side of a large fall which had occurred in the goaf where a pillar had been extracted in No. 2 East Panel. The area was sealed off by means of stoppings. On 19th February at Renown Mine it was reported that a heating had occurred in the last place on return side, West Heading Section ; the place was isolated through the erection of stoppings. On 13th March at Taupiri Coal-mine a fire which occurred in Brown's Section, No. 3 Mine, was effectively brought under control through isolating stoppings being erected. On 25th March at Mangapehi State Mine a fire was discovered in the barrier heading in No. 3 Panel, No. 1 East Side Section ; this was extinguished by application of water. On 24th March at Wilton State Mine a small inrush of water from the surface partially flooded the No. 4 West Heading Section; the amount of water entering the mine was minimized through cutting diverting channels on the surface and a pump installed, enabling the section to be dewatered in a few days. On 15th April at Taupiri Coal-mine a heating on the east side of Ollis's Dip, No. 1 Mine, was isolated by means of two stoppings. On 4th May at Mac Donald Mine in the E2 Left Panel a heating developed under a fall; to successfully deal with this seven stoppings were required to be erected. On sth May at Renown Colliery in the last working-place in No. 4 East Panel Section indications of heating were detected; the heating was effectively dealt with through the erection of one stopping. On 9th May at Mangapehi State Mine in the No. 2 East Section a fire burned through a gob stopping ; this necessitated retreating to and behind a new line of stoppings which had been erected. During these operations a workman was overcome by fumes and was removed to hospital. On 12th May at Renown Colliery in the first working-place of No. 2 West Panel, Old Mine, a small percentage of firedamp was discovered; resulting from this, as a precautionary measure, electric safety-lamps have been introduced throughout the section. On 12th June at Waro Coal-mine a heating was located in the gob at the No. 13 Level on east side of the mine. The area was sealed off. On 12th June at Pukemiro Mine six stoppings were required to seal off an area in the No. 1 Right Section, South Mine, where a heating had occurred in a fallen roadway on left side of the rope end of the haulage road.

49