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Details of drilling in the three main districts —namely, Southern District (Ohai, Southland, and Otago), West Coast District (Grey and Buller Coalfields), and Northern District (Waikato Coalfield) —are as follows Northern District Kimihia Opencast.—During the year seventeen bores, with a total footage of 819 ft., were drilled to prove likely extensions to existing opencast mines and to test structure hardness on the area now pumped out and being stripped with the 120b shovel. Devlin and Bell, Rotowaro. —Five bores, with a total footage of 222 ft., were drilled on this area, after an option to purchase had been given, to prove the quantity of coal on the area likely to be won by opencast methods. Further drilling will be done on this area during 1949. Thompson and Party, Rotowaro.—Two bores, totalling 171 ft., were drilled, close by bores previously drilled by a contractor, to check the drilling already done. This area is now being stripped. Wilton Opencast, Glen Massey.—Drilling on this area was completed during the year, and after a road is put in stripping will commence. Forty-five bores, with a total footage of 2,607 ft., proved an area of coal along a ridge very suitable for opencasting. West Coast District Harrison and Party, Ten-mile. —One bore, 76 ft. deep, was drilled for this party to prove the throw of a fault encountered in the mine workings. Stuart and Party, Ten-mile. —Because the area being mined by this party is likely to be worked out in the near future, five bores, totalling 515 ft., were drilled adjacent to the present mine to prove whether the same coal-seam existed beyond the lease boundaries. Not very encouraging results were obtained. Spark and Party, Rewanui.—Two bores, totalling 360 ft., were drilled by the State Coal-mines to prove a seam of coal below the present workings which is to be included with the new Rewanui Colliery. Both bores proved good coal below. Strongman Colliery, Nine-mile. —Six bores, totalling 585 ft., were drilled inside this mine to prove fault throws and distances between seams. Because of the faulted nature of the seams in this mine an underground air drill could be kept employed full time on this class of work. Dobson Colliery, Dobson. —One bore, 110 ft., was drilled underground in this mine to prove a fault encountered in the workings. Mount Davy, Rewanui. —During the previous. year aerial access to this area was completed under most trying conditions. Camping facilities were erected and during 1948 drilling was commenced. Bore 290 was drilled to 500 ft., but had to be abandoned because of the terrific quantity of water encountered. Fourteen gallons of water per second were coming from the bore and it became impossible to get drilling tools in the bore. A decision was made to drill the next bore from a high ridge so as to overcome - some of the water pressure, and bore 318 was started after much difficulty with shifting plant in bad weather and then having to tie the plant and derrick down with steel ropes because of high winds. Bore 318 at the end of the year was down 110 ft. It appears that on* this area on the slopes of Mount Davy the Dunollie beds overlying the Goldlight shales are saturated with water being held in cavities. The Dunollie beds are very broken. BwJce's Creek Colliery, Reef ton. —A bore was commenced late in the year and had been drilled to 310 ft. by the end of December. This bore is proceeding. Stockton Area, Buller. —For the year thirty-five bores, with a total of 4,078 ft., were drilled for prospecting the area to prove coal and overburden thicknesses for both underground and opencast operations. From the results obtained it may now be possible to extend the Webb Mine (Underground) farther north than was anticipated and at the same time considerably extend the area which could be worked opencast. During

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