G—2a

Taking into account the stocks at the beginning and the end of the year, the following statement shows details of the coal disposed of during the year : ,•■ Ist April, 1949 ■ Tons cwt. qr. Tons cwt. qr. Stock in bins and yard .. .. 58 9 0 Add net output for year .. 37,225 0 0 37,283 9 0 Less stock written off .. 39 9 0 ■ 37,244 0 0 31st March 1950 Less stock in bins and yard .. , ... 48 0 0 37,196 0 0 . Disposals Tons cwt. qr. Local and mine sales .. .. 1,379 15 0 Railed .. .. .. .. 35,165 5 0 Sales to workmen and free issues .. 651 0 0 -37,196 0 0 The gross output since the colliery was taken over by the State Coahmines to date is 479,328 tons. Days Worked. —The colliery worked 221 days 3 hours out of a possible of 240 ordinary working-days. The difference between the ordinary days worked and the possible number of working-days is accounted for as follows : Union meetings, 3| days ; Waitewhena strike, 5-| days ; dispute re Saturday work, 1 day ; traffic dispute, \ day ; mechanical breakdown, \\ days ; haulage alterations, 1-|- days ; no wagons available, \\ days ; funeral ex-employee, 1 day ; respect late Hon. P. C. Webb, 1 day ; polling' election day, f day ; smoke in mine due to bush-fires, 1 day ; no outturn of miners last backshift before Christmas, \ day—a total of 18§ days. Employees. —In connection with coal-winning, there were employed in and about the mine an. average of 126 men and 2 boys, made up as follows—Underground : Coalhewers, 30 ; deputies, shiftmen, and truckers, 73. Surface : 23 men and 2 boys. Daily Earnings. —The coal-hewers' average daily earnings were (gross) £3 13s. 3d., and after deducting stores (explosives) their net return was £3 10s. 7d., an increase of Is Bd. per day when compared with the previous year. Daily Output. —The average daily output was 172 tons and the average per coalhewer was 6 tons s,cwt., as compared with 169 tons 5 cwt. and 5 tons 19 cwt. the previous year. Note.—ln addition, 1,932 tons of stone was filled during the year. Hewers' Shifts..— Hewers' shifts worked were 6,105 out of a possible total of 7,180. Deficiencies.—~No amounts were paid under the minimum-wage clause during the year. Accidents. —There were 44 accidents reported during the year, 3 being of a serious nature. Underground Workings.—Due to the fact that it is proposed to extract the coal by mechanized means and to hydraulically stow the goaf, no pillar-extraction was attempted during the year, and operations were confined to the extension of No. 2 and No. 3 East levels. No. 2 East level has been driven for a distance of 4,000 ft., but is now in such troubled country that development in this direction has been stopped in the meantime.

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