plenty of height at the place and plenty of room at the sides, and there was no rubbish about. The boy should not have attempted to lift the derailed bogie on to the road whilst it was in motion. He should have signalled for the rope to be stopped and then have lifted the bogie on to the way. This would have been no trouble to him and would not have hindered the work; but he probably thought he could manage to get the bogie on the way whilst it was moving, and was unaware of the unnecessary risk he was running.

On August 14th a wagonwayman, accompanied by two other wagonwaymen, when coming outbye at West Auckland Colliery, belonging to Messrs. Bolckow, Vaughan, and Co., Limited, was run over by the engine set and killed. These three men had been doing some repairs on the engine plane, and were going outbye. They saw the hauling ropes running, but did not think there was a set of tubs attached. They did not hear the set approaching, and one of them was caught and carried some 200 yards inbye and killed. The first and third men managed to jump clear, but the man in between them was caught. There appears to have been some laxity in connection with this accident. The three men had been doing some repairs to the engine plane, and, although they had not reported to the engineman that the repairs were completed, a set was sent in-bye. Had it been a little earlier they might have been caught whilst doing the repairs. At the inquest one witness said that they did not hear the set approaching, and he advanced the theory that because the roadway was closely timbered the sound of the set moving was deadened. This may be so, but I think any set moving at a speed such as this one was said to have been-10 to 12 miles per hour-would give very clear warning of its approach.

On August 21st at Brandon Colliery, belonging to Messrs. Strakers and Love, a stoneman was so severely injured that he died in hospital nine days afterwards.

A shift of men were being taken inbye in the set. Some of these men had to get out of the tubs at a point so far along the engine plane, at a curve, and, to allow them to do so, it had been the custom to slacken the speed of the set only. This man had often previously got off the set at this point, but on this occasion, for some reason or other, he failed to do so. He was either a little slow or he was trying to get some gear out of the tub in which he had been riding. He was drawn into the curve and received serious injuries. The set was stopped and the man was very expeditiously attended to by others present who were ambulance men. He unfortunately, however, succumbed to his injuries. It was not a proper thing for the set to be only slowed down. It should have been stopped dead for the men to alight and this, it was promised, should be done in the future.

An accident occurred on August 24th at Murton Colliery, belonging to Messrs. The South Hetton Coal Co., Limited, which caused the death of a boy who was being taught to drive. The accident occurred during the third day he was at work underground; he had previously been working on the screen belts on the surface. He had expressed a desire to work underground and was put in the care of a driver who was told to teach him to look after himself and to drive. The rolleywayman had told the boy that he was to walk by the side of the tubs and take notice of what was done. Unfortunately he was too anxious to get on, and the driver appointed to teach him allowed him to ride on the limbers, whilst he himself rode in the first tub of the set. The boy in the tub noticed that the new boy had his hand on the front edge of the tub and told him he must not put it there as he might get it hurt. The boy on the limbers then took it off the tub, but put up his head and it caught against a baulk, and he was seriously injured and died two days afterwards in the Sunderland Infirmary.

I am glad to say that accidents to boys going down the pit for the first time do not frequently happen. The boys are well able to take care of themselves, having, in most cases, previously been employed on the surface, and so having had some experience of tubs moving and colliery work generally. The driver who was commissioned to teach the boy his work in this instance was given a good character as a steady and careful driver, and I think the accident may have been due to the natural anxiety of the new boy to show that he was learning his duties quickly and properly.

As an instance of how a man though accustomed to wagonways may easily be caught and killed, an accident which occurred on September 12th at Ryhope Colliery, belonging to Messrs. The Ryhope Coal Co., Limited, may be cited. No one actually saw the accident occur, but it is quite apparent that the man killed had sat down in a refuge hole to have his bait. He had then been stepping out of the hole to start on some work near by, when the empty set going in-bye had caught him and run over him and killed him. The man had probably been thinking about the work he was going to do and had

On December 24th a putter was killed in a self-acting incline at New Brancepeth Colliery, which belongs to Messrs. Cochrane & Co., Limited. He had been letting a full tub down the incline, but when part way down it stuck and would go no further. He then went down the incline to push the tub away when another putter came out of the workings at the top of the incline with a full tub and bumped it against another full tub which was standing at the top of the incline. This latter tub was bumped over the incline top, and it ran down and caught the putter who was in the incline and killed him. A stop block, or chock, was provided at the top of the incline, and the boy who was killed, ought, before he ventured to go down the incline, to have closed it. He neglected to do so and so lost his life. The reason the full tub would not run down the incline to the bottom was that the boy at the bottom had attached two empty tubs instead of one-by mistake, he said at the inquest. The boys should be instructed to be careful at all times, and the officials should see at all times that appliances for safety are not only provided,. but also made use of. It is of no use providing safeguards if their use is not enforced.

Accidents caused by Machinery.

There were two fatal and six non-fatal accidents from machinery compared with one fatal and three non-fatal in 1905.

The first of the two fatal cases occurred at the Margaret Pit, Newbottle Colliery, belonging to Messrs. The Lambton Collieries, Limited, on February 12th. A coal-cutting machine attendant was using a ratchet to swing the cutting bar around to enable it to cut itself into the coal. In using the ratchet, which was the proper tool for the purpose, he was kneeling or leaning with his face towards the machine and had the cutter bar on his right-hand side. The hauling rope in connection with the machine was lying on the ground and the man was kneeling on it. The man in charge moved away, after seeing the attendant was working correctly to his instructions, to switch on the electric current. He turned on the current and then heard a thud as though the bar had struck the coal face. Almost at once he heard the attendant shout, and he switched the current off and went to the machine where he found the attendant lying on the goaf side with his legs beneath the cutter bar, and the hauling rope twisted round the bar, and the attendant's clothing caught in the rope. It would appear that the attendant when using the ratchet and when kneeling on the hauling rope must have moved his feet, and the rope, towards the cutter bar, and that the bar in revolving had caught the rope and wound it round and round itself, and it caught part of his clothing. He was terribly injured and died on entering the infirmary. Coal-cutting machinery is coming gradually into more general use, and it is very necessary that all persons connected with its working should be trained to its use and made to feel the dangers existing. Especially is loose clothing a danger when near moving parts.

The second fatal accident from this cause occurred on May 21st at Murton Colliery, belonging to Messrs. The South Hetton Coal Co., Limited. Between two of the seams there is a drop staple fitted with cages. The full tubs going down cause the empty ones to come up. The speed of the cages is governed by a brake consisting of a malleable iron strap and lever. A full tub was being lowered, when one of the bolts fastening the brake cleading fell out, and so allowed one segment of the cleading to project out from the circumference of the circle described by the cleading as a whole. This projecting segment struck the brake strap and so caused the brake lever to be violently jerked upwards. The brake lever struck the youth, who was attending to the lowering and raising of the tubs, in the region of the heart and killed him instantly. The drum, brake, and ropes had been thoroughly examined by a blacksmith the previous day and no defect had been found. Presumably the nut worked off the bolt holding the cleading on the brake ring, and so allowed the segment of cleading to project. This might have been prevented by rivetting the heads of the bolts on after the nuts were screwed up tight. The non-fatal accidents were simple cases and do not call for remark.

Sundries.

There were 14 fatal and 58 non-fatal accidents under this heading, being an increase of seven fatal and 19 non-fatal on the previous year.

Of the 14 fatal accidents under this heading one was caused by a stone breaking as a shifter was lifting it into a tub. Part of the stone in falling grazed his shin bone. He completed his shift, worked on several days afterwards, but blood poison set in and he died nine days after the accident.

Another occurred to a shifter who was helping his marrow to lift a heavy stone. The stone slipped and his fingers were nipped between the stone and the floor. He died 15 days afterwards from pneumonia, and his death was said to have been accelerated by the accident to his fingers.

Several men died from rupturing blood vessels by lifting heavy weights or spraining themselves.

One man struck his head against the side of the road when walking in-bye and broke his neck.

Another died from apoplexy, but death was said to have been accelerated by his having breathed air charged with powder smoke.

A man broke a rib on 18th July and died on 22nd September. He was consumptive, but the accident accelerated his death.

Another man was killed by a part of a rough wall falling on to him. He had undermined the wall when laying some pipes; and another died from epilepsy brought on by the shock to his system caused by straining his back when lifting a piece of coal into a tub.

ACCIDENTS ON SURFACE.

Of the 15 fatal accidents on the surface, four occurred in connection with machinery, seven on railways or tramways, and four from miscellaneous causes.

Of the four in connection with machinery the first occurred at Littieburn Colliery, belonging to Messrs. The North Brancepeth Coal Co., Limited, on 17th March, and resulted in the death of a boy employed on the cleaning belt. He had been away from the belt for a few minutes, and on returning instead of going back to his work he went to a piece of revolving shafting. No one saw the accident occur, but it is certain that his clothing had been caught by a key in a thrust collar and that he had been whirled round and round by the shafting. It was said that the boy had occasionally gone to this place before to fill an oil cap when the machinery was standing, but the manager and the engineer said that he had nothing whatever to do with the oiling of the belt, and they were at a loss to understand why he had gone near the shafting at all.

The second occurred on 5th July at the Black Prince Colliery, belonging to Messrs. The Weardale Steel, Coal, and Coke Co., Limited. No person witnessed this accident The man's dead body was found entangled and very seriously mangled in the gearing driving the spreaders in the coal hopper. He may possibly have been oiling the machinery, but he had had strict orders not to do this when the machinery was in motion. An electric signal was close at hand by which he could have signalled to the engineman to stop the machinery if necessary. The place was properly fenced and the appliances were in good

order.

The third occurred at the Dean and Chapter Colliery, belonging to Messrs. Bolckow, Vaughan, & Co., Limited, on 30th August. Whilst attending to a grease cup on the bearings of a revolving shaft a stud on the collar of the shaft caught in the man's clothing and whirled him round and round. His arm was torn off and the clothes stripped off his body. He was thrown then into a truck beneath.

The fourth fatal case occurred on September 12th at Malton Colliery, belonging to Messrs. S. A. Sadler, Limited. This was another case of oiling the bearings of shafting whilst the machinery was in motion. This had been done for a long time, and might have been done with safety on this occasion had the man not gone about his work in a contrary way to the usual method. There were two shafts one above the other. To oil the bearings of the top one he had a ladder which he usually placed on the east side of the wall carrying the shaft bearing. He then was accustomed to take his ladder round to put it on the west side of the wall to oil the bearings of the lower shaft. On the occasion when he was killed he had tried to oil the bearings from the west side of the wall, and whilst oiling a clutch his clothing got caught and he was whirled round and round by the shafting.

Each of the above cases occurred in connection with the oiling of revolving machinery. This is an extemely dangerous practice, and has been condemned time after time. If machinery cannot possibly be stopped for oiling then such lubricators should be used as

Surface Railways and Tramways.

There were seven fatal accidents, which is the same as last year, and 12 persons. received injuries as against 20 in 1905.

The accompanying table shows how the accidents occurred :

†The term "waggon" includes bogies, corves, hutches, trams, trolleys, trucks, tubs.

Of the seven fatal accidents, five occurred at the Collieries in Durham and two at the Ironstone Mines in Cleveland.

Those in Durham occurred as under:

One at the Chilton Colliery, belonging to Messrs. H. Stobart & Co., Limited, resulted in the death of a truck cleaner aged 16. The boy was in a truck cleaning it out when the locomotive came and drew it away to put under the coal washer. The boy gave no sign that he was in the truck, and neither the locomotive engineman or fireman knew he was in. Apparently the boy had seen where the truck was being put to, and he attempted to get out of the truck, but was caught between the top of the truck and a cross beam of timber and killed. When the boy attempted to get out of the truck the engineman saw him and put on the locomotive brakes and reversed the engine, but he was not able to prevent the accident. To prevent such a thing happening again a signal will be attached to any truck in which any person is employed, and the truck will not be moved until such person has got out of the truck.

One at the Hedley Hope Colliery belonging to Messrs. Sir B. Samuelson & Co., Limited. In this case a man went down into a road to help another to move two trucks. The trucks were started and the man attempted to walk alongside them as they were moving under an archway. The space between the archway walls and the truck sides was very restricted, and there was no room for a man there. The second moving truck squeezed him against the side and rolled him round and round and killed him. În view of the increased size of railway trucks, it is desirable that, where alterations cannot be made to widen the spaces between cokeyard trucks and in archways, notices should be posted forbidding anyone to go down into the gullets where the trucks run, or under thearchways.

One at Harraton Colliery belonging to Messrs. The Lambton Collieries, Limited, resulted in the death of a screener. He came down from the screens by a stairway, in order to go to the bait cabin, which was on the opposite side of the sidings. Immediately opposite him as he came down the stairway was a gap between the trucks already loaded and one being loaded. Rather than go round the fore end of the loaded trucks, he attempted to pass through the gap. Unaware of the man's presence, the truckman at the same moment knocked a chock out from beneath the wheels of the truck being loaded. This truck moved forward, and the man was caught and crushed between the buffers of the trucks already loaded and the one being loaded. Boards have since been erected forbidding anyone to cross the sidings, and the bait cabin has been moved to the side nearest the stairway leading from the screens.

One at Leasingthorne Colliery belonging to Messrs. Bolckow, Vaughan & Co., Limited. Two men were cleaning up under the coal washer. There were two trucks. standing under the washer, and three more further up the sidings. In order to allow a locomotive to pass these three last-mentioned trucks, the loco fireman and guard went to these trucks to lower them further down the siding towards the washer. They did not.

wish to lower them as far as the washer. On lifting the brakes, however, they lost control over the three trucks, which, running down the siding, bumped into the two trucks already standing beneath the washer. One of the two men cleaning up under the washer jumped to one side of the rails and the other to the other. On one side there was a space of 30 inches between the truck side and the retaining wall forming one side of the gullet under the washer, and the man on this side escaped unhurt; but on the other side there was only a space of 13 inches between the side of the truck and another retaining wall. The man who jumped to this side stood still whilst four trucks passed him, but then attempted to climb on to the retaining wall against which he was standing, and was crushed. He died eight days afterwards. It is a pity the man did not remain standing still. The men who lowered the three trucks without first taking the precaution to see that the road was clear were much in fault.

As

The last case occurred at the Derwent Colliery, belonging to Messrs. The Consett Iron Company, Limited. A waggon greaser was under the screens, unknown to anyone. The truckman brought three trucks down, first seeing that no one was in the way. he came down on the trucks he felt the one he was riding on jump. Afterwards he went back and found the waggons had run over the waggon greaser and killed him. Under screens is no place to grease trucks, and the man really ought not to have been there.

The two accidents which happened at the Cleveland Ironstone Mines both occurred at Liverton Mines belonging to Messrs. The Cargo Fleet Iron Company, Limited. The first resulted in the death of a labourer. A truck was being filled with ironstone, and it was necessary to move it forward. Instructed by the yard foreman, the labourer took a pinch bar and began moving the truck forward. The truck not moving quickly enough, the foreman shouted " H-away" to hurry the labourer on. Two other labourers, who were standing behind an empty truck about 15 yards back, thought the shout was meant for them and pushed forward the empty truck, and caught the first labourer between the partially loaded truck and the one they were pushing. He died shortly afterwards. At the time the accident occurred it was dark, but there were several lights about. Under the circumstances it would have been better if the man set to move a truck had a scotch or chock across the rails some few yards behind him, to prevent such an occurrence.

The second resulted in the death of another labourer. Several trucks of coal were being brought down a siding underneath the heapstead. As the third truck was being brought down the labourer was seen riding on the front footstep. The man who saw him told him it was dangerous for him to do this; but, notwithstanding the warning, he did the same thing when bringing down the fourth truck. He was seen again, and shouted to to get off the truck. Instead of getting off he tried to lean round the corner of the truck, but was caught between it and an upright support of the heapstead and fatally injured. This is a case of a man simply throwing his life away.

SECTION IV.

PROSECUTIONS.

I had no cause to ask your instructions as to taking proceedings against any of the owners, agents, or managers during the year.

Below I give a summary of the proceedings taken by the owners against their workmen.

There were six contraventions of rules about safety lamps, the amount of the penalties being £2 3s. 6d. and costs £3 128. Eight men were fined £2 16s. and £3 Ss. for taking matches or smoking in the mine. There were three contraventions of rules about explosives, with penalties of £1 0s. 6d. and £1 5s. 6d. costs; fourteen contraventions about trams and tubs, penalties £5 5s. and £4 18s. 6d. costs; four for cruelty to animals, with penalties 17s. 6d. and £1 19s. costs; and 40 miscellaneous, with penalties of £20 1s. 6d. and costs £21 1s. 4d.; making a total of 75 prosecutions, with penalties amounting to £32 4s. and costs £36 4s. 4d.

Details are given in Appendix II.

One prosecution was taken under the Cruelty to Animals Act, and the defendant-a putter-convicted of striking a pony with a pick-shaft and sent to prison for two months with hard labour.