NEED FOR A NEW MINING SYSTEM.

Room and pillar mining system practiced in this country for over 200 years has many advantages and disadvantages, the latter resulting primarily from the applications, within the past 20 yr or so, of continuous miners, rubber-tired shuttle cars etc. Longwall system, originally developed in West Germany has also its disadvantages, outlined in paper. A combined longwall- and room-and-pillar mining method proposed in paper offers a possible solution to the many problems that are certain to be faced in future coal mining in this country.