WEST COAST NEWS

+ I ! GREYMOUTH j J HOSPITAL AFFAIRS j >:'ECi.'.L -10 THE i'MsS. ; GREYMGUTH, October 6. j rt. reply has been received by Mr R. ! chairman of the Grey ; iJctpital Board, from the Minister for j Health, the Hon. J. A. Young, about the l request recently made Jor an enquiry j into the affairs of the Grey Hospital. I The letter was accompanied by a copy of the reply whfeh the Minister has sent to Mr F. 1... Tuiicy, a member of the board, who had asked for the enquiry. The reply is as follows: ' With further reference to your letter of July ."5, requesting an enquiry into the affairs of the Grey Hospital Board,

1 1 am now in receipt of a communicaj'joii from the chairman of the board, replying to the several allegations j made by yourself. After carefully considering the matter, and particularly about the recent changes of senior medical staff, I am not satisfied that there is sufficient warranty for the expense of a special departmental enquiry. Instructions have been given, however, to have the subject matter of your complaint looked into on the occasion of the next inspection of the hospital by the departmental officer It is hoped to arrange for such inspection for November."

[ In his covering letter to the chair[man or the board, the Hon. J. A. Young Males that, as soon as can conveniently be arranged, a visit of inspec- ; lion will be made by a departmental. , officer, who will extend an opportunity to beard members to discuss any matters about the administration of the hospital. j District Coal Mines James. Liverpool, and Dobson collieries will be idle on Monday, and the Wallsend mine will work. VV'atersickr Injured Head injuries were sustained by •(. j McMinn. a waterside worker yesterday, as the result of a fall while working on the s.s. Kaimai. He was admitted to die Grey Hospital. Miners' Union Ballot The results of the ballot which was recently taken at the various coal mines on the West Coast on the question of reorganisation, resulted in a majority in favour of reorganisation of 2(1-1. iiiillcr Delegate Th? ballot vote taken at the Buller district mines to elect a delegate to represent that district on the New /.ealnr.d National Council, resulted in the election of J. Loiigmuir. "West Coast Farmers j

M. .!. Muleare presided at the quarterly meeting of the executive of [the West Coa.-.t "branch of the New 'Zealand Provincial Farmers' Union. It v.-as decided that the president, as (■elevate to the Dominion conference en October 9. at Wellington, should support the representations of the county councils for an investigation into motor taxation. The president v.-as also instructed t_> support any .-cheme that might be devised to bring nil!: into the schools. Eulogistic reference was made to 'he good work i>; the organisrr, the membership having increased from 13U in June, lit:;:; to 202 at the present time. It. was decided to ask the Railway Department, to improve the local services on the Otira line.

| The following remits from the KokaI h,hi-K.o;i<-ranr>.i branch were adopted: | 'l' That the executive urge on the derailment concerned the need for a Ivigoron- campaign to cope with the deer menace; <2> 'hat the executive continue to urge the revision of the present Tram-norl Regulations, will; a view to removing the present anomalies; (3) that, in view of the precarious state of ihe industry, farmers in rabbit-infested areas be supplied with poiser tree of charge. Mr J. Rvan ißoiomanu) said there was a butter war going on in Christchurch at present, butter being down to Sd per lb. and it would not be long before the Coast would be similarly affected. The farmers could not live on such prices. It was decided that nothing should be done, pending the Dairy Commission's report, but that the president should bring the local position before the Dominion Conference.

Unemployed Protest The Greyrnouth Borough Council and Grey County Council have decided to support the "district, unemployed's protest against the cut of 2s 6d a week imposed on single, unemployed and unemployed married men without dependents.

j Hospital Subsidy | In reply to its protest against th« [reduction in the rate of subsidy to the I Grey Hospital, the Grey County Coun'cii has received a reply from the Min«istcr for Finance stating that, the estii mates showed that the present scale of salaries paid by the board was, generally speaking, the highest in the Dominion, the Board not having applied either of the two cuts, and that in some respects the Grey Hospital was more liberally staffed than smaller institutions. The Grey board, although asked to do so, definite refused to reduce its sr-io of salaries and wages, and the fig of the rate of subsidy on maintci;:,!ice levies at 22s 7d per £l, was decided on to ensure that the j Government subsidy would be no J greater than the subsidy to other hos- j pita! boards, which treated their staffs j in salary cuts in the same manner as J the Government treated the Public! Service. The reduction had been decided on. the letter added, owing to the excessive scale of salaries and wages paid by the board.

i Whippet Racing j A! a meeting held at Ikamatua, it : was decided to form a whippet club, ! to be known as the Grey Valley Club, iMr .1 Green being elected president, | and Mr R. V. Trcwern secretary. Kifle Shooting ; The final trophy shoot for the season ; by the Grey Ladies' Miniature Chib '■ resulted m a win for Mrs Joyce, with I a total score of 137. Miss J. Hamilton , I was the winner of the hotty button j with a score of Gli. ! i :.; Cobdcn Merger j .! As the merger of the Cobden Town 'i Board district with the Borough of i Greymouth has been completed, the 1 Commissioners A. H McKane. 14. Mar- ; ley. and F. L. Turlej have taken their . scats on the Greymouth Borough ; Council as representatives of the CobIden district. The coime-ill will consist ;of VI members and the Mayor, until I the next election, in May, 593;'), when the number will revert to nine and the (Mayor. Mr F. H. Denton, present' Greymouth Town Clerk, has been ap- s I pointed town clerk, treasurer, and re-; j turning otiicer fo,- the united borough.; .As soon as possible the engineer is to j I prepare n report showing the estimated | j cost of providing water drainage and j | sewerage services at Cobden, afteri (which it is possible a loan proposal jwili be placed before Ihe Cobden rate- | payers. ; Borough Affairs ! Three building permits ot a total value of £225. were issued bv the Greymouth Borough Council during September. Present employees under the No. 5 scheme in the borough, comprise 16 A class men, 45 B class men, and 19 C class men, a total of 80, a decrease of 13 on the number employed at the end of August. Books issued at the Municipal Library last month to- ' tailed 2719. Last month fees collected at the municipal abattoirs totalled £B7 ' IDs 10d.