GREY VALLEY.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 18626, 26 February 1926, Page 3

GREY VALLEY.

r —* — SCENE OF INDUSTRY. DAIRYING AND MINING. Near the head of the Grey Valley, Totara Flat, one of the best areas of dairying and sheep laud oil the Coast, makes a pleasant contrast with the wastes of blackberry and cut-out bushlands to the north and south. It is an old settlement, and, like Kokatahi and Koiterangi, is very similar to parts of Canterbury. In the middle of this plain, formed by the silt brought down by the rivers in bygone ages, the Waimunga State Farm provides an example of what can be done with suitable grasses and root crops. Recently the farm was stocked with dairy cows, and tho latest methods known to dairymen are to be practised. South of the flat there is a forest belt, which contributes its quota to the timber exported. As the Beefton-Greymouth road approaches the districts where the coal mines are, the Grey river flows in a "narrow gorge of considerable beauty. At Ngahere, ther eis a junction of railways, a branch lino leading out to the Blackball mines, which is on a low plateau only a few miles away. A bluish pall hanging over the little mining town, spreads gradually up the neighbouring valleys, and, dissolving slowly into the atmosphere, makes a pretty contrast with the fog which clothes the higher slopes, and increases the beauty of the view obtained from the road of the bush-covered hills. By taking a, turning to the right on the Ngahcrc-Blackball road, the beautiful little settlement of Moonlight may be reached. Herds of dairy cattle indicate the means by which . the settlers obtain their livelihood, for, except for the activities of the Kiniu Gold Dredging Company and those of a few fossickers, the quest of gold has been given up. Among the dairymen are some having close liuks with the days when tho rinding of large nuggets was an almost weekly occurrence at Moonlight—others are men who, tiring of the work underground, have forsaken tho coal mines for a. 'pastoral existence. Menace of the Elver. The Grey river, which is crossed hv the Ngahere-Blackball road, often becomes a mighty torrent in the spring and early summer, when the warmer rains melt the snow in the back country. Its recent destruction of the Ngahere bridge and isolation of Blackball proved of what mischief, it is canable when in the mood. Other mine workings passed on tho way down the valley ere those at Xorlh Bn'inner and Bruruier. AVisps of smokd rising from tho old coke ovens are in indication that, n portion, at least, of the old plant is now being utilised, run] the rebuilding, of the trafik jspension bridge, which was undertaken 5-ome months ago by tho Public Works De-

partment, proves that the faith in a, new life for Brunncr is shared by an important Government Department. A little further along the road passes through Wallscnd. Within a few yards of the railway line a baling plant is unwateriug the "Wallsend shafts, in preparation for the resumption of mining operations, for a company has been formed to exploit the coal measures that were left, and to mine the great field of coal proved on the Taylorville side of the river by a. number of bores placed widely apart, which encountered an eleven feet scam high in alorific content. Soon the unwatering will be finished at Wallsend, and the sound of explosions and the tap of the miner's pick will echo along the coal faces. A foot suspension bridge crosses the river here, -joining Wallsend with Tay lorville. The road has degenerated since it entered the borough of Brunner. Its boundaries were flung very wide -itb tho intention of including air of the mineral-bearing country, but since tho decline of industry, the resources of the borough have not been sufficient to meet the claims made upon them. Activity at Dobson. Skirting a frowning, rocky face, the road presently leads on to a small plain. On the left, nestling in the corner of tho hills, are the mine buildings of tho Grey Valley Collieries, Ltd. Smoke is rising from the stack, and steam from tho pipes, for the company has been responsible for the reopening of the Dobson mine. Bores sunk in this locality also proved great seams of splendid coal. Indeed, the whole valley, from Dobson to Brunner, is an immense coalfield. Carpenters are at work in the old township of Dobson, building cottages for the miners, and at the railway station the company's bins are being erected of tho heavy timber used in such structures. Dobson was named after Surveyor Dobson, who was ambushed and foully murdered, in mistake for a gold buyer, one clay in the '6O 's, when he wns returning home through tho bush. A stone cairn standing between the railway and the river marks the spot. The road sweeps through picturesque countrv, rising towards the southern hills. 'On tho right the power-house ot the Grey Electric Power Board is Hearing completion, and wires cross the road and lead towards Greymouth. With the mines of the Grey Valley and the sawmills operated with electricity, the streets and roads lighted by the same means, and the numerous other improvements, which will soon be made possible, in operation, a visit to the West toast will take on a new interest for the Canterburv resident and the tourist will no longer be able to complain that tho district is lacking in those amenities_ demanded by a twentieth century civilisation. , The fertile river flats which spread far on both banks, provide grass for numerous dairv herds, and a sharp turn to the right takes the road past a bush sawmill, and back into the undulations of the hill--- Its name has changed to the Omoto road, and below, on tiio flat jo the right, lies the beautitul Omoto racecourse, in its picturesque anting of low bush and river baiiK. Omoto Racecourse. Good work has been done in improvine the appointments and their s-irroundings, and it must be a \ir> different place from the rough area on which the equine champions of the Coast fought out their battles in the •'Uo'> and ''**> '?• . .\ C (. r ** to the course was outaiueu in tl,o«p davs by means of barges, which made their hazardous journey __ up the

stream. On the left of Omoto road the hi!! 3 rise abruptly, and many glimpses are obtained of the lovely valleys which pass down between them. The bush here is the home of tho 'possum and the mepoke, which makes the night mysterious with its haunting cry. The road winds and undulates past a brewery and the borough pumping station, and presently, topping a rise, unfolds a vista of river, wharves, and sea. Greymoiith is the largest town on the West Coast, and is fairly solid commercially. It has numerous fine buildings, including the Old People's Home, Technical College, and Convent of Mercy, all of which were recently erected.