OUR WEST COAST LETTER.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1096, 7 April 1911, Page 9

OUR WEST COAST LETTER.

THE DILAPIDATED "KING'S .: ' • /GARDENS. ~^ (from Our Special Correspondent.) - The ; Greymputh Borough Council has granted" •' permission to the : Makura Croquet Club to lay down lawns on tho Town Belt, in cloie proximity to what is styled'tho King's Gardens.' The Gardens, by the way, consist of a small circular portion of the Belt, which' \yas planted with a heterogeneous collection of shrilbs in commemoration of the Coronation-'of Edward VII, and duly christoiied^with-.'pflmn and circumstance. Nobody ever enters the Gardens,', however, for the simnlo and sound reason tliat tftew-ivro n~dt : sufficiently T extensive" ;to admit of the swinging of tho proverbial tabby. They are regularly and consistently forgotten/-until a- municipal.'election is in sight.-'Then some -"fepresenta- 1 tiye of the• free ■ and -independent" is tiirned.into tho enclosure to wrestle- for a: few 'days ! iwith the luxuriant crop of docks for which it is notorious. The docks never fail to carry off the palm.

j Rimu: Ladies' Hockey Club. ;Thc Eimu Ladies' Hockey Club held its annual, meeting recently, the attendance of members and.intending members"being large. - Miss Blanche Hall, Who occupied tho chair, read the report an'd balancesheet, both of which were' highly satisfactorv- Black and white were chosen as the club's colours. It was decided to send a team to Wellington, in. August to take part in the tournament which is being "organised--by the Ladies' Hockey Association of New Zealand, and the committee was directed to hold n series of "socials" for the purpose of raising funds wherewith • to defray the expenses of the teavh. Officers were elected as folMr. E: J. Smith; vicepresidents, Messrs. A. E. Guinness, A. C. Eiissell, T. Pollard,' 0. M'Leau.'L. -Broad, W. Kerr, T. E. Coates, E. A. Wickcs, Ti Thomas, W. E. Kettle, J. W.' M'Brearty, and W. M'Kay; club captain, Mrs. 11, Webb; field captain, Miss D. Lindsay; deputy-captain, Miss P. Kerr; hon. secretary and treasurer, Miss B. Hall; committee, Misses E.' Lindsay, L. Morris, E: Heaphy, M. Arnott, X. Bade, Good, and captain; -deputy-captain, and secretary, ex officio; selection committee, the ca'ptahv deputy-captain, and M. Arnott. Greymouth's Town Clork-elect. 'At its last ordinary meeting, the Grey-, m'outh Bdrough Counoil appointed Mr. -f. K'. Campbell, Town Clerk, in 'succession to the late Mr. Lord, and by general consent tho. appointment is, one of the best made by the council for many years. The new Town Clerk, who was born in Glas-gow-forty years ago. received his early professional training in that ■ progressive city. Thence he migrated to South Africa, where he was engaged for two years intho railway -service of Natal. Thereafter he came out to New Zealand, and shortly after his arrival was appointed Town Clerk at Hokitika, where, for a period of eight years, he performed the duties devolving upon him with • marked ability..' He resigned that position in or-, der to enable him to accept the-position of chi;f accountant in tho : office •of Messrs. Mark, Sprott, and Co., tho-largest auctioneering and broking -firm on tho West Coast. Mr. Campbell is a Fellow of the New Zealand Society- of Accountants, and-so valued -aro Instabilities that, towards the end of last year, ho was unanimously chosen to unravel the entanglements of the Greymouth Borough Council's books,, and to institute for that body.a modern system of accountancy. Since he came to reside in Greymouth the. new Town Clerk has taken an active part in all works having for their ultimate object the advancement of the town. . ' ' .

' Bowling. On Saturday six rinks of the Hokitika Bowling Club visited Greymouth, with the object of wresting the ' Ballinner Bucklcs-from the present holders. ■ The lircen was in excellent playing order, an<i the contest keen. When the final heat was nlnyed. the fcorps stood—Greymonth 122. Hokitika 10!). The lead was'chiefly nwine to-the plav of the rink composed of Messrs; B. Harner. A. Duiicin, E. J. Smith, and F. H. Kilgour (skip).

: Athletics. The Greymouth District High School's team of runners visited Recfton during thn week in charge of Mr. F. W. Keddell, secretary of the School Commutes, in order to compete in the schools' relay race. ' This they had no difficulty in winning. This is tho third consecutive time for the Grpymouth School, ami its representatives (Keddell, Michel, Galbraith, and Larinont) would be very hard to beat.

Greyinouth Brewery Company. On Thursday evening lash the annual meeting .of the Greymonth Brewery Company was held at the Commercial Hotel.. Mr. P. Grognn presided, and there, was a lnrrje attendance of shareholders. The balance-sheet showed that tho year's transactions had been very satisfactory Tho retiring dircttors,'Messrs. P. Gro E an and W. J. Joyce, were re-elected without opposition, as were also- the auditors, Messrs..T. L. Dorgan , and J. White.