REWANUI NOTES

Greymouth Evening Star, 25 July 1918, Page 6

REWANUI NOTES

(Our Core ’■ ,udeiit-) 0:s TjLii HILL. usual tilings are. quiet up here. We have had tne usual amount of trust that otuer places in high altitudes have had—perhaps a bit nivre. Croat progress is being made with our new Lins, and by tne looks of them they should so mi be ready for storage. DEVELOPMENT. Uur old friend Mr. T. Learmont, who until recently was out at SeddoiiviikO doing the survey work for the proposed new State mines -out that way, is due to arrive at Eewamu tins week to undertake the survey work for the new development scheme that is about to. be commenced at the Middle Brake, and which I mentioned some few weeks ago. This proposed job is going to be one of the soundest and most economical propositions that the Mines Department ever took up, and should have been done at the beginning of operations at Kewanui. When 1 use the word ‘‘economical,” 1 mean handling the output and for drainage purposes combined. This scheme, ii successfully carried out, is going to open out a large amount of virgin country which we know is coal bearing, as we have two proved seams on it averaging in thickness something like twen-ty-live or twenty-six f each and ever- possibility by indications of formations, and strata in the vicinity of something better in deeper levels. This job is not going to. be finished without the outlay of a few thousand pounds, but it will be worth it, as it will prove a valuable asset in more ways than one. It won’t be finished without same extra special mining engineering - abilities being displayed, as we know that through the faulty nature of the country to be gone through a bit of trouble is ahead, but all the same we have confidence in our head oiHciah;. This scheme, if carried out successfully, is going to reduce the. cost of coal materially, and let us hope the small consumer will benefit by it. It will place the article nearer the rail heads. It will also do away with this big expense' of keeping these large viaducts in repair, which in the near future will want replacing, as they are only built of local timber. It will also shorten the means' of transit by about a mile cr more and will enable the management to have' the use of the l rails, sleepers, ropes, timber, that are being used in tSie present mode of transit. Vfe all wish this new development scheme the success it deserves, if for no other reason than tint it will he a great boon to the workers who live, in llimanga., as it will mean ihat the v will be able to use the workmen &

train morning and evening, as the Dunollie mines get worked out. RUNANGA RED CROSS BALL. This scribe, by invitation, attended tlio Runanga Patriotic Committee’s children’s fancy dress ball last Friday night, and mighty proud the Runanga community ought to be of its efforts. We don’t set much store on our own private efforts,” said one lady present, ‘■'but the energies of all are concentrated in making good to our boys at the front, does us a. lot of good.” In ail my travels I was never so much stirred in my life. Everything worth mentioning was done to ensure the comfort of tlie children and to let them go for all they were worth. There were some of usi who took a large bouquet and a ; bag full of coo-ees to encourage things on a hit, but it was not needed. To describe this affair is beyond me, and my friends say the same. One or two remarks I heard passed by the spectators were “It was the real thing,” “I have just seen the limit.” Mr. Stanlev Nesbit, who must have put a lot of time in training these children, had them on the move from about 7.80 p.in., and kept them going in the different beautiful evolutions and dances until sup-per-time—about 10 o’clock—when they en joyed a. well-deserved rest. Mr. and Mrs. T, Murray took an active part in the proceedings, and great credit is due to them. Miss Elliott was always on hand to help the youngsters, especially the very little ones, and was kept busy most of the time. Taking things all through it was a very creditable function, and will long he remembered by the residents of Runanga, both as a, financial success for the deserving cause—Red Cross work—and as a. scene cf splendour. LABOUR’S AIMS. Wo are blundering on, accumulating experience on the journey, and discovering that the promised land is a long way off. At one time it seemed to be only round the cornel - . The way to get there was in our opinion to destroy political privileges, democratise Parliament, give the j ugged honesty of Labour a. chance, and then sit down and enjoy the result. The main trouble now is that the results provoke as much enjoyment as a very keen barber coming down t!ie Grey Talley on a. frosty morning. Not very long ago there Mere New Zealanders who thought in terms of New Zealand no matter what their minds, were occupied with. These obtruded in the mind of Labour that they had a job in hand unique in the world’s history—the shedding of the light of Democracy—both political and industrial. There may he some of these people' left for all this writer knows, hut they are seldom heard from—instead, loud blaring voices are heard now proclaiming the glad tidings of the short cut to anywhere, and nowhere, and Utopia, in particular. Many of these New Zealanders were actively connect©.l with Labour in politics, others associated themselves with Labour, because of itsi apparent wide New Zealand vision. Herein Labour found the cement which bound it together, something which rose above the frowsy party struggle of the passing hours, gave force and dignity to the movement, and imparted vigour to the natural growth of Labour ideas. If Labour drops that ideal, or allows it to be obscured by the spurious doctrines which are being instilled into, the minds of the youth of today, and which certain trades unions are advocating by using all tlie dregs and rinsings of Labour. There will still be a. future for New Zealand, but it will not bo the future that the New Zealanders of the day before yesterday were thinking about. Labour in days gone by used to think of building up a nation of Democrats, where only a. vacancy existed before. Then a Labour man spoke of the development of industry, he did so because of his apprehension that unless the industrial life of the community was developed the very foundations of the nation would be missing,, and while he struggled to secure the political freedom and industrial equality of every citizen, he had the hop© that this would be used for the furtherance of New Zealand's, interestsi, and those of Democracy. The .size of the job didti’t trouble Labour in those days. The worker generally used to do these jobs for no rewards, and was always out of pocket ; but the thought of having benefited the coming generation was quite sufficient- This new movement called Labour, instead of going forward gathering strength, starts by eating its own head off. Among people in older countries, where elbow room m hard to get and the accumulated dust of ages is heavy on the premises in the shape of servility, docility, and sweating, these doctrines may mean everything. But in New Zealand we must have something more rational and up-to-date. It is true that human progress can never be measured by balance sheets,

or the output of butter factories. l‘ut the rate at which a nation—si

new land, a, new people —can measure itself financially ,is calculated by the expedition by which Labour moves. New Zealanders listening to these new doctrines which are being foisted on to liiui, would appear tohavo lost grip of all the finer conceptions of manhood, democratic nationhood, and to- be subsiding into a. condition of social inaptitude, heedless of the national perils. How much longer is this going to continue? I few much longer are wo to forget

our nation? How much longer are we going to submit, to be misled by men who never thrilled at the name of "work 1 ”