Local and General

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 January 1944, Page 4

Local and General

“The amount of vandalism that goes on_m Greymouth in regard to the property of the community is shocking,” said the Mflyor (Mr. F. A. Kitchingham) at a meeting of the Greymouth Borough Council, last evening, when referring to the breaking of the branches of the pohutukawa tree at the corner of Albert and Mackay Streets. He added that trees, shrubs and other plants which brought pleasure to thousands of people were needlessly destroyed by unthinking people. Such vandalism,‘however, was not confined to Greymouth or to the West Coast, and he expressed the opinion that the only way to combat it was to begin with the education of the children. The Mayor further instanced the breaking of 30 panes of glass, in the Council’s glass house and the chopping down of trees in a plantation near the Hokitika railway line, adding, “and so it goes on week after week and year after year.”

The Greymouth Borough Council decided last evening, that a charge of 10 per cent, he added to all rates for the year 1943-44 which remain unpaid at 4 p.m. on March 20, 1944.

It is expected that work will commence in about a month’s time on the erection of further housing units for the' Government at Holland Settlement. The conn-acts will be signed shortly, and construction will get under way with little delay. The Minister of Supply (Mr Sullivan) announced last evening that the restrictions on the size of containers in which medicinal tfara.; fin could be retailed 'nad been hftea as adequate supplies were now reaching the Dominion. —P.A.

Although the West Coast normally derives a good proportion of its meat supplies from Canterbury, a Greymouth butcher stated to-day that the trade has not been inconvenienced by the blockage of the Midland line. Plenty of West Coast meat was available and the demand was being met without difficulty.

A Price Order gazetted last evening fixes as from Monday, January 24, the following maximum wholesale prices for apples:—Gravenstein, all counts, 10/3 per bushel case; other desert, all counts, 13/6, and cookers, all counts, 10/3. These price limits apply to both fancy and commercial grades.—P.A.

The manager of the Greymouth Borough Abattoirs reported to a meeting of the Council last evening that the following stock was examined during December, 1943:—Cows, 31 (one condemned); bullocks, 10b, sheep, 311; lambs, 542; pigs, 24; calves, 11 (one condemned). The fees for the month amounted to £137/17/11.

Because of the coal shortage causing a restriction of Railways services the combined picnic arranged by the Buller, Westland arid Motueka Labour Representation Committees for Sunday next has been postponed. The West Coast Swimming Centre’s carnival, which was to be held on Saturday next, has also been cancelled.

When an underground cable carrying 11,000 volts blew out in Cobden shortly before 9 o’clock, this morning, it cut off power in the wffiole of Greymouth for more than 20 minutes. To enable repairs to be effected by the staff of the Grey Electric Power Board the supply to the town was obtained from another sub-station.

The influence of the neap tides was strongly in evidence, this morning, when'the depth on the Grey bar at high water was only 14 feet nine inches, a fall of six inches compared with the previous reading on the gauge. Moderate seas prevailed today, preventing soundings being taken. It is not expected that the experiment of scooping the fairway will be undertaken before next week; in any event, the bar will first be sounded.’

Within the next fortnight work will probably commence upon the reconstruction and consolidation of the South Tip. The Greymouth Harbour Board’s Engineer, Mr D. S. Kennedy, stated to-day that the seven-ton crane is in position, and that water tanks, a cement store and other essentials have been erected, the preparatory work being well ahead. All material, including gravel and cement, is being transported to the site by lorry.

Of 25 West Coast schoolboys who volunteered for work' on farms during the vacation five were placed on Coast farms and two in Canterbury. Ten others found work for themselves on Canterbury farms, generally on properties where they were employed the previous year. Some will return home at the end of this week or early next week, but others will remain till the end of February. Three teachers and nine students who were directed to ancillary work, in - cluding hostels, for the month of January wih return home on Saturday to enable them to prepare their study courses for the new academic year.

In the Wellington district a partial drought of 46 days has been broken. The dry spell began on December 4, and till Wednesday only 33 points of rain had been recorded in that period. This is the sixth longest of 40 partial droughts Wellington has had in the last 82 years. The longest on record started on January 29, 1867, and lasted 84 days. By ten o’clock last night the recording ' at Kelburn was 75 points for 36 hours. Reports from, elsewhere in Wellington provincial area, as far as Gisborne, suggests a similar degree. An inch of rain has fallen in Auckland, the fall breaking a long dry spell. In. the north, one locality had- an inch of rain in five hours.—P.A.

The 83 West Coasters, who received notice some time ago that they were to proceed to the Nelson and Marlborough districts for-28 days in-camp training on January 31, received a further notice to-day that their services are not immediately required, and the mobilisation has therefore been cancelled. In addition to the West Coast .men 20 Territorials in the Buller district are affected by the cancellation. The reason given for the cancellation is that 1,000 men have been drafted to the South Island from the North Island, making the presence of the West Coast and Buller men unnecessary at present. It is understood that the men will be required to do their 28 days’ in-camp training later, probably in March.

The Deputy Mayor of Greymouth, Cr. H. Herring, has presented to the Borough Council three photographs each of which comprises a view of Greymouth in its early days with a view of the same locality in 1939. The photographs comprise a view from Mawhera Quay looking towards the Railway Station in 1867 compared with a similar view in 1939, Lord Street in 1870 and in 1939, and the first, second and third Greymouth Post Offices. The photographs were prepared at Cr. Herring’s expense for inclusion in the West Coast section of the 1939-40 Exhibition in Wellington, and they will now be included in Greymouth’s Pioneer Library and Museum. At a meeting of the Council last evening Cr. Herring was accorded a vote of thanks for his gift.

Track and field athletics, Recreation Ground Saturday. Main attraction, West Coast 100 yards Amateur Championship.—Advt.

The Dobson sawmill of Stratford, Blair and Co. was idle to-day. The Secretary of the Westland Timber Workers’ Union (Mr F. L Turley) stated, this afternoon, that the mill was idle as the result of the mill men coming into Greymouth to discuss with him the question of holiday pay. He added that after a conference with the manager of the Company, Mr G. Blair, it was agreed that the men would go to work on the next working day on condition that the Secretary was able to arrange a meeting of the Disputes Committee by February 8 to discuss the whole matter. Mr Turley added that he had communicated with Mr A. Seed Secretary of the Dominion Federation of Sawmillers, and Mr Seed had agreed to have the question discussed before a meeting of the Disoutes Committee on February 9, the earliest suitable date. Air Turley said he had agreed to that date, and that the mill will work as usual on the next working day.