WESTPORT NOTES

Grey River Argus, 15 July 1922, Page 3

WESTPORT NOTES

(Our Own Correspondent.) In his address nt the Town Hall on Monday night, Major Belcher spoke of the possibility of growing cotton in the Auckland district. In regard to dairy produce he was of tho opinion that New Zealand butter excelled the famous Danish production. He attributed tho latter's success to the perfect system of distribution in London, also to plenty of the right kind of jivertising. He said Danish butter w- s asked for in London because people imagined it whs better than any other on account of its being so widely advertised. lie estimated that something like 60,000 people would be fed daily at the Empire Exhibition restaurants; and the bill of fare, would comprise none but British foodstuffs. In this direction alone :n incalculable amount of free publicity would bi* given to products of the Empire. British people, he said, will then have learnt that New Zealand butter is better than Danish butter; that Australian fruits are better than C lifornia fruits, and Dominion wool as good as any produced in the British Empire. During his recent visit to tiie North Island Mr 11. R. Young had no less than 26 samples of coal from the Buller district analysed at the Waihi laboratory. A report was also made as to the best, usage each could be put to. Negotiations for alterations and ex

tensions to the Buller District Hospital are expected, to reach a finality at the next monthly meeting of the Board. It takes place next Tuesday. Of course one never knows tho possibilities of the future—the bondsmen may yet be defamed! A junior basket ball mutch took place on Friday between the pupils of the District High School ami the students of St Alary 's College. The game was played at the State grounds under ideal weather conditions. St John’s are inaugurating their winter evening entertainments again next week. They are for the purpose of raising funds for the proposed new church building. With their produce sales and winter evenings last year, the Committee raised an average of £.’>U at each ex'en t. The Driestman dredge has been at work during the week clearing the Duller roadstead of snags brought down by the recent flood waters. The Hon W. IL Mclntyre is in Westj port for (lie monthly meeting of the | (founty Council aid the Buller Hospital Board due to take place on Tuesday and Wednesday next. Two storemen came to blows in the back yard v>f a grocery establishment in Palmerston Street the other day. During the tu-xsl;? they incidmitaily backed into a horse stall, where they got kicked out by rn animal of the equine species. They recommenced ami presently found themselves working their way into another horse stall where the same tiling happened. Then the proprietor of the firm came on the scene to seplitely informed that tho row was not being enacted during working hours and interference w: s uncalled for. The fight i for supremacy happened to be takng pl.-itu* during luncheon Lour, but there came a stage of the game when the town clock gave the “time-up” alarm ami on both throwing up the sponge, the odds were even. A very interesting ami exciting game of hockey was pl.- yed in Victoria Square on Thursday afternoon between I the School girls and tho Westport A’s. There was a big crowd of spectators ami tho gate went to the Hockey cand’dnte fM.iss AT. Carr,) for the O’Connor Home “Popular Girl.” For School M i.ene Holder played ■ great gamp, and scored the only goal registered for the season against Westport. Afiss G. Campbell also played a valuable game fur the same team. Aliss Tulloch, P: in, Champion ami Fletcher were the scorers for the Westport A's and all I mentioned played their usual good /

games. Tho score was four for West- ? port, and one for School. 1 WESTPCRTONIAN’S NOTES. — At last! After weary waiting, the Board of Trade has made a. pronouncement upon the price of milk, in the Westport district ami the verdict, is “Nut Guilty.” The Board state th: t exhaustive enquiries have been instituted ami their conclusions are that the eircumstauees do not warrant any fixing of the price of milk. Having taken quite four months to consider th., matter “ exhaustix " appe rs to be a good word. The Dubbs’ patience has been fairly exhausted also; Henry is generally hopi'ful ami lie thought he might have secured some abatement. He had heard confidentially of course, that the private enquiry agent, sent along, had expressed an opinion to the Borough Council that the price would be reduced to 6d per quart. But Dame Rumour, as usual has proved a lying jade. Tho Board are convinced that the vendors are not nu king inordinate profits. The Board evidently has tak en a leaf out_ of the Arbitration Court judge’s books and is kueping one eye on the industry ami the other on the worker; but I fancy that which is supposed to be watching the industry has a cataract. If that were not so, why have they not indicted tho Buller Hospital Bqard for exploiting the milky who Las undertaken to supply the Hospital and Old People’s Home with milk at 4bl per quart and has been doing it right through the winter months? This information h: s been given the Board of Trade, and in all fairness it should be utilized. Incidentally, the Board mention that the Borough Council should enforce their by-law prohibiting the depasturing of cattle upon the Thorough, as owners thereof enter into competition with the milkies. .lust so; but remove all opposition and then what price per qiu rt ? The person who runs a cow or two on the street has proven in inanv instances a benefactor, as he has b(‘en able to help keep up the supply when the ordinary vendor could not. do so. The writer can vouch for this fad that persons de* ling with a, regular x'cmlor, have been kept without milk 15 days out of 31 —one month. Tho cows on the streets, if properly looked after, would keep the grass eaten down. It might be advisable for the Borough Council to amend its bylaws in the direction of giving permission for a small fee, under proper regulation. for cows Io be depastured. Competition nr y be to more purpose than Boards of Trade. Apropos of grass upon the Borough streets, what about the blackberry? Could not a remedy be found for this? A less costly and more efficient one than that employed by tho Borough Council about a year ago when it cost about £l5O for a special man upon this i special job; and now the blackberry growth is more luxuriant than ever.

For less than the sum named the ('our cil could procure sufficient angora goat I who would settle tin* blackberry pesl 1 They might lie hired out to resident with families, so that they jj-ight rt eeive the milk in return for shepherd ing the goats. The wool would be ; source of profit also. From the above, renders will say that 1 advocate turning the Borougl streets into a farmyard, but the sit uat on has to be raced that the revenue derived from taxation is insufficient t< keep the streets in a condition fit fo ordinary traffic. Construction and main tenanee of streets has had to be pai< for out of ordinary revenue and tin task is n impossible one, it cannot bt done. Therefore any project to gel over or - round the difficulty should re eeive consideration by the long heade*. City Father-. Two butter fat men—not fat buttei men—are said to have become so heat ed the other day, when the Imperia' trading push were doing the rounds that it is a wonder that one or thother—or perhaps both—did not have to utilise the cooler. Only being ai observer, from a distance and not be ing on the invitation ticket; I am not in a position to state what was said It might have been an alteration upon p* st and present methods of production However, the present producer escorted the 1 mpurialists over the show, whib the upholder of a glorious past remained outside. At the time of writing it is reported that Mrs W. Tottenham is seriously ill. with pneumonia and bronchitis. It is thought that Mrs Tottenham caught a chill while on the beach, last. Sunday She is .'ii entl|isiastic helper to the Surfing Club ami it is to be hoped she will soon be up and about again. There were four members absent from the Borough Council ordinary meeting, last Wednesday evening, His Worship the Mayor making apologies for their absence. Maybe the : ttendance will be better next year, when the lecetions are due. The Public Health Department are pressing the Borough Council to carry out its sanitation by-laws and the Council is passing the pressure on. Offenders ag- inst the said by-laws will have to comply or Magistrate Maunseli will be asking—Wot for? Reading over the Borough Estimates recently compiled and passed at Wednesday’s meeting, it struck me that the Ti’- peetor of Nuisances was responsible for quite a fair amount of revenue for the Gouncil. If he continues upon his career he will soon be a paying asset to his employers. It is said he is putting in overtime studying the by-laws seeing if ho has missed anything. After ho hrs completed his studies it is an ficipated that M: gistrate Afaiinsell will have to do his bit of overtime also. There are those in our town who consider that we could not get along without a real full blown engineer, and mice and rats, just go along and have a look -> * tin* Al ill Stfct drain and see what the Borough ovurseer is capable of. Of course I do not omit the other Borough workmen from my enconiums, these men, although only rated as general 1- bonrers, are a success at any work they have to perform and ratepayers should feel satisfied that they have the best labour commodity procurable*