HOKITIKA NOTES

Grey River Argus, 11 August 1944, Page 2

HOKITIKA NOTES

[Our Own Correspondent.!

HOKITIKA, August 10

Westland Co-operative Dairy Company received advice from the Department of Agriculture that its average o-rade of 94.60 points for butter for export is the highest average ex the Port of Lyttelton during the past year. This is the second ypar in succession that the Westland factory has topped the grading through Lyttelton, and this year’s grading points are higher than ’last year, when Westland Factory received _ tne highest grading for the Dominion. The Gael which arrived last Friday night is still in port. The bar has been in a bade state. This is the worst hold-up experienced by the Gael for twelve months. For the first ten months since Captain Reeves took over the vessel, she only missed one tide at Hokitika. Mrs. Salvingy has been advised that her son Flight Sergeant Peter Salvingy, recently wounded, will arrive home in a few days. Pilot Officer Col. Lewis, injured in the crash of the Air Travel plane near Murchison, was able to leave Westland Hospital on Wednesday and is now at his home here. Squadron Leader N. Suttie, on loan from the Air Force will take up duties next week with Air Travel Ltd., when they hope to resume the Hokitika-Wellington <servj.ee. He previously was on loan to the Company, piloting the Nelson and South Westland services with Pilot Officer Lewis.

This afternoon Mr. F. K. Hunt (Chairman of the visiting committee of the Hospital Board) handed over a gift of tovs to the children in Williams Ward, the toys having been received by the Chairman of the Board. Mr. E. W. Heenan from local Rotarians at their weekly luncheon on Tuesday. Miss Ramsay (Matron) with the Sister in charge distributed the toys among the patients. In a table tennis match, St. Mary's Club beat the Hokitika Badminton Club b v 19 to 17. Only small catches of whitebait have so far been reported. They are not on sale in town, the few pints having been purchased by the fish shop. The retail price was about 7s 6d a pint. It is understood that the Hon. J. O’Brien will visit the West Coast this week-end, when he is to address a public meeting in the Lyceum Hall in Greymouth on Monday evening, and will also have several deputations. It is possible the Minister will also visit Hokitika. A donation of £5 5s was made by Mr. F. J. McLean, Greymouth, to the Memorial to the late Captain J. C. Mercer.

Mr. H. F. Cooke, Manager of the Bank of New South Wales here for the past nineteen years, will ‘retire on superannuation at the end of September, and will be leaving to live in New Plymouth. Mr. Cook has been popular in business and sporting circles .having been a keen member of the Golf and Bowling Clubs. His daughter Miss Elsie Cooke will also be leaving Hokitika, and she will be missed in golfing and tennis circles. The Borough Council is to construct a road to a block of red pine at South Hokitika to permit two returned men to get the timber out for milling. The block is estimated to contain one million feet. The men will pav double road tax on the timber. The road will cost £l5O.