HOKITIKA NOTES

Grey River Argus, 21 April 1945, Page 3

HOKITIKA NOTES

[Our Own Correspondent] HOKITIKA, April 20. Hon. R- Semple during his stay here heard deputations. Mr A. R. Elcock (Mayor) said there had been rumours (hat'it was proposed to move a number of Department branches to Greymouth, and to move the Post Office into the present Government buildings. The present Post Ollice was a disgrace. He advocated an improved aerodrome for Hokitika, and asked the 1 Minister to. give consideration to providing a taxi air service for South Westland. He also referred to the bad state of the railway crossing. More State houses were also urgently required. The Railway Department was endeavouring to purchase two houses. The Department had two vacant sections, and since the dat P of their purchase the Borough Council had lost close on £5O in revenue. The Council would rather the Department built houses than purchase existing homes, as the latter would make for a housing problem. Mr W. H. Stopforth (Hokitika Business Men’s Association) supported the request for a new aerodrome. Hokitika led the Dominion in pre-war days in pioneeringair services for the backblocks. When the Government was considering the building of a new aerodrome to service the Coast for post-war aviation, he asked for the claims of Hokitika to be considered. Mr M. H. Houston (Chairman of the Harbour Board) expressed thanks to the Minister for the prompt assistance given in repairing the wharf. Replying, the Minister said that, as regarded the Post Office, this was not in his Department, and he did not propose to interfere. He would pass the information on to the Minister in charge. Ho knew nothing about the rumours, authentic or otherwise. The present 1 Post Office was a disgrace, but circumstances over which the Government had no control held up important works. The Government had a big job to do in New Zealand, and also in the Pacific. One and a-half millions of prefabricated buildings went to the Pacific—enough timber to build 235)00 houses. All skilled labour had to be put on the jobs to save New Zealand. The Government apologised to no on e for the delays. The matter of the new Post Office for Hokitika would be taken up with the Minister in charge on his return to Wellington. Their present aerodrome was not fitted for post-war services. The Government, intended to work to a lime plan, and this job would be in the five year plan. Mr Beck had inspected the proposed site, and had also inspected the erosion at the harbour. These works would be considered in order of their priority. There would be no wire pulling or political intrigue to get jobs done. Every job would be done according to its economic value. /The present aerodrome would not suffice for Westland after the war. The request for an air taxi service would be referred to the Minister of Transport. In i-egar 1 to the railway crossing, the Railway Engineer would be instructed to put it. in order. The matter of Railway houses he would look into. He did not want the Railway to buy existing ones, but to build houses. There was not a country in the British Commonwealth that could Mold a candle to New Zealand. Th® Government had built 30,000 houses during the war; Australia had built 350, while America had not built one. Wc in New Zealand were living in the paradise of the world. The Government had nothing to be ashamed of. The Minister thanked the Mayor for the welcome extended. Mr A. R. Elcock (Mayor) presided at the meeting of the Hokitika Borough Council on Wednesday night. A statement of the levy for the current. year, showing an increase of £389 2s 4d was received from the Hospital Board. The appointment of a successor to the late Mr F. K. Hunt as representative on the Hospital Board was deferred for a month. Air Travel advised of the cancellation of their license for daily trips between Nelson and Jackson Bay. The company asked for support in a request, to have a new’ airport on Hau Hau hill constructed. The Council resolved to lend its full support to the proposal and to bring it before Mr S’emple. Mr T. W. Duff was nominated as representative on the War Loan Committee. Crs. Peart, Roberts and Preston were appointed as a committee to report on the question of setting up a rubbish collecting service for the town

At the Magistrate’s ' Court, the licensee of the Three Mile Hotel, M. L. Mandi, pleaded guilty to charges of after-hour trading, and was fined £lO with 10s costs. Seven persons found on the premises were each fined £2 and costs 10s, and a charge against an eighth was adjourned. Fines for allowing cattle to wander were imposed as follows: C. Barrowman, T. Butler, L. Kirwan, K. O’Brien, each 20s with 10s costs; J. A. Kidd, ordered to pay costs; A. Wells 20s with costs on each of two charges, and to pay costs in each of two other charges. Near Jackson Bay is supposed to be a hoard of 300 sovereigns hidden on a hillside. Two men yesterday left here by the Gael to seek it. It is stated a worker in the early days at Jackson Bay was paid his wages in sovereigns, and residents maintain he never left the district, and never banked the sovereigns. It is said one of his workmates •went to his hut one day, and found that the table was littered with sovereigns, which the man endeavoured to hide by spreading himself over the table. Next day the man shifted, and made a new home high up on a hillside, and from that day onwards never left the place. He cut an armchair seat out of solid rock, and could be seen day after day just looking out to sea. He hoarded the sovereigns up till the time of his death. No resident could find out what became of the gold. The men who expect to find it are one an experienced miner and the other a diviner, who makes use of coloured wools held in the hand and contacting the bone ends of divining rods. He is able to divine for special metals only. For example, red wool held in the hand and contacting the divining rod would respond only to the mineral that the diviner had proved the colour for. Red might be the colour for gold. Different colours are used for gold, coal, oil, etc. When this method was being proved, it is said, a ray in the ground tricked all diviners, but apparently this diviner has now.found a colour that will neutralise the effect of this ray. Whether successful or not, they intend proceeding on to the Cascade to divine for the legendary Frenchman’s gold. From what can be gathered, it appears that a party who robbed a bank in Australia of £60,000 in gold came eventually t.o New Zealand, and the gold was buried at a. certain spot near the Cascade Creek, in a gumboot, and the spot marked by sticking a pick in a tree nearby. This treasure, it is stated, has been hunted by many parties. One is supposed to have found the pick, but not the gold. The diviner thinks he will locate the gumboot oi gold—providing the story is true.