GREYMOUTH GLEANINGS

Grey River Argus, 18 October 1948, Page 2

GREYMOUTH GLEANINGS

(BY

G. Y. BIRCH)

Far from the maddening surge of humanity, and the never-ending din and bustle of Sydney, I sit back in the peace of Greymouth and wonder. I wonder why, for so long, I failed to realise that life could be so placid. Many things, apart from the serenity and security of Greymouth, have been indelibly engraved on my mind. Many things have amazed me, some have intrigued me, and a few have given me food for thought. I was informed, prior to my arrival that Greymduth claimed 22 hotels. In a town of 9000 people, that seemed a great many hotels. I mentally compared Greymouth with Australian cities, and, unfairly, as it happens. Ignorance of conditions must be my excuse. In Australian cities, take whatever State you wish, every hotel closes on the hour, and erupts into the streets drunken, fighting, arguing masses of sodden human-ity-male and female. For an hour after, streets, trains, trams, buses, and boats are packed with inebriates. Those who are left are usually rounded up by the fast-working police patrols. The daily appearance at Central Police Court, Sydney., is seldom less than 100 drunks, with an increased quota at the week-end. The shock I received, therefore, when I saw what happens in Greymouth, should be understandable. From 9 a.m. until 6 p.m., the hotels, plentifully supplied with spirits and beer, ply their trade. At closing time, the drinkers appear, but, apart from a few who have reached the ‘merry’ stage, I have yet to see an objectionable drunk. As a matter of interest, I checked the police records of Greymouth for the last 12 months. The town can claim the enviable record of less than a score of drunks in that period. This plainly indicates that plenty of hotels, and a judicious and elastic interpretation of the law is a better cure for excess than all the stringent freedom-taking laws ever placed on the Statute. So much for that side of the story. EVERYTHING NOT IDEAL But everything in Greymouth is not ideal. In fact, many things impress one with the fact that civic pride seems to have been relegated to the limbo of lost things.

The potentialities of the town are apparent to even the _ most casual investigator. If the citizens know of them, they have become lethargic, and if the local council knows, it seems to have failed lamentably, in its civic duty. A few points.—Streets without signs, or signs obliterated; streets and footpaths badly in need of repair; lack of gardens; indescribably drab appearance of hundreds of houses and the lack of tourist facilities. It ill-behoves a stranger to unduly criticise the place in which he earns his bread and butter, but a gentle reminder to the powers that be, cannot be out of place. After all, a new pair of eyes, allied with an unbiased opinion, is perhaps better than eyes which have seen th? same thing year in and year our, and have become, in consequence, blind to what is actually needed. Perhaps few places could equal Greymouth as the focal point for the start of tourist trips on the West Coast, but much must be done before this town can hope to attain its righful position in this regard. Winter is the very time for everyone, interested in the future of the town, to lay the foundation for improvements; the establishment of a competent tourist officer, a depot frohi which tours of the Coast can begin, and for street and park improvement in the town itself. Another and' perhaps most important thing of all is that of accommodation. A locally-owned hostel for the use of visitors and those unable to get accommodation would solve this problem. Two snags immediately rear their ugly heads —money and materials. The former could be overcome by making the citizens shareholders in the hostel. Public subscription could provide the amount and the interest in it would be maintained so long as it belonged to the people of the town. With materials, we face an entirely different problem. Nevertheless, no Government could deny the demands of a community bent on improving its status and seeking, to orovide for its people and the tourists who, by their spending power, must, in turn, circulate their money here and through the Dominion. It is but a thought in passing, maybe, but it is worth more than a passing thought in the community. Seats and shelters at the various bus stops is a need that strikes the visitor. After all, Greymouth is renowned for its annual rainfall, and people can get wet enough without having to wait at bus stops, exposed to the elements. . Maybe there are other things that could be discussed, but maybe too, enough has been said, and so, on ffiat note, I will retire and contemplate further, the peace of the town.