GREYMOUTH.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXX, Issue 10221, 15 December 1893, Page 6

GREYMOUTH.

Gr.EyMotrrH’,- Dec. 11. THE RAILWAYS. Tha Hokitika-Greymouth railway is not yet opened for regular traffic, and, con- < Eequeht’.y, considerable dissatisfaction ia j expressed thereat. Tho line was formally opened on tho Queen's Birthday, yet for tho last six months only a few special trains have run between the two towns. Some three months ago, when representations were made to the authorities ci this state of affairs, the reply was that the rolling stock was not yet ready, but that aa soon as it wai tbe line would be opened for daily traffic. Now the excuse «, that the stations arc not erected. Weil, judging from tbs rate at which the new station here ia being built, we shall be another six months before having the line regularly used; and this would mean the middle of tho winter, when all the tourist traffic of the summer would be over. Surely in the meantime a bi-weekly train could' bo run from town to town. There is this much to bo said in favour of it; that whenever a special has been run, it has been well patronised by tho public. Last Tuesday afternoon a crowded Gain left here for Hokitika with several visitors and the members of the Amateur Opera Company oa -board, who, after a successful performance at the capital, returned here at midnight. If, therefore, a bi-weekly tram were run. it would almost to a certainty pay well, for Hokitika would then become a recognised practical outlet for tha people-, here on a holiday. Hundreds would gladly ; take the opportunity of a trip there on a j Wednesday or Saturday afternoon, wore it only for the purpose of getting out of the Grey for a change. The same arguments would of course apply to tbe people of Hokitika. Tho authorities of the two towns should bestir themselves and insist upon the line baing definitely opened before Christmas, so that the people of the Coast v caa get the full benefit of to great a boon. To business people especially tho loss of time on tho journey by tram to Kumara, thence by coach to Hokitika, is severely felt; but to the botanist, geologist, and tourist much of the charm will be gone when the wooden tramway through the bush is no longer used—particularly at this season of the year, when Nature is in her most charming mood and garb, and profuse in her kindly rifts. The drive is a continuous avenue, luxuriant with the graceful fronds of the tree fern, the nikau palm, the gigi and birch and pins tree, wild harebells, and spear and toi-toi grass. A TEDIOUS DELAY. The position of the Greymonth , an “ Point Elizabeth Eailway and Coal Company ia still the same. Latest advicsßi from London wero to tho effect that the ; Company had bean successfully floated, with a capital of £90,000, and it was the intention cf the Dire .tors to construct the Cobdec section of tho line immediately, at a cost of about £40,000, aud open up one' of the mines in thevicinity of CoalCrseki A later cable to hand requested the local Directors to communicate with the Government, with a view to the appointment of an engineer, recommended by it, at a salary of £3OO a year, eo that the work could ba. commenced , with as little delay aa possible. The present hitch seems to be caused by the hesitancy cf the New Zealand Direct terete tj appoint an engineer at their own risk, us tho tenor of tbe cablegram appears to leave it aa ope a question v/hetber the local Directorate are to leave the appointment of tbe engineer entirely with tiia Government or whether they are to appoint one who has been recommended by tbe Government. In the meanwhile valuable time ia being lost, and it ia unfortunate that some agreement cannot be arranged between the Company and an engineer. It ia understood here that a deposit of £20,000 was made in London to show tho 6ona fides of the Company; if this, therefore,-can be shown to have been done, surely there is nothing to prevent an engineer, duly recommended by the Government authorities, from closing with the offer of the local Directors of the Company tor what xt is worth, and without any personal liability to them should anything subsequently happen whereby the Company could not carry oat ibs arrangement. As the construction of this line will be one of the largest work? undertaken on the Coast it ia of the utmost importance that the present delay bo ended as speedily as possible. AMUSEHENTS. The General Committee has succeeded in providing an excellent, programme of amusement and instruction for visitors to tho Industrial Exhibition, to ba opened here on. "Wednesday week. Tho formal opening, it is understood, is to bo celebrated with" a monster procession of members of all the prominent institutions of tha town, including the Mayor and Councillors, members of the Harbour Board, Masons, Oddfellows, Volunteers and Fire Brigade. Whether or not his Excellency Lord Glasgow and suite and the Hon Richard Seddon are to ba present is not known. The building and grounds are to be lighted with the electric light, and by way o£ amusements for the public there will bo provided a switchback railway (on the same scale aa the one at the late Dunedin Exhibition), a shooting gallery end a monster display of fireworks on New Year’s eve. Perhaps the most interesting feature in the exhibition will be the art gallery, which promises to be a great success, as, thanks to the kindness of tbe various Art Societies throughout the Colony, a capital collection of pictures has been got together. Limelight views oa an extensive scale will be given by Mr Seager, of your city, who is coming with characteristic readiness to help us, and his name is a sufficient guarantee that this part of the programme will be worth going a long way to see. In addition there will bo lectures upon English Poetry, History, Science and Cookery, the latter being given by Mra Miilar, of Dunedin. If therefore Jupiter Pluviua be but indulgent fur once, I venture to prognosticate tha- tha Greymcuth Exhibition of 1893-94 will ba a success unique in the history of the West Coast. FATALITIES. There is etiil another case of drowning in tho Bailer river to report. Scot after news reached here of the recovery of tha body of Mica M’lnrce, one of the victims of the late fatality, word came also to the effect that Mr Frank Courteney, one of the best-known men on the Bailer road, was drowned in the Buller river at tha Inaagahua junction, on Monday evening last. It appears that Mr and Mia Courteney wore crossing the river in a canoe about seven o’clock ia tho evening, at Whiteciiffs, near the Cock Sparrow dredge. Mr Courteney waa standing up, looking for the landing-stage; but unfortunately misted it and came into collision with, one of the mooring lines of the dredge. The line struck him ia the throat and knocked him out of the canoe into tUe water. He called to his wife to look alter harself, that he was all right; but after struggling for a time ho gasped, “All’s up; good-bye.” Mrs Courteney states that her husband drifted or swam dawn stream for fully half a mile before he sank, but she was unable to reach him with tho ounce. The deceased will he much missed, as he was a wellknown hotelkeeper and highly respected in the district.