OUR WEST COAST LETTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 1851, 17 August 1893, Page 13

OUR WEST COAST LETTER.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) - \ " ' ' ' Ross, August 9. BROTHERLY ,J,OYE. A striking example oi lack of brotherly affection was exhibited in the Hokitika Magistrate's Pourl last Thursday in the case John Scoular v. Thomas Scoular,' an information under the Destitute Persons Act, instituted at the instance of the* Hokitika 1 Benevolent Society. The evidence showed' that complainant was 60 years of jige, and had been mining until attacked by bronchitis and asthma ; his wife had been an invalid for 10 years, and hp himself had been receiving -charitable aid from the benevolent society ; he further Bwore that his brother was in Edendale, and that in 1890 he made £700 ; .that in 1882 his brother told' him (witness) that he had made enough to enable him to live comfortably. The eyidence of the police went. to pipve that the brother was in good financial circumstances, but that in reply" 'to, inquiries he declined to contribute' anything in 'support of ,his indigent brother," excusing himself on .the ground that he had worked hard enough for his money, adding also that as' he had a wife and three children to maintain he could not afford to give anything. The. magistrate made an order for the payment of lOsperweejc , „ THE WESTLAND AGRipOLTURAL AND PASTORAL ASSOCIATION. At the last meeting of the association the Hon. R. J. Seddon intimated his acceptance of the position of patron to the association. The association' adopted the recommendations of the Geraldine Acclimatisation Society in regard to the small birds! nuisatfee. In reference to certain provisions of'the proposed Noxioua Weeds Act, it was resolved to send a protest to the department pointing out that the proviflions.of the act would be perfectly unworkable in this district. It was advisable ,to prevent the further spread of gorse, blackberries, and thistles, but to compel"the farmer to' eradicate Bprrel and Yorkshire fog would be' a ' physical imp'Oßslbility. The mattefof granting occupation licenses to large landowners applying ip t^enftmej of 'their, chug, rev was dUpusaeq, and it was resolved that the warden be communioated with on tne Bubjeot. WHABV MANXQEMKNT AT GBBVmOUTH. The Grey people .are up in arms against the Railway Oommudpnen, who have publioly ap> nounoea. tjfaei* iatontion of taking over the anty

of landing and storing cargo from steamers in the sheds on the wharf, and of imposing an extra wharfage fee of Is per , ton. A public meeting was held last Thursday, and it was decided to telegraph to Mr Mills asking if the Union Company are prepared to land goods on the wharf as formerly, as the commissioners informed the Grey Harbour Board that they had no desire to assume the responsibility, but that if they did so they would charge the extra wharfage. Telegrams were also authorised to be sent to the commissioners protesting against the extra wharfage which waR to come into force last Monday. Another effect which the absurd charge would have would be that the Hokitika business people would endeavour to get their goods direct, instead of being transhipped at the port of Grey, as is now the case.

MINOR ITEMS.

The Grey County Council is asking the Government for aid to the extent of £2800 for the construction of roads through the county. It is to be hoped they may get it, as the roads are really in a bad state. The Charleston people propose as a way out of the Four Mile loan difficulty to call a public meeting for the purpose of enlightening Sir Robert Stout thereon, and asking him to endeavour to get the loan turned into a grant, or, failing that, to lighten the burden of taxation I am very glad to hear from Mr Joshua Gibson that the tributers of the Humphry s Gully bold Mining Company earned £5 per week per man out of the last washing, and probably many shareholders in that disappointing concern. A victim myself, I can speak feelingly on the matter. I took 100 share-, which in the first place only coat me 100 shillings ; two months later, however, they coat me 300 shillings. I was told when I purchased them that it was quite unlikely there would be another call, as the gold was glittering up and down their 300 ft face everywhere. After I had paid £20 I went to the man from whom I purchased them, and, luckily for me, induced him by the present of £10 to take them back, for they afterwards coat him £60, with no return as yet. It will therefore be glad tidings for him to learn that as the company's tributers are now earning £5 per week, he and other shareholders ought soon to receive a dividend. In any caie if my paragraph to you has been the means of preventing trafiicking in Humphry's shares, I feel that I am amply repaid, and can even survive Mr Gibson's contradiction. Arbor Day on the West Coast was barely noticed. Further than the Hokitika Borough Council declaring it a public holiday nothing unusual was done. Arrangements have been made for the running of a special train between Hokitika and Greymouth at excursion rates to-morrow week, on the occasion of the opening at the later town of the poultry, dog, and bird show. A correspondent to the Grey River Argus suggests the formation in the town of Greymouth of a mercantile association combined with a confidential department where members could have their ledger reports classified, and "bad marks' on "tick" blockaded. It is quite evident from the following that there is some gold in Kumara yet. A claim at Dillmanstown yielded 140oz of gold the other day for five weeks' work, giving the mates thereof £12 per week per man. Last Wednesday Mr Parsons, stationmaster at Totara Flat, was. on the eve of Mb removal to another station (Ngahera), presented with a gold watch by the residents, who also indulged in high jinka on the occasion. ... Naturally the residents of Greymouth are jubilant over the news that an English syndicate has purchased the Coal creek coal leases, and intend to begin the work of constructing a railway line from Greymouth to Coal creek, which is a distance of 4k miles, and estimated to cost some £15 000. . , The Totara School- Committee is also protesting against the Westland Education Board reducing the staff of the schools, and last week they asked the board to reconsider their proposed reductions by extending the terms of certain under-teacheH another 12 months. Speaking of the constitution of the boards, intelligent West Coasters cordially agree with the opinion of some of the larger, centres of the colony that education boards being neither useful nor ornamental, but only a terrible drain on the education vote, should be abolished, and the school committees, who really do the work minus the pay, be given extended powers. Whilst the June railway traffip returns for the Greymouth section shqw an increase in revenue of £7 aa compared with June of 1592, the_ coal carried for that period on the line was less, it having been for June 1892 14,208 tons, and for that month of this year 14,018 tons. I regret to inform you that Matthew Davidson, of the firm of Davidson Brothers, of Kumara, died at Wellington last Monday night. He was a very popular businessman. . The southern settlers are again urging on the Westland County Council 'to place a ferry on that dangerous river of South Westland, the Waiho, and it is 'to be hoped they will be successful, as there have been one or two very narrow escapes there from drowning. Added to their entreaty to S.ir Robert Stout, the Charleßtonians have sent a petition to Parliament in re special rate on the Argyle water race loan in the hope of having the debt wiped out. A most sensational case of an alleged attempt at poisoning was heard at Reefton last Saturday, wherein one Anthony Marley was charged with having put a dose of croton oil into a can of tea belonging to Mr Artherton, an employe of the Midland Railway Company. Accused is remanded till to morrow. ... The Brunnerton people are rejoicing over the partial settlement of the coal difficulty by the promise of the £1000 Government subsidy on the pound for ppund ratio towards constructing the tram line to the coal company's 20 acre lease. I regret to inform you that the Greymouth gold dredge, which cost an army of " susceptibles," is now being dismantled, the powerful engine and boiler aavWbeen purchased by a Kumara saw- ' Good accounts continue coming from the Big river district, Tteefton. For last month the Big rjver mine yielded £1100 worth of gold, out of which the directors declared a dividend of £900. Pending a satisfactory reply from the Railway Commissioners in re the increased wharfage rates at Greymouth, the importers have held over a motion to form a steamship company with a capia Last Wednesday the dredge at the White Cliffs, Buller river, got up steam for the first time since being raised, and it is anticipated that she will recommence work in a few days. The sum of £20 has been collected for the wife and family of one 8f the victims of the late fatality. " I have to chronicle painful accidents this week to three employes of the Mont dor Company, who while at work in the dangerously narrow nut being »3ooped out by the directors in their haste to be rich, were struck by falling stones and cut so badly about the head, arms, and knees as to necessitate surgical aid. As four men have been killed at different times withm the last few years in this mine, considerable dissatisfaction is being expressed among the miners, who condemn the management for the dangerous manner in which they are working the claim, and it is openly said that if the Inspector of Mines were to pay a visit he could not do otherwise than condemn the mode adopted. , The amount of coal exported from Greymouth last week was 673 tons lOcwt ; Westport for the same period exported 5570 tons; Greymouth exported 44,090 ft of timber. „„,.„, ... , John Kellock, a pioneer of Hokitika, whilst following his occupation as wagsoner, was jerked off his conveyance on to the Kumara road last Friday, and was so badly cut and bruised about 1 the face as to necessitate the Kumara doctor putting in seven or eight stitches. It is thought that Kellock will have to lie up in the hospital for some time. _ , The latest election Bquib ib that if Mr Seadon were to accept the Commlssionership of Railways the Hon. C. J. M. Larnach would be informed that he would have a safe seat for Weßtland. For Buller Mr Mackenzie d6es nof consider the feat of sweeping aside tne present member dangerous or difficult. ' Of course for Inangabua nobody c'puldlipkSlr Robert Stout ; whilst at Greymouth. Mr Guinness and Mr Jones are to cross swords onoß moret but the long.headed ones feel pretty confident that Arthur Robert will again stride out of the arena victorious. That wratchedpeit the weaselia gradually work. Ing ill way alopg the Coast, one b*vlng betm

killed in a garden at the Teremakcm the other day. It is said that 40 or 50 colliers are out of work at the Denniston mine, but they are supposed to be Brunner men who recently left the latternamed coal district owing to a dearth of work there.

The co-operative system in the construction of the Milletton road appears to have given satisfaction to everybody, the work, it is said, being better done than under the old contract system, while the toilers boast of their self-reliance, and say they escape that grinding tyranny which used to be often imposed by contractors. Moreover, they are said to have made good wages. Six prospecting tunnels are now being driven into Diamond Terrace, a small rush near Kumara.

Not satisfied with their narrowing revenue, the Westland County Council are again to-day proposing to float a special loan of £6000 under the Local Bodies Finances and Powers Act, for the purpose of repairing roads and bridges throughout the county. The question of obtaining a water supply for the Rimu gold field is again being brought prominently forward by the Miners' Association, who propose to gather full particulars of the nature and extent of ground available for sluicing for presentation at public meetings to be held at Hokitika and other centres, and for the purpose of raising funds to defray the cost of surveys of head race and levels for sludge channels. Should success attend their efforts it is confidently believed Government will subsidise any money raised locally for such purpose. I may add that there is a very large extent of made terraces in the southern vicinity of the field which, are thought to be payable could they be commanded by an adequate water supply. Mr John Allen, of Rosp, having recently acquired most valuable water rights for his special claim of 30 acres down at Lake lanthe, and encouraged by the coarse gold he is getting there by his present primitive imode of working, has sent down sawyers to cut timber for a large head race, the completion of which is estimated to cost £2000. The Totara Miners' Association are still very wrath at Mr Henry A. Gordon for advising the Hon. the Minister for Mines that the prospecting rock tunnel recommended by them 18 months ago, and since driven with the aid of a Government subsidy, on the subsidised labour principle, is a wild scheme," and at their monthly meeting last Saturday evening they sent off a letter to Mr Seddon urging him to continue the subsidy, which had been stopped on Mr Gordon's advice. They add that it is their unanimous opinion that an auriferous quartz reef should be cut by this tunnel were another vote similar to the last one given by the Government.