OUR WEST COAST LETTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2080, 4 January 1894, Page 13

OUR WEST COAST LETTER.

(Fhom Our Own Correspondent.) Ross, December 20. VALEDICTORY. Last Thursday and Friday evenings the Coast mayors of the different municipalities bade farewell to their councillors, one or two concluding with quite touching perorations f notably at Ross, where Mr Joseph Grimmond, after detailing the vagaries that were the rule during his expired term, spoke very hopefully of the future of the borough council and its finances, which were now on as sound a basis as those of any of the West Coast local governing bodies. His address elicited considerable applause from the audience. The installation of the mayor-elect (Mr John Currie) takes place to-night. At Hokitika Mr Mayor Wade Having been re-elected, that gentleman was most profuse in his thanks to the burgesses for thus renewing their confidences, and to the councillors for their cordiality and assistance. But to Greymputh has been reserved the saddest farewell dirge— the purple pageantry emblazoned in the most eloquent panegyric of the age. To-day Mr Kettle goes out of office under showers of praise and hearty congratulations, and Mr Frederick Barrington Waters (with the prospective silver cradle — a probability) comes in with every civic honour borne blushingly upon him, blazing in his mayoral robes— a conqueror without a battle. I wish Fred and his newly-wedded bride luck. ANOTHER SHOW. To-day the formal opening of the West Coast Co-operative Exhibition of Art and Science, Industry. Agriculture, Horticulture, and Forestry takes place at Greymouth, and is likely to be one of the most imposing affairs the Coast has yet seen. The show, which is under the distinguished patronage of his Excellency the Governor, the Hon. the Premier of New Zealand, and other honourableß and leaders of local and representative governments, is to be opened by the Premier in the Grey District High School. Special trains are running from all centres to the grand show, which is to remain open for one month. The whole Coast is in a state of bustle to-day. I will endeavour to give you a full account in my next. NO PROPERTY TO RATE. Ross is jubilant. Their borough council came off victorious inithe District Court last Friday, where they were cited by the Westland County Council to show cause why they should not pay the sum of £53— rates struck on a portion of the Mokonui water race. Plaintiffs' plea was that the valuation had been made in the ordinary way, and the ordinary rate struck thereupon. But defendants proved that the property so valued was nothing more than two disconnected holes in a bill, and which could not be utilised until 80 chains of road cutting had beon made, and that these holes were not rateable property within the meaning of the act. This view was upheld by Mr Justice Ward, and a verdict was entered up for defendants, with costs. THE LICENSED VICTUALLERS are setting their houses in order, and girding up their loins for the coming election next February. Hitherto the utmost apathy has prevailed over elections of members to licensing committees, but in the face of that terrible bugbear the direct veto roaring aloud everywhere, pubs are being repaired, painted, and generally smartened up in all the towns. Whatever the result, the scare will do good, as tending to improve the "morality" of many of those houses bordering on the " shanty " line. MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS. As was generally anticipated, the Okarito eldction petition was upheld, and a new election will take place next month. Mr James Donovan tells me he is bound to get a much larger majority this time, as a number of his firm supporters, I thinking his election sure, did not trouble to vote I last November. W. T. Burke (a Kanieri miner out for a holiday), having stumbled across another gay " Carolin" named D. Hutchinson (ditto ditto), used expressions against the latter condemned in the Pentateuch, and being called before Mr Justice Ward in the District Court, Westland, to show cause why he should not be adjudged to pay complainant £200 as damages therefor, admitted his error ; but the lenient judge, laughing the plaint to scorn, rightly dismissed it. At the same sitting M'Oaughey, charged by the Queen with indecent assault on one of her Majesty's subjects of tender years, was found "Not Guilty," and discharged. Last Thursday afternoon, whilst a Kumara coach attempted to cross a portion of the Hokitika railway, the train collided and smashed the hinder part of the coach. The shock threw the driver some considerable distance along the road, but he escaped quite unhurt. Mr E. J. Lord has been appointed to all the fat billets of the late town clerk of the borough of Greymouth.

Mr Roderick M'Kenzie, who defeated the Buller Lion, had a dinner and ball tendered to him by his admirers last Wednesday. Owing to the diminished revenues the Coast county councils are all crying out bitterly against haying to maintain the main arterial roads, and united efforts will probably be made to press on the General Government the necessity of relieving them of those grievous burdens by maintaining these lines as State roads.

The Westport Harbour Board is joyful again, Government having authorised the extension of the port training wall at a cost of £1250, and a distance of 500 ft.

The verdicts of £400 to Myles Dixon and £300 to John Mitchell, as damages against the Buller County Council for accidents caused by faulty roads, in the District Court, Reefton, last Wednesday, has caused a profound sensation in the county, and serious complications are likely to result, as the council is already almost bankrupt. Owing to the opening of the Greymouth Industrial Exhibition on the 20th all the State schools have been closed a week earlier than usual for the midsummer vacation.

In conformity with the Education Act ballots require to be taken for the retirement of three members on every board. One was taken at Greymouth last Wednesday, and resulted in the retirement of Messrs Kettle, White, and the Hon. James Kerr.

Respecting Greymouth's notorious steam fire engine, which won't work when required, the borough council have resolved to hold another inquiry into the "vurks"of the "critter." Mr Sheedy, in speaking of this toy, said £1000 had been already expended on it by the council, and that it had cost since its arrival £172 for repairs. Last fire, when the Volunteer Hall was burning, it took 28 minutes to turn on a stream of water.

Coal exports.— Westport, 4470 tons ; Greymouth, 3188 tons 4cwt.

The Inangahua Times very sensibly points out that there is neither rhyme nor reason in the action of Reefton aharebrokers keeping quotations about 20 per cent, above bed-rock values, and adds that the present anomalies in the share report are disastrous to outside connections. I quite agree with it, more particularly aa it is interesting to note the difference in the Reefton and Dunedin quotations appearing recently. At a public meeting held in Reefton last Monday evening, it was shown that the Reefton Volunteer Brigade was £50 in debt, with no means of liquidating the same, and it was resolved that, unless a satisfactory response to applications for aid were forthcoming to-night, the brigade must disband. December 27. AN OLD MAN'S HOME. Ab a fitting following to his very large majority •atthe late election, Mr A. R. Guinness, JM.H.11., long recognising the necessity for the establishment of some refuge for old worked-out indigent pioneers of the WestlCoast, is now, in the cause of humanity and out of gratitude to his constituents, bestirring himself in the direction of forwarding a movement towards the establishment of such an asylum in the Grey Valley, and the probability is that the Hon. the Premier may be induced to bring up some such measure next session. It is now many years since this laudable scheme was first mooted by Mr John Bevan (then worthily representing Wcstlancl in Parliament). " fJivc us a home for our old men!" eiraestly prayed John in one of his memorable perorations to a brilliant speech. Since then the old men have grown older — and certainly more helpless. TAXATION. What a hard matter does ib not become to

literary Bohemians to fill up a neiwa better about Chcistmastide ; and if the contributor does not make the articles fresh and brilliant, the " pars" crisp and succinct, the tit-bits smart and gossipy, the reports readable, sharp; and, to xise a vulgarism, " slap-up," why he is immediately voted a bore— a " fellah" who has a mighty good cheek to send such twaddle to any respectable newspaper, and the wonder is that the editor should publish such rubbish. He has no right to have a rest, and holidays are not for him. Under such circumstances if a barely passable tit-bit comes in his way he as eagerly grasps it as would a drowning man a straw, and nence the appearance of the following :— Hibernian quartz prospector to battery manager : " Plaze would you be afther crushing my quartz ?"— B. M. 5 " With pleasure." Result, no gold ; but the battery manager, seeing Pat approach, secretly rolled up some tinsel in his flngera and threw the silvery balls on to the bat' tery plate. " Glory be to the mother ay Moses I I'll marry me Julia now 1 " exclaimed the delighted Hibernian, darting away citywards. And he did 1 That was another kind of taxation. MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS. Among the number of new " lords" whom it is alleged are to be " called," one will be chosen from the West Coast from among the following : — R. J. Reeves, ex-M.H.R., J. Petrie, ex-M.H.K., J. Bevan, ex-M.H,R., and J. Grimmond, exM.H.R. His Honor Judge Ward, on the occasion of his recent presidency at the Reefton District Court, referring to the disgraceful state of the main road, opined that the too common bridge brands of "dangerous" everywhere visible held all the elements of comedy, tragedy, and farce. The popular straight old judge is perfectly right in applying such well-merited aphorisms to these traps to unsuspecting travellers. Nothing like opposition in love, war, and trade. The Hokitika Harbour Board has just carried a resolution that the wharfage rates on all classes of goods unshipped at the port of Hokitika should be reduced from 3s 4d to 2s per ton, the explanation given by the mover, and acquiesced in by the board, being that the change would prevent the traffic coming by way of the Hokitika-Greymouth railway, and if the reduction were not made the freight to the board might be lost. It would appear, therefore, that the struggle between the iron horse and Neptune's engines has commenced in this portion of the British empire. At the annual meeting of tho Westland Institute last Wednesday, the balance sheet Bhowed a credit balance of £9 14s lid, tho revenue for the past year having been £119 15s 4d. The following members were elected to manage the institute for the coming year :— President, Mr H. L. Michel ; vice-president, Mr W. C. Fendall ; hon. treasurer, Mr A. H. King ; committee — Messrs Barron, Churches, Cresswell, Gill, Croft, Fowler, Macandrew, Macfarlane, Mahaß, Wade, Morton, and Robb.

A poor aged semi-paralytic, an inmate of the Hokitika Hospital, wandered away from the institution last Wednesday, and remained out on the ocean beach all night. The poor old chap is thought to be insane, and has been ordered for medical treatment.

Mr A. Matheson has been unanimously reappointed chairman of the Greymouth Harbour Board, and the Hon. J. A. Romar chairman of the Hokitika Board.

"The boys are droppin' off," said a very old pioneer digger to me solemnly the other day, and hardly a week passes now but some fatal accident or death from natural causes among the fraternity that has grown grey with the Coast has to be chronicled. The last recorded is that of Owen Coll, of Nelson Creek, Grey Valley, who was unfortunately killed by a fall of earth whilst at work in his claim last Wednesday. Of him the Grey River Argus remarks that : "' No resident in the district was mare respected than Owen Coll. He was of the highest type of the 'old digger" class. He waß generous to a fault, and never known to turn his back on a friend or shirk a case of distress. None will be more sincerely mourned than Owen Coll."

The Westland Education Board, which sometimes does arbitrary things, has just sent a circular to the Hokitika School Committee containing the following order :— " In the case of* any painting to be done, I am instructed to ask your committee to see that all paint is mixed on the ground in the presence of a responsible person, and that suitable material is, used." Sufficient support not having been accorded it, the Reefton Fire Brigade has been disbanded. The immediate cause of this action being taken is that the brigade had no funds to pay its night watchman's wages, which had run up to £40. It is probable that Nox will now seize all plant and gear in lieu. General regret is expressed at the resignation of Miss Weaver, late teacher in the Greymouth State School, owing to ill-health. Last Monday the citizens tendered her a benefit at the Public Hall, which proved a huge success. His Excellency the Governor telegraphs the secretary of the Greymouth Industrial Exhibition that he and suite will probably visit the show about January 8. For the four weeks ended November 11, 1893, the revenue returns from the Grey-Brunner line amounted to £1537 2s 3d, as against £1918 9s 2d for the corresponding period last year. The Christmas Number of the Otago Witness has been universally voted all along the West Coast a capital production, quite eclipsing all preceding efforts of the Otago Daily Times and Witness Newspaper Publishing Company. The paper arrived in Ross last Saturday evening, another thing hitherto unprecedented in the annals of mail delivery. Our East Coast mails usually arrive at Hokitika on Saturday evening per Christchurtfz coach, but th»t mail is unfortunately not delivered here until tho following Monday. However, Ros3 determined to have its Christmas budget on the night or arrival, and petitioned the chief postmaster, and Mr Cresswell, always anxious to^oblige, went out of his way and persuaded the mail contractor to delay his ordinary departure some three hours, so we were all solacing ourselves with our friends' and relations', greetings and your excellent Christmas tales, thus greatly enhancing the celebration of the Nativity, which is observed here as Sunday, Clmstologies holding our churches in the evening. ; Respecting the mail contract (which does not suit us at present), efforts are proposed in tho way, of getting up a petition to the Postmastergeneral, praying him to amend the Hokitika and Ross' time-table bo that on two nights of the week (Wednesday and Saturday) the mail may bo forwarded on here on the same night as its arrival. Should the department agree to the proposal, a considerable boon would be conferred on the community — especially on the commercial portion, who would be afforded time for replies to thpirletters.

The co-operatives are, conditionally, presenting Mr William A. Sham, assistant engineer (iv charge of the co-operative works on the Great South road), with a token of goodwill and appreciation iv tho shape of a very flatteriug testimonial, which also praises his uprightness and sterling honesty and justice to the employes under him, and also to the Government over him —I say conditionally, because the presentation Will only be made ponding permission from the Public Works Department allowing its ofiicer to receive the same.

The small rush at Teal Duck creek, Okarito, appears to be causing &ome btir, and a number of. co-operatives on the Great South road (who have just finished) inform me of their intention to try their luck down there after the holidays. Talking of the expiration of tho holidays, I know of three different parties here who intend setting in in real earnest to develop three new gold-bearing quartz reefs discovered by them recently in the vicinity of Donnelly's creek, Ross.

Mr James Rugg, hotelkeeper and coach proprietor, Kumara, and whose brother, whilst attempting to drive a coach over a railway crossing, was run into by the train of the Ilokifcika and Greyuiouth railway, the coach being considerably smashed, intends bringing ati action against the General Government next February in the District Court, Ilokitika, damages being laid at £500. At present the driver of the engine Bays he blew the whistle ; but " coachce " says he didn't hear it.

Councillor John Hunt Currie, of the Rosa Borough Council, having beon elected ma^or, tue vacancy thus created is now being filled up by notification for a fresh election of one councillor, the election to take' place on Saturday, Jauuarv 13. At OkaritoMessrs James Donovan and A. M'Bride are fighting the battle over again for

the seat In iho Wostland County Council rendered! vacant through informality, and the 11th prox. is the date fixed for the poll. It is generally conceded that Donovan will be re-elected by a larger majority than that of last time. Westport exported 3984 tons of coal for tile week ending Saturday, 23rd inst. Duncan has been returned for Antonio's riding of the Inangahua County. This was also a disputed election. Mr Duncan's' majority was only eight.