OUR WEST COAST LETTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2120, 11 October 1894, Page 17

OUR WEST COAST LETTER.

JFeom Odb Own Cobbespondekt.) Boss, October 3. ', '*' OFF TO COOXOA"HDIE ! " The WesttJoartis for once in the height of fashion. Everybody is off to Coolgardie, going to Coolgardie, .or thinking about goirg there. 3j*st week every centre tent its contingent, and this wetfe lots are preparing to follow. From %hst 1 can make -out, Ccolgftitfie and the js\Testra!ian .goldfielSs may be all very wtll for those enforced idlers of New Zealand to seb ou* to ; but what insanity some are exhibiting <over fhe "now 111 'Dorado of the island continent in '.breaTting up happy homes in tbeir haste io «rch»ngethfi burning sands acd wat rle--s tracts thereof for the temperate zone, tbe ccol sbades, Hie rich grassy lands, and the ariparen'tlj easy livings of Haoriland. I trust Coo'gardie may not turn out a "foblTrardy jspeo for m*ny* of 'flic /meteor-like-shot-off adventnrers from .this , Colony. Let those colonists go only wlio have little or.no properties here. \ DEPRESSION AIT WESTPOET. Sipc« tie st- pp&ge of the coal industry .at Mokihinui, lamentations, begotten of enforced idleness and distress, fill the air in the quarters of the operative class. Factious Bohemians iave taken to paint in realistic characters the Scenes of the absolute miiery of the people and of. the places rendered desolate. Where last Jiear Hope And Promise ran a neck-and-neck-nee with neurir-hing trade and striding in k the dost and the grindings of the railway track already yield a rich crop of grasses .lor fattening " cushie " -as she chews fhe cud of . contented nndisturbednees. Other sounds now Anpersede those erstwhik healthier ones of ] .advancement — fhey.are the .noisy, unprofitable, ones of th« unemployed crying- aloud in the, iaass meetings of parish doys and the sombre nij*ht: "TVe are willing to work, "but none is .given as ; our children -cry for bread, and, befcold, fhere is none!" However, I fancy Mokihinui has seen -her woist daye, as if the Duller Harbour Board purchase the nrne, as is propoxe<3, the coal industry will ones again .relieve the congested labour market. TLAIN BHOLISH IN THE PULPIT. The Hey. Mr Farley, the new encumbent of this .portion of the Episcopalian diocese, is a plain-spoken man. The most obtuse may understand his pulpit utterances and profit by them. Lash Sunday, in St. Paul's Church, Boss, this popular, hard-bitting divine, whilst fktploring *be increase of immorality on the West Coast, said that ther.e were young \Women who were neither wives nor maids whose entailed a much heavier disgrace on their relations than could b9 felt by themeelves ! Of "•cant," he pronounced with «mph»6i6 that he bated that word "religion," «nd explained that there were many people who never entered a .church or made any profession of religion who frere much better Christians than others who never missed divine service. On Sunday it otlaillietaid he loved the game, but he would iiotplay on a Sunday ; yet if the consciences of tabitutl players on the Lord's Day did not ■opbraid them, Ie would *ay let them play on. It was the same gentleman (who, I am sorry to Say, is leayiDg us), when travelling overland •with his bishop, related that on ao other occasion he had saved the life of a Jellow.passenger by slinging him out of the coach at a •dangarous pass. > "And," continued he, "I'd "throw- anybody out under similar circumstances ! " " What, would you throw out yonr bishop P " exclaimed that eminent ecclesiastic. f'l would," quoth Mr F. "If you could," corrected Bishop Julius grimly. " I'd have a fay," answered the Bey. F., whereat the whole coach roared, .none so heartily as pur excellent Bishop JufiuA w £p tella the yarn himself with jßreftfe&uflfcouj' ;

MISCEMANEOTJB. The Minister has just authorised the taking in hand of another section of the Main south road for extension on the co-operation principle. Tfle Wallsend (BrunnerJ Christian Temperance Union are philosophers to a degree bordering upon the lofty, always providing our illuminat.ng friend, Mr J. M. Morris, is not romoncinjj. According to him that worthy body decided last week that " it would not oe wi i e to take up any medically-cured drunkards officially, as the efficacy of the cores seems to be ba c ed on a very doubtful foundation — e.g., that drunkenness ie a .dif ease — the majority of the bf-sfc physiological authorities agreeing that it ie a rcica, not a disease, except in a small percentage of cases, wh'ch expects can disfcingui-h by certain »gn«, such as periodicity and heredity, &c." That i« the way J. M. M. puts it. The harbourmaster »t Grey is being hauled over the coals .by the Grey Harbour BoaTd for allowing a sailing vessel to tack about outside in the sroadatend a whole day without sending out the tug at the wharf to tow her in. Gfpyoaouth, -waking up to the occasioD, proposes to go in for a public sewage soheme to drain off the festering cesspools and poisonous germ-laden accumulations of the last 30 years. The Grey Harbour Board and the Brunner Mines Committee, emulating the millennial-lion and lamb, -have agreed to go mates and pros.peefc the /mines for ca»l. Ttey ure also jointly ! urging •Governmeut to assist fcbem. Tbe I nangahua Times reports iliat Reefton ias a horse to vicious that last Saturday it 1 ! kicked all the body off a baggy, and jeked the two too-trusting occupants out through the air and down into the mud. The fcisky animal j then further ecjoye 1 himself by danoing ta-ra- i ra-'boom-de-ay through tbe wheels. In consequence of a baseless charge of malpractice, and not«vith«t«nriingthe following flattering report of Dr M'Grfgor in his annual report on the'Co'ony'a hospital un<\ charitable institutions, the popular Dr Wright, of the VVes> port Hospital, is leaving DrM'Gregorsays :—: — "I visited th : s hospital twice since my last report. On -both -occasions I found everything 'working well. Owing to a'charge of malpractice against Dr Wright, and an unfavourable werdict, with >wbich the judge 'disagreed, I regrtttto findDr Wright is leaving He has been n. conscientious .and >devo!ed officer." There :is -a wide (feeling of regret abroad among Westpartonians at the medico's final determima'ion. Hokitika is .accused by Kumara of " jumping" its race d*fc- 6 again tbis year. TheiGreymouth Borough Council has granted "the-Coal 'Creek Railway Company permis-ion ■toirtnunKne over Cobden brdge — »n -expensive structure spanning the Grey river by the-so>Tth, eastern extremity of the wharf — on the following conditions :—(1): — (1) That they pay an annual .rarttltfo the borough of £200; (2) that .they' jenterdnlo a bond to ke&p the bridge in repair ■and tar the same every three years to the satisof tha borough engineer, arid to repair ■all damage (that may Tae o'ecssioned through traffic on .their line ; (3) that in the event of the harbour 'board or borough 'council requiring 'at .any time-to 'bring stone or material from one , side Jor :the other, that they have the right of running on the company's line for such pur pose, provided that 'the timetable of the, company is not unnecessarily interfered with; (4) that the .railway line shall be construe l ed in such a .manner .that public traffic shall not ■be inconvenienced. Then«t revenue on the Ihres mentioned ra'lway lines for the -past year i* — WeetporK, .£17^0004 Brn.nn*x,^ea.l,ooo; Hokitika, £2200. _ -Apprehens've of the Jate of the measure now ' before the -House of Representatives the clerk of the Grey County Council, under instructions, ' wired the Premier last Monday as uni^er: — , '" The conncil vjewa with regret tbe prospect of " 'the 'Crown Lands Rating Act b' ing placed . amongst tthe measures to be slaughtered, and I am directed to request tbat you will use all your influence to 'have that important measure passed .this session. Otherwite it will be impossible for the West Coast counties to carry out thfir functions Tnuoh 'longer." Mr Seddon' gives little 'hope of the measure parsing this session owing to the opposition it will mcci; with. A s'-ag, wbich must have made his way through the Haast Pass from the east coast, was captured in South Westland lust week. \ 'The Greymou'h Har"bour Board is ex f ending ; the wharf :by 160 ft. \ The public cf Pawa, a pretty fanning and t, ■goldminiog centre, five miles south of the town ; 'of 'G rev mouth, held aineetfng "there last weekt.n& decided 'that the best way to prevent; theircows .getting minced up by the Hokitika and • Grey railway was "to 'get "the line between the port oF tGrey and the T«rem»kauxiver fenced. • Consequently a memorial, duly s'gned by all • 'the residents, has jusb been forwarded to the "Hon. the Miois+er fi r Public Works and to "the ■ New Zealand Railway ComrriisKionf rs, praying - them to "have the railway track fenced off. The Hokitika Harbour Board is a plunger. ' It let an £18 8s contract lasb week, and appointed an o yrse-r at £6 a week to watch the contractor ! That's the way the money goes ; pop goes tffee weasel.