WEST COAST NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3489, 25 January 1921, Page 26

WEST COAST NEWS.

(From Ggr Own Correspondent.) GREYMOUTH, January 17. A digest of the first report of the Director of Forestry has been published by the president of the New Zealand Federated Sawmillers’ Association, and has aroused considerable discussion in this district, where the Government timber nolicy is of paramount importance. On the whole, the report is favourably commented on. It indicates a desire on the part of the Director to assist the sawmillers in every legitimate way, to foster the milling industry, and at the same time to conserve as far as possible the timber resources of the Dominion. The standing timber of the country is to be' j treated “as a resource to be cropped, not as a mine, to be worked out.” The past system of granting sawmillers’ rights is condemned, and a recommendation substituted, a feature of which will be a review of State royalties every five years with a view to their increase in proportion to the j almost inevitable enhancement of the price of timber. The report considers the assurance of a continued adequate supply of timber to be “perfectly practicable,” and to be most successfully attained by placing our indigenous forests under regulated scientific management It considers the present, system of artificial planting inadequate of itself, though it should not be entirely abandoned. It. recommends that in some cases State plantations should be placed on a “maintenance basis,” while others should j be “rounded out” during the next few j yeais. In specified instances State planting * operations should be continued for the next generation. The establishment of a School ; of Forestry and the promotion of forest ! investigation and research are also advo- j cated. On the question of forest finance it ; recommends adequate provision for a period of years, to bo independent of the caprice of any individual Parliament. Westland Railways.The holiday traffic on the West Coast section of the railways has steadily increased in volume during the past five years, and the season just closed shows a marked improvement upon the previous year. Approximately 30,000 passengers have used the railways during the recent holidays. Both the overhill journey and local excursions have been exceptionally well patronised. This growing popularity of the district as a holiday resort is arousing local bodies to activity in enhancing the attractions of the various beauty spots. A movement is on foot at Hokitika to induce the Acclimatisation Society to inaugurate a series of Lake Kanieri days, when cheaper motor services shall be arranged for the benefit of local residents, many of whom are unacquainted with the scenic grandeur of the district. Part of the scheme is to cut a path to the summit of Mount Tahua in the Kanieri district, money for which has already been voted. In connection with the popularising of the district, it is satisfactory to residents of South Westland that, after" long delay, the material for the Little Waitaha bridge has at last arrived, and tenders have been called for the Waitangi bridge, both of which structures should therefore be completed before the next holiday season. No doubt the earlier settlement of the weather this season has assisted in diverting holiday traffic to this district. There has been no rain beyond a refreshing shower since Boxing Day. Judging from the meteorological record for last year, the district is about due for a little fine weather. The official record of rainfall for 1920. taken at Hokitika, indicates a total of 129.96 inches for the year—over three yards of rain ! Rain fell on 193 days, the maximum day’s fall being 8.16 inches on a day in April, that month also showing the maximum lrcjiilhly fall of 21.32 inches. Whether or not nature anticipated the deficiencies of man’s work, it is nevertheless true that the heavy rainfall is the salvation of the place. After a few weeks of warm, dry weather, the sanitary condition of the towns is becoming serious. As a feature of the summer holidays, racing is perhaps more pronounced in this district than in most places. An indication of its prominence is _ seen in the fact that for the five days’ racing at Greymouth during the Christmas and New Year Carnival the sum of £72,849 passed through the totalise.tor, this being a record and £15,020 in advance of last year, which was itself a record. Brunner Bridge. An impasse has oceured over the closing of the Brunner Bridge, to which reference was made last week. A meeting of citizens decided to send a deputation to Wellington to represent the case, and in the meantime a request was preferred to the local traffic manager that the closing of the

bridge be deferred. This, however, was not granted. Representations made by the member for Buller elicited the information that the Railway Department was agreeable to hand over the bridge to the local authorities, but could not assume the responsibility of leaving it open for traffic, nor of effecting repairs, which would cost £7OOO. The Public Works Department repudiates responsibility, as the bridge is under the control of the Railway Department. Neither will the Public Works Department allow itself to be associated with the restoration of the suspension bridge under the tentative oesigns which have been suggested, though it is willing to subsidise the cost. And so the matter stands, the residents of Taylorvb■ being thrown back to the conditions of life of 50 years ago. There is a general feeling that the Railway Department should have kept the traffic bridge in a reasonable state of repair, so that its immediate closing when they had finished with it should not this means destroyed. Jottings. The net customs revenue collected at Greymouth for the year 1920 was £33.439, being an increase of £5666 on the previous year. During 1920 407 steamers and 12 sailing vessels, of a total tonnage of 202,479, entered the port of Greymouth. During the spell of dry weather bush fires have occurred in several parts of the district. At Inangabua the whole of one of the coal companies’ tramways was by this means destroyed. Anglers complain of the paucitv of trout in (he lccal streams this year, the catches being poorer than for many years past. 9he Education Department has at last approved the plans for the new school afc Cobden. and_ the hoard is authorised to call for tenders immediately. There is the nucleus of a museum at Hokitika containing some valuable exhibits. The Borough Council entered recently into correspondence with the curator of the Christchurch Museum, with the result that he and the taxidermist have offered to come over and set up the exhibits and also to present a number of specimens to the institution. The offer has been accepted.