WEST COAST NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3522, 13 September 1921, Page 22

WEST COAST NEWS.

(Fbou Oub Own Cobkespondent.) September 6 Jhe proposal to erect a building at Grey mouth for an Old People's Home still conies pcriocikaliy before the Hospital Board, but no p . giv>s with the scneme nmi More uian tv > year ago the Did Beys’ Association raised u sum of '■ < y tor tin i ii'pose, and this, with i lie Government subsidy, i. .v amounts to over £4CoU. Ino d.TtiuuMy is tho site. There a.' acres ol waste land within easy distance oi the town, but no sole lion appears possible. Some two years ago a site at Garner on s, which had been secured for the purpose oi a Lome, was sold too distant. The board then acquired a site next to the ho pital. This Dr Valentine vetoed on the ground that it would be required for hospital extension. The personnel of the board changes front time to time, and thus its own views alter. After a recent discussion on the subject, notice of motion was given that the home be erected on the present- site, as previously agreed upon. To carry t liis; resolution vviil probably endanger the Government subsidy, and thus the board will bo faced with difficulty again on financial grounds. Maternity Home.— Unanimity appears to have at length been on the question of the proposed maternity home. A small, but enthusiastic, public meeting approved ihe decision of the Hospital Board to lease a suitable building as a temporary measure, and arrangements were made for a canvass for £SOO necessary to put it in order, it was announced that a suitable site for a permanent homo had been privately donated. It is hoped, therefore, that this mueh-dis-cussed problem is now satisfactorily solved. The Rev. A. J. Farnell, the Anglican minister at Cobden, was recently elected to a seat on the Hospital Board. Two of tiie local clergy are therefore now members, the second being the Rev. T. N. Cuttle, of the Presbyterian Church. —Okarito Timber Company.— Tiie fortunes of the Great Western Timber Company have not run smoothly. The syndicate was formed to develop the vast timber areas about Okarito, but operations were subsequently prohibited by the Government. The promoters recently sued a shareholder for £SOO alleged to have been promised by him as a member of tho syndicate. The question of liability hung Claim is now being made by the defendant was a member of the syndicate, the judge’s decision going against him. A counterclaim is now being made by teh defendant, against the promoters of the company for misrepresentation and fraud in reference !o tho original application for titles of th© sawmilling areas under which the company was organised. A second timber cc-e came before the last sessions of the Supreme Court, where a Christchurch timber merchant sued a. company of South Westland sawmillers for breach of contract, they having agreed to sell a year’s output from their mill at a certain figure, and failed to do so. The alleged contract was repudiated; but the jury found a verdict for the plaintiff, who maintained that he had suffered loss through having arranged to sell the timber to Australia on the strength of the agreement. The attitude of the Australian Government in relation to the reported increased tariff on Now Zealand timber appears still to be in doubt. At a recent meeting of the Greymouth t camber of Commerce it was stated that no official intimation of the increase had been received. It was decided to cable to the Forestry Commissioner at Melbourne for definite information. The hope was expressed that the New Zealand Government might yet be able to prevent the imposition. It was resolved to again call the attention of the Acting Prime Alinister to the hardship which would he imposed by an increased tariff upon the AVest- Coast, which was almost entirely dependent upon its overseas trade, and to ask him to try and make such an .adjustment as will enable the whole product of the while pine log to he exported. The Prime Minister’s attention is to be called also to the increasing unemployment in the district, and to the fact that Australian timber.? in the rough are admitted to New Zealand' duty free .and sawn timber at only 2s per 100 ft. Any equitable adjustment would inspire confidence in tho industry and prevent further discharge of mill hands. Tunnel Traffic. — Now that the Otira tunnel is nearing completion there is a growing impatience on the part, of the residents of the district with the inconveniences of the coach service. TJie last meeting of the Greymouth Chamber of Commerce decided to again request the Government to improvise a regular passenger and mail service through the tunnel. The Government had previously replied to such a request that it was not possible, but it had been done in cases of emergency, and there appeared no special difficulty in” making it a practice. It was pointed out that an average of 120 passengers per day passed over the gorge, and that the mail service cost £IOOO per year, so that with a reasonable charge for the tunnel trip a considerable saving should he made. It" was a matter for adjustment between the Public Works Department and the Railway Department. The Chamber of Commerce received a communication from the Grey A alley Farmers’ Union in reference to the Government experimental farm, which at present is such in little more than name. The manager lias been removed, and an inspector from Hokitika visits the farm occasionally. The farm is not fulfilling its purpose. ‘it was decided to urge the Agricultural Department to reappoint a manager, and the * hope was expressed that export advice might be given to farmers. Notes. — Permission has been granted to the president and the organiser of the Canterbury Progress League to make an inspection of the Otira, tunnel, and they propose to go through it this week. No further information is available as to the probable date of its completion. Complaints are made since the closing of the Anchor Shipping Company’s office in Hokitika of tire long delay in the conveyance of goods from Greymouth to Hokitika, Previously, consignments were made direct to the latter place, but under present conditions reconslgnments have to be made in Greymouth. The Customs returns for August at Greymouth were £2562 nett, and the value of gold exported £10.952. For the week ended August 27 the export of coal from the Westport mines was 10,993 tons.