WEST COAST NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3523, 20 September 1921, Page 22

WEST COAST NEWS.

(FfiOii Ocb Own Correspondent.) September 13. Mr I’. R. Climic, organiser of the Canterbury Pi-ogreas League, has. as a result j of his recent visit to the Otiia Tunnel, pie- j sented a full repon, which is in some respects satisfactory, though it appears that j the date of the e unpletion < t the work i will be later than was anticipated. The lining will bo completed within a fortnight, the work ol cleaning up will, with ballasting aiid track laying, occupy six or eight months. The contractors for the electrical work 'have already emoted a mile and a-half of cable racks within the tunnel, and as all material is on the ground no delay in | tins department is anticipated. ‘The most j unsatisfactory conditions are in the out- ' side work. At the Bealey end and at the j Arthur’s Pirns station yard good progress, is being made. The bridge over the j Bealey River will probably be finished be- i fore the end of this year. At O-lira the I work is not so -advane d. a -state of affairs ; which is due rather to the Public Works j Department than to the Railway. The j preparation of the site for the power-house j and the levelling of the station yard are I behind hand, and Mr Climie is oi opinion j that, with more applismces, the present j number of workers could make more rapid j progress. Forty-two dwellings at Otira and j 18 ut Arthur’s Pass will bo required for j railway employees. The sites for these ha vc not yet been prepared. in reference to the running of stc-ani traffic through the tunnel, Mr Climie is of opinion that it would be a great mistake, it would seriously impede the work of electrification and would involve a. delay of four hours a day. The fumes, also, would affect the electrical fittings, so that there is little prospect of the representations of the West Coast local bodies meeting with any success in this particular. The league is suggesting that an endeavour be made to secure that the construction work and the electrification be completed simultaneously. There appears, judging from the report,

to be little prospect of the tunnel being in working order much before the end of next year. A report of the progress of the work, which has been received by the member for Westland ffom tlie Public Works Department, agrees substantially with that presented to the Progress League. The de- | tails given of the position of the contract for electrification indicate that, in spite of the time lost in consequence of the British coal strike, there is no danger of delay in that department of the work. --Westland Public Works.— The formation of the line to tue new State mine at Port Elizabeth is approaching completion. Ballasting-, however, cannot be undertaken until the terminus is reached, as the ballast will have to be handled from there. Contracts have been let for several minor bridges in South Westland. Tenders have been received for the erection of the bridge over the Little Wanganui. Th bridge over the Waitaha is proceeding steadily. Three months will probably see the timber work completed. The formation of the approaches, however, offer considerable difficulty, and will be slow. Tiie northern approach involves a long deviation, and a deep cutting, the spoil from which will be taken across tire bridge to form the approach on the southern bank, where a large filling will be necessary. It L expected that it will be well into the new year before the bridge will be ready for traffic. In the meninmic the river ford will require a good deal of at-, tention if it is'to carry tire motor traffic of the early tourist season. Sixteen other separate contracts are in progress under the Public Works Department throughout the district, two of them being relief works. These ’latter are very necessary, as the number of the unemployed in the district shows no sign of decreasing. Twenty-one applications for work were received, last week, of whom nine were placed, while at the warewide not a quarter of the members of the union are finding regular work. Gold Returns.— The Bia-kwalei- Mines (Ltd.) .report a return of gold valued at 0c4084 for 280;> tons of stone crushed during August. For the months of July and August the Now Big River Mine reports a return of 7020 z of melted gold from 877 tons ol stone. —West land Forests. — The attention of the t'anterbui y College Board of -Governors is being directed to the fact that the services of .'••i.i i-ovverakcr had some time ago been applied for by the State Forestry Department to make a botanical survey of the Wed land native forests during the vacation. As if had uca-u shown that in such a limited time it would take a number of years to complete such a work, the State Forest Service had now offered j a -ala: v lo Mr Fmvrv.ikei' on condition that he o-avo four months per year to the field work. The '■ loard was recommended lo give | permission to Mr Foweraker to accept tni ! posilioiti for three months in the year. 1 his ; recommendation has been adoptled. During last week Mr Foweraker read a paper j before the Philosophical In-tiuite. the lust ■ of a series which be hopes to give during the next few > ears, and in which he spoke ] of the valuable wotk which was being done |,v the State Forests Department: in the j i--;e-i areas > i Westland. The re-alls < f I investigations to d ;',e were dealt with, and much interest ing information given relating to the cita 1 ::eu , !‘ ol the lore-ts atm Nature ■ luetic.l of regeneration. - Co-,1 or.. - Coal shipments from the priiir-tui! mines are ivei! t. ■ : it:! a hied. Fix :n burl Elizabeth Mine last week the export was 3080 ton u At Reefton. however, lb- huh:.-fry i- almost in a stand--! !!. So gloomy :- the outlook teat the County CT = -.: t . •. i! recently attempted ti It 1! iil --1 a-, t I.; 111 ; the I ill i*l of tile We -t I 'oast local bodies to veil 'fate I epi c ! sou; ■ :- ii lo tli - Go-, ri : on!. it -egae.-t- ; a eoefatooie to lie held I ( f.e the opening of S‘.i li nun: to i >;h U investigate the p.sitiui. The jtrnpn-.il in s l-eei. eiidnr.-”.| j liy i I ■ dr m -.th i‘. won hi ('oim< il. Ye ; I Shipmaid --. \n yw tie CM- H- ff( 111 GIV - lOnuß' for a !>i Una on dub 5! la-! -.ere gold I vain- -I at : 13,503. and timN r v- l -ed at a, 'a. Th’ 'altar eonm' i-oul 23.145,645 ft. whi : nine'll below : : a Vera ge yeai ".-