WEST COAST NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3765, 11 May 1926, Page 30

WEST COAST NEWS.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) May 5. COAL. At the last meeting of the directors of the Brunner Collieries, Limited, great satisfaction was expressed at the successful pumping of the Wadsend mine, which had been carried through under great difficulties. The seam of coal exposed by this operation is from lb to 18 feet thick, and tne proved coal amounts to over two million tons. The boring operations carried on during the past two years have proved the existence of a further three million tons under the Wailsend and Taylorville freeholds held by the company. The opening ot this mine should give a stimulus to the district, as it is considered that it will be capable of producing 500 tons of coal per day. Water is still flowing freely into the mine at the rate of 200 gallons per minute. About 75 gallons are, however, from the surface, and as the electrical pump being installed is capable of dealing with 600 gallons per minute, no difficulty is anticipated in keeping the workings dry. It is 35 years since this mine, owing to the slackness of the coal trade, was closed down. The coal has the reputation ot being the best in the Dominion for steam and gas purposes. Good progress is reported as being made by a company of co-operative miners who are carrying out boring operations at Runanga, under the supervision of a Government expert. The conference which has been arranged to take place between the miners’ council and representatives of the coal owners will be held on May 12. The purpose of the conference is to arrange tne terms of a new agreement. Efforts to.quench the fire which has now been burning for many weeks in the Reefton coal mine are still unsuccessful. The output of the mine has in consequence of the fire been naturally restricted, with the result that, the price has been advanced by several shillings per ton. This coal is in special demand at this season, as it is of good household quality. ALEXANDER RIVER GOLD MINECrushing operations have for the time being been suspended at the Alexander River mine pending the erection of a cyanide plant, which is in course of construction. There is a large accumulation of tailings, valued at between £3500 and £4OOO, which will be treated on completion of the plant, and which it is feared if nov soon dealt with may be washed away by floods. The work of sinking on the reef of this mine is to he put in hand at an early date. «s the Minister of Mines recently promised that if the reef were proved at depth he would authorise a grant for a road giving access to the mine. GREY HOSPITAL. The Grey Hospital is at present suffering from inadequate accommodation. So acute has the position become that the medical superintendent recommends the creation of an additional room by partitioning off one end of the corridor. He also states that unless there is some speedy relief it will be necessary to limit admissions to urgent cases.

Work on the sew Nurses’ Home is proceeding only slowly owing to the shortage of face bricks. In connection with the alterations to be made in the main hospital building certain changes in the plans were suggested by the Health Department. As negotiations would by the ordinary procedure occupy a long time, the. Hospital Board is requesting that the department’s architect eome to Greymouth to arrange details. The nedical superintendent reported that the hospital water supply is unsatisfactory, especially for the operating theatre, and on his recommendation the board has decided to undertake systematic boring on the hospital grounds m the hope of securing a better supply. It was decided to appoint a house surgeon to the hospital to assist the superinten- <’ nt, whose duties are becoming more than one man can undertake. WEATHER.

The weather has recently been of a most stormy character. Heavy rain, with thunderstorms, has been general. For one period of 24 hours .124 points of rain fell at Greymouth. There have been the usual washouts on the Otira line, and the Grey River has been in li.eavy flood. The most serious damage done is again, unfortunately, to the Blackball bridge. This bridge suffered severely in January by flood, and was closed through the whole of that month. Two 80ft spans and a pier of the bridge have again carried away. The damages haR apparently been caused by a scour resulting from the converging of the Grey River and Nelson Creek at the site of the ’ "idge, and the member for the district has recommended to the Minister of Railways the undertaking of a scheme for the control of the course of the river. The town of Blackball is completely isolated. The Raihvuy Department is placing a ca? j on the bridge to run f odstuffs across, and a ferry service over the river will be arranged by the courty engineer. It is expected that continuous work will occupy three weeks to restore traffic over the bridge, and in the meantime the miners are faced with a period of unemployment. The weather has now moderated. During last week the rainfall at Hokitika was 54in, and there wert only 14 hours of sunshine. ITEMB. The Westland Acclimatisation Society, which had applied for an open season to take opossums, has been advised that its

recommendation as to the opening ami closing dates has been approved, and that special regulations governing the season will shortly be issued. A memorial to the late Rev. Father Riordan has been erected at the Ross Cemetery, and was unveiled during the week. The goods traffic through the Otira tunnel during the month of April totalled 28,274 tons from west to east. - For April last year it was 26,029 tons. But for the washout on the line the traffic last month would probably have been several thousand tons heavier. During April 23 steamers, with a total tonnage of 15,043, entered the port of Greymouth. Before the opening of the tunnel the' average entries were about 29. Interest is being revived in the Hokitika district in flax-growing, which promises to become a payable industry. A party of tourist officers is expected to pass through South Westland and the Haast Pass this month, for the purpose of investigating a practical route for a proposed road. A new sawmill is to be erected near the Totara Flat, on a property that has recently changed hands.