WEST COAST NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3803, 1 February 1927, Page 34

WEST COAST NEWS.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) January 26. Both the Chamber of Commerce and the Borough Council at Greymouth have again approached the Government in reference to the timber trade. They ask for protection for New Zealand timber against foreign competition, and also some assistance to alleviate the acute position that has arisen in this district. Owing to lack of orders a number of mills have not resumed work since the holidays, while others are merely building up stocks in order to keep their married hands employed. It is reported that over 200 men less are employed in the trade than at the end of the year. This condition results in serious loss to the community and to Government departments. ' As an indication of the slackness at the mills the Herion Company proposed loading a steamer at Greymouth for Australian ports next month. So far only from 150.000 ft to 200,000 ft were in sight, whereas last year it was easy to secure half a million feet. TOURIST TRAFFIC.

Bookings at the Greymouth Tourist Office during Christmas and New Year constituted a record. During October and November the business had not been as brisk as in the previous year. Heavy bookings are expected during the next three months. The tourist traffic through Greymouth continues to be well maintained. Some of the hotels are full. New accommodation houses are contemplated in several popular resorts. A contributor' to an Auckland paper who has recently visited Waiho writes in glowing terms of the wonders of the Franz Josef Glacier. The trains to and from Canterbury continue to be well patronised. GREY POWER BOARD. The latest report of the position of the Grey Power Board shows that the extension of its operations is progressing slowlv. Its lines have been carried to sawmilling centres in the environs of Greymouth, and the low power reticulation at Blackball is nearing completion. It is proposed to have a ceremony there in connection with the official switching on of the light. Some trouble, though not of a serious nature, .has occurred with the Turbo-alternators at the powerhouse. The holidays and the Dobson disaster have during the past month somewhat curtailed the consumption of power. Complaint has been made of the fluctuation of light due to the irregular consumption of power by the New River Dredge Company. Thirty-eight new consumers have been connected during the past month, making the present total 670. JOTTINGS. Dr Du Rietz, Professor of Botany at the University of Upsala, Sweden, accompanied by Drs L. Cockayne and H. H. Allan, has been touring the district' on a botanical expedition. He spent some time at Arthur’s Pass, and then came on to Greymouth, and visited the Punakaiki district, going on later to Hokitika and the southern district. Arrangements have been completed for the annual A. and P. show at Greymouth next month. It has been arranged that in certain sections competition shall be confined to West Coast exhibitors so as to encourage them to enter, as on previous occasions they have felt too heavily handicapped by competition with outside exhibitors. The prospects are for a most successful show if the weather conditions' should be favourable. Some difficulty has been experienced in the housing arrangements through the destruction of the grand stand. Considerable consignments of stock, sheep, cattle, and pigs have again been sent to the Canterbury market from Ross, Hokitika, and Inangahua districts. The Chambers of Commerce at Greymouth and Westport are again agitating for the completion of the Coast road between those two towns, and hope to secure the support of similar local bodies

in other places. It is hoped that the road may be completed by next tourist season, and in order to demonstrate the value of the road from the commercial standpoint the chairman of the Greymouth Chamber has undertaken to take the round trip, timing himself by the old route and, by contrast, by the coastal route.

Arrangements are completed at Greymouth for the visit of the Duke and Duchess of York. Local bodies are being assessed on the assumption that the visit will cost £450.

The Italian population of the district has of late been steadily increasing, the number being now about 100, while others are on their way Jiere. Some 15 or more Italians were amongst the Dobson mine employees, and these have now all found work elsewhere. Most of the men of this nationality in the district are labourers, though a few skilled workers are amongst them. They all appear content, and are good workers. The shipping returns for the port - of Greymouth show that during 1926 there were 305 vessels entering the port, of a total tonnage of 170,200. These figures show a decrease of 12 vessels, of a tonnage of 4720 as compared with the returns for the previous year. This falling off is probably mainly due to the interruption in the export of coal from Blackball, which was due to the isolation of that mine through the floods. The amount of goods traffic through the tunnel last week was 7534 tons.

The Greymouth Chamber of Commerce in its desire to remove a stigma from the town has gone to the trouble of searching the official Year Book for the weather records of the past 74 years, with the gratifying result that it has discovered that the rainfall at Greymouth has averaged over that period only one day more per annum than Auckland, and that for a period of 47 years the annual sunshine has averaged only 19 hours more in Auckland than in Greymouth. At the last meeting of the Greymouth Harbour Board the harbour master reported that during the past 12 months the board’s dredge lifted 375,200 tons of spoil, the largest quantity in its history. Most of this work was done at Westport. The dredge goes into dock in Wellington at the end of February. At the celebration of the jubilee of the Westland County last week the Chairman mentioned some interesting facts in the history of the county. The extent of the county and the broken character of the country it covers has made the work of the council difficult from the beginning, and the whole succession of councils have shown an admirable spirit of loyalty to the district. Amongst the names of the first council was that of the late Hon. R J Seddon, and amongst the guests present at the jubilee banquet were four gentlemen who are sons of members of the first council These included Mr T. E. Y. Seddon, M.P. There was also present Mr K. Bonar, son of the late Hon. J. Bonar, superintendent of the province, by whom the first council was sworn in in 1877.