THE WEST COAST.

Otago Witness, Issue 3888, 18 September 1928, Page 34

THE WEST COAST.

(From Oub Own Cobbbppondent.) September 12. At a special meeting of the Greymouth Borough Council an increase of 2s in the £ on the unimproved value was struck on the rates for 1928-9. In his address the Mayor mentioned several interesting facts. The main reason for the increase was the falling off in the revenue from the gasworks, due to the competition of electricity. During the years 1923-1926 the gasworks revenue increased from £14,977 to £17,482. In 1927 it fell to £16,807, and in 1928 to £12,842. Another interesting fact was that while the total rates for last year amounted to £15,094, the hospital levy and interest and sinking fund absorbed £11,495, so that the council had a balance of only £4499 to spend in the maintenance of the town. On the other hand the expenditure on drainage and maintenance had risen from £3486 in 1923 to £7532 in 1928. This year the council will further be faced with £l7OO of special expenditure, and the total expenditure will be £2395 in excess of any previous year.

KOKATAHI DAIRY FACTORY. One of the most progressive centres in this district is Kokatahi, and one of Kokatahi’s most progressive institutions is its dairy factory. The annual meeting, held during the week, again reported a successful year. Excellent sales of butter have been made, practically the highest orice in New Zealand for export butter aaving been obtained. The suppliers have been paid the average price of Is 6d per lb for butter-fat, The factory won the Dairy Produce Board’s silver cup for the most improved grade of butter for the 1927-1928 season. The coSt of manufacture has been very economical. The manager was complimented by the directors on his success, and a handsome increase was made in his salary. ROAD IMPROVEMENTS.

Good progress is being made by the contractors for the Crooked River bridge in the Grey County. The first set of piles has been driven, and 'with favour- - able weather the bridge should be completed within three months, so that the road should be ready for traffic during the approaching summer. This road will open up a large area of good farming land, and will also provide an additional and charming motor run. The road skirts Lake Brunner, and connects with Jacksons, on the Grey-Otira railway, making more readily accessible some of the fine bush scenery that was so famous in the coaching days. Important improvements are about to be made on the Grey-Reefton road, involving the straightening of a considerable stretch and the elimination of several dangerous bends. This work is to be done by the County Council and the Main Highways Board. The Westland County Council is enga"ged on a general overhaul scheme on the bridges on the Okarito road. Most of these structures will be strengthened in prospect of the heavier traffic which is likely to result from the development of mining and other industries in that locality. During recent years a great deal of bridge building and road improvement has been done in various parts of this district, especially in the south, and travelling conditions are vastly better than they were a decade ago. It will soon be possible for motors to run from end to end of the district in any weather. . JOTTINGS. The dispute between the miners and the owners of the Briandale colliery has at last been settled, and work has been resumed. A ballot taken at Denniston, providing in a new agreement that the employer shall have the right to decide what men he shall employ and where and when he shall employ them, resulted by a vote of 208 to 176 in the clause being rejected. About 100 farmers from various parts of the district assembled during the week at the Waimaunga Experimental Farm for a field day, when, under the guidance of Mr Lakey (Government veterinarian) and Mr Dalgliesh (officer in charge), they were given information relating to diseases in stock and shown over* the farm.

Disappointment was felt that the Tasman flyers did not pass over this district. Keen interest had been taken in their venture, though not more than a few minutes’ sight of them could be expected. Their nprthern trend, however, precluded even that slight satisfaction. Over 14,000 opossum skins have been stamped in the district this season, which is fully 1500 in advance of last year’s tally. The work of replacing the buildings recently destroyed by fire on the Hokitika racecourse has been commenced, and it is anticipated that they -will be ready for the summer meeting on Boxing Day. The outside stand is to be removed to the site of- the main stand, which was destroyed. The inquiry into the cause of the fire that was desired by the Fire Board will not be held. An area of land comprising some 2000 acres of swamp between Lake Mahinapua and the Hokitika River hgis been acquired by a company, which proposes to cultivate, flax'. It is expected that the milling operations will employ 200 men. The land was originally part of the Hokitika Harbour Board endowment area.

A further supply of 150,000 brown trout ova has been ..received from Southland, and will be hatched at Lake Kanieri for the benefit of the Westland and Grey Acclimatisation Societies.

The goods traffic railed through the Otira tunnel during the week was 10,575 ■tons. For the correspon'ding week of last year it was 11,396 tons. When the old Presbyterian manse in Greymouth was being demolished to make room for the new one (now in course of erection) an interesting relic of the past was discovered in the form of a faded delivery order for two hogsheads of beer from Blackmore’s Brewery, “ to replace two which did not' come up to standard.” The brewery concerned, a flourishing institution in the early days of Greymouth, has been closed down for over 40 years.. After a brief period of lovely spring warmth, the weather again during the week reverted to wintry conditions. The I temperature has been low, snow falling in

and around Greymouth. Storm and raig prevented all week-end sports.

THE LICENSING POLL. TO the editor. Sir, —If any serious thinking is being done in New Zealand to-day it is being done in Otago. The paragraphs in “ The Week ” for September 11 touching the licensing poll must, therefore, have stirred reflection in many homes. May I offer some comment on your conclift sions?

First, as regards America. You place the onus of the significant downcome in New South Wales less upon the Austral lian compensation clause than upon the supposed, bad example of America. Many of us beg to differ on solid grounds. Wherever the mistake of offering com* pensation has been made, and nowhere worse than in England, it pricks the pocket-conscience hard, and hardest dur= ing bad times. On the contrary, it will take more proof than bare assertion to convince any sane person that the earthly touchstone of America’s success in pro? hibition is not the solidity of the pocket; conscience there. Big business, labour, and every solid civic element affirm that prohibition pays. So it would have paid in New South Wales; so will it pay here if we come to our senses in time. The supreme proof is that the gigantic sum forfeited in the loss of liquor revenue never even ruffled American politics; it was so soon made up. The winegrowers? were making fortunes in raisins, the bar owners were building luxurious coffee palaces, and the people were building their own homes. Is it not time, at least in Otago, to drop this American bogey: mask of ours and say truthfully that we drink because we like it, and have not learned the ABC of national economy. A far more cosmopolitan issue lies under your mournful and possibly true predic? tion that we are about to witness a downslide in our own vote, brought about largely by the strong anti-nationalism of our young voters. Supposing you are right, what is the situation? Alcoholism is so deeply embedded in the failures of civilisation as to be the first considera; tion of international co-operation. Hag it been put to the front since our last poll here? Yes, in a recommendation tq the League of Nations to institute an inquiry into alcoholism made by Belgium and the northern nations. Scandinavia would be prohibitionist if Europe would let it. Finland has asked no one’s leave, and is desirous "to spread her own pros; perous conditions across her borders, Although the ultimate goal of prohibit tion was not named the first recommen= dation was turned down, mainly by Eng; land and France; the second has beeij shelved foy the time with the passionate support of 1 the Australian delegate. What do our local League of Nations Unions say? Their personnel is a cheering answer. The great hush-hush policy hag prevailed for the moment in Europe, How are we thriving on it? Health is debated, but no word transpires of the supreme underminer of health. Morale are debated, but no word from high quarters connotes our rising drink bill with our flood of divorces and juvenile immorality, our rising prison record, and our undiminished list of murders, degem eracics, and suicides. If a dinosaur were loose on earth, demanding a toll of human victims, would our rulers take up a hush: hush attitude about it? Worse than a, thousand dinosaurs is loose among us. What will our children, our disinherited

children, tninK or tneir maa ancestors! I say disinherited. Here we come to issues tremendously increased in -approaching import since our last poll. An orientation of world power is taking place under our drowsy eyes. Soon we shall be forced to wake; The Eastern nations are awake if we are not. India is many nearer her aim of speedy self-government and independence. China is a rapidly unifying Power, who has cast off our imposed tariff bonds, and is resolved to keep Chinese excess profits for the Chinese. Both she and Japan arc organising for a deadly economic struggle, if not an ordeal of arms. The Eastern nations are not drinking nations as the Western are, save America. They can already live'where we would starve. We are actually caressing our arch-dinosaur, we of the Britannic league, throwing him fresh victims, fresh homes, fresh souls to wreck. Is it bringing us trade, efficiency. honour, solidarity? The opposite of all that. And now the issue is past evading. The East will come to her economic war with all our experience to draw upon, and an immense man-power rescued from drink and drugs. We seem determined to meet it with an increasing aggregate of inefficiency, degeneracy, and social decay. What do we expect to be in 50 years’ time with these self-imposed disabilities but the economic vassals of the Oriental nations we so long exploited as ours? Lastly, we shall have betrayed our Aryan heritage of power, dropping to the rank of renegade nations. No student of the times can fail to understand that the Divine purpose for the twentieth century is the abolition of drink and war. The one great prohibition power on earth’ is busy with both. With Britain’s help she will achieve the Divine purpose. It will be achieved, but as yet we have no certainty what race shall be leading when that Marathon of the future is decided. So far the Britannic nations have given their vote for death and disintegration. Shall we reaffirm that dark portent in November? —I am, etc.,

Jessie Mackay. Cashmere Hills, QJiristchurch.