THE WEST COAST

Otago Witness, Issue 3993, 23 September 1930, Page 30

THE WEST COAST

(From Our Own Corresponoent.) COAL MINING. September 17. The Dobson coal mine has been idle all th e week, owing to lack of orders, and the prospect® of improvement in tb~ position for next week are not promising. A cooperative party has commenced work in the Matchless mine at Reefton.

Meetings have been held at Westport and Greymouth at which resolutions have been passed protesting against the Government’s importations of coal from Australia, requesting it to spread it® reduction of railway stocks of coal over a period of at least six months, and to restore the orders for railway- coal to their previous level. Representatives of mine owners, miners, and citizens of the district have interviewed the Minister on the question in Wellington. The policy of the Government, and the keener competition againet coal incident to hydro-electric schemes and the use of oil fuel has placed the coal industry- in a serious position in the opinion of the deputation. One speaker stated that persistence in the present methods would soon displace 900 mine employees, and already companies had been compelled to discharge a number of men. It was stated at Grey; mouth that the position at Millerton had since the importation of Newcastle coal recommenced become very difficult, the miners getting only- a few days’ work per fortnight. Another speaker affirmed that in 20 years he had never known the unemployment position so acute at the mining town of Runanga. In a district like this, where the coal industry occupies so important a position, a setback in that department of labour naturally- affects very seriously all classes of the community. Seventy of the miners at Stockton have been notified that their services will be no longer required after a fortnight. PUBLIC WORKS. A party consisting of members of the Wec’tland County Council have been on a tour of the districts of • Waiho and Okarito. They paid a visit to the Five Mile gold mining claim at the latter place, and also fixed a site for a bridge at Three Mile Creek, and received deputations from farmers’ unions at Harihari and Matainui. The growing popularity- of the Weheka district has called attention to the importance of opening access for tourist® to the many attractions in that locality. A track has recently been made to Lake Matheson, and here are*"several other lakes in the neighbourhood which would be reached through fine forest scenery, and the opening of access to which would probably well repay the cost.

A further sign of preparation frtr the approaching tourist season is eeen in the grant of £lOO from the Estimates for improving the main Coast road to the blowholes at Punakaiki.

The chairman of the Greymouth Chamber of Commerce, in company- with the county- engineer, has recently- made a tour of inspection of county- road works that are being carried out in the Lake Haupiri and Bell Hill district. Part of this reading is being done by the Grey County Council, and part by the Public Works Department, which has about 70 men from the unemployed list occupied there. On the Rotomanu to Inchbonnie road one bridge has* been completed, and three others are in course of construction. GOLD MINING. Some 18 miners are engaged in alluvial gold mining in the Stafford and Greenstone district. A report of 12 months’ work indicates that 6540 z of gold have been produced, valued at £2613, the principal producer being the Hokonui Sluicing Co., which recovered gold to the value of £1196. A claim at Maori Hill recovered gold to the. value of £B4l. This mine has for the third time within a few months been compelled to cease work on account of shortage of water. PERSONAL. Mr T. D. Holmes, who has been acting as a probationary teacher at the Greymouth Technical School, has been appointed a permanent member of the staff. Archdeacon Jermyn, of Greymouth, has been appointed Commissioner- of BoyScouts for the Westland district in succession to Mr T. E. Y. Seddon. Mr T. A. Johnston, district engineer of the Public Works Department, has been through South Westland during the past week on a tour of inspection of the Main South road beyond Waiho and of works that are being carried out in connection with settlement and the tourist traffic.

Mr R. J. O’Halloran. of the Bank of New Zealand, Greymouth. has been transferred to the Masterton branch, and left during the week. The Rev. J. Chatteris, Presbyterian Minister at Kumnra, is leaving on a six months’ health trip to the Old Country. In the final of the Greymouth Golf Club’s ladies’ championship, the holder. Miss N. Tennant, was during the week defeated by Mrs J. W. Hannan. GENERAL. Owing partly to the decreased output of coal, the traffic through the Otira tunnel for the past week again shows a decline as compared with the corresponding weeks of last year and 1928. The tally was 10.459 tons, and that for 1929 and 1928 11,885 and 11,266 tons respectively.

At Kokatahi a meeting of the committee of the recent show was held during the week,, when the balance sheet showed a credit of £77. It was decided to hold the next show in May or June of next year. Mr James Fleming was elected president for the ensuing year. A successful lambing season has just concluded m that district. The weather throughout was ideal, and the lambs are now able to care for themselves. borne unemployed men who were given temporary- work on the Omoto road, near Greymouth, and also several casuals in the employ of the Harbour Board, have been paid off during the week. Ihe Grey Acclimatisation Society lim received during the week 75,000 brown ,■l°. . for liberation in countv streams. I his is the first instalment of 500,000 fish (kali brown and half rainbow trout) which are to be received from the Kanieri hatcheries. ' H.M.S. Dunedin arrived in the Greymouth roadstead during the week to land' a stoker who was suffering from appendicitis.

. The Westland County- Council has decided to fall into line with the Main' Highways Board, which recently announced its intention to pay a subsidy-' of only 14s per day. The council will( therefore pay- that rate to its road em-' ployees instead of 15s as heretofore.

After a week of beautiful weather, a northerly wind with heavy showers set' in at Greymouth. Street lighting was affected, and pictures had to be abandoned in one of the theatres.