Wanganui Chronicle AND PATEA-RANGITIKEI ADVERTSER. "NULLA DIES SINE LINEA." TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1888.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXXI, Issue 11342, 2 October 1888, Page 2

Wanganui Chronicle AND PATEA-RANGITIKEI ADVERTSER. "NULLA DIES SINE LINEA." TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1888.

The Newcastle obalminers' .strike is. not only of ; immediate, but. will probably.be of .permanent, benefit to' New Zealand. No- ■ bodyiJknows yet what' the resources of this colony are in 'the matter of coal, but the necessities and opportunities of the last few : ; weeks have resulted in 'an enormous de- , velopment of ■ our West Coast mines. .We . have been accustomed to think that we could riot— at any rate without suffering great inconvenience— do without Newcastle coal ; but recent experiences have provod that the possible output from our mines is quite equal toiour present needs. The proI babitity is that we shall never go back to • Newcastle' foiv, supplies: but that in tho future coal will figure^ largely in our exports. A recent visitor to the West Coast j gives the result 'of his observations in a | ' 'shVrt letter to the New Zealand Times, which is worth reproducing: — " I have just returned," he says, " from a visit to tho Wesi Coast, and while, there I had the ■ pleasure^ of witnessing- the activity jit the coalmines of Greymouth and Westport, and ; noticed that they were fully employed owing to the extra demand occasioned by the Newcastle strike. What I wish to call speoiul attention to is the pleasing fact that those' mines avo able to cope with the present emergency by increasing their output fully 50 per cent in a short notice, and if ihp

demand continues, I have been assured by the respective managers it could be easily doubled. I : say the pleasing fact, for hitherto I have seen it repeatedly asserted that New Zealand was unable yet to supply its own needs with coal. . A few figures which I am quoting will prove' the fallacy of that statement. For the past seven years New Zealand ha'srnatits'own requirements, ■ excepting\n.bout 120,000' ton's yearly imported from Newcastle. During that period the output on the West Coast was-—Grey-niouth, yearly, 154,000 tons ; Westport, ditto*. 148,000 Jtbng.'.Nojy 'for the past four weeks' the output amounts to — Greymouth 5500, and T-Westports-4500 --tons-weekly—nearly-double their former average; being at the rate of 275,000 and 225,000 tons respec tively; total, 500,000 tons, and fully 200,000 tons in excess of former demands, and as against the 120,000. tons that arts drawn from Newcastle! " What with tho i present working' mines "on the West Coast, doing at the rate of half a million tons yearly, and capableof increasing to 1-,000,000 tons Of superior quality for all purposes, and the projected development; of other^mines : and also other'coaliielcls spread all over the v colony, having an aggregate; output, of an- ;' other 500,000 tons, surely I am right in asserting that we 'afeinow.independent of all foreign importation of coal, and were our requirements to increase beyond the most sanguine expectations that independence \yill continue.". •,.?,, ' The Garrison officers cannot be; "complimented upon their treatment of Bandmaster Crichtoh and, the members tof tho 'Band — not, at any rn'te;- if we are 'to judge from the letter addressed by Lieutenant-Colonel Stapp to- the Bandmaster, and which we publish in another column." There ia a'conBiderate and, gentlemanly way oj> [doing I things, .but' that 'way has apparently not I commended itself, to the Band Committee. So far as we. know, no fault whatever haa been found (with Bandmaster Crichton, but 1 the arrival in Wanganui-.of a "gentleman r with much Jargor .experience and greater ( musical capabilities, has induced a desire to see him placeu!in charge of the Band. , Such a desire was' riot'' unnatural', and neither wns there any. reason why reasonable and proper endeavours should not be made ' to have effect given to it. , But: surely, some con: sideralion should have;, been given' to the feelings' of an officer against whom there is ' no complaint and who has enjoyed to the full the confidence of his ' subordinates. Surely, • also,' the members of the Band might have been allowed some say as to whether they had any preference in the matter of a change'df bandmasters. "'lt may ~ be answered, that there was no need to consult them in the matter. Just so. ' Neithei - is there any need that' they should' remain in the Band. We do not know,' but it seems to us that, if a littlemorecohsideration'h'a'cl ', been shown for the feelings of those immediately ; concerned, the matter might have been arranged sStisfactorilyto all parties. c -j — ♦ — : — e-~;, ;*'\ s It is one thing to say. that " popularity^ is - not necessarily an evidence of -efficiency,'!' but quite another that " the popularity, of ail 1 official is no recommendation." The'formei sentence conveys the reply of the Miriistei . -of Lands to the protests against the removal of a certain sheep inspector ; and, considered' apart, from the particular case, • with the merits ' of , which we ' are , unacquainted, it must be regarded' as laying down a sound 'principle, 1 to whick no ' objection ' can be taken. Had. tht •Minister said that pouplarity w_as'nd're- : commendation, he would certainly !; have ■'overstepped the mark. , If an officer riol only does his duty well,' but does it in' sucl away as to command, the. esteem and good •■ will- of j those, with whomjbejs-bro.ugst.-in 8 contacts his popularity is surely, a great re : oorrjmendation as ( . against r another officer, who also does his. ;duty thoroughly, but in r.v tf.Vru'de ; and ■.'ungracious manner, that irritates 'and "anriiya ' : everybody who has to do business "with him. Agreeing, as we do, with the Ministerial axiom, but not with the remaxit imputed- to the Minister, we would Mci ,to add that " efficiency doe« not'necpssariiy result in unpopularity."