GREYMOUTH.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XVI, Issue 13, 20 July 1888, Page 13

GREYMOUTH.

(From cur own Correspondent.) The wreck of tke ill-fated b.s. Gerda was bought at auction by Messrs. Huogerfurd and M'Kay, for the small sum of £70. They lost do time in putting on a gang of their quarry hands, who started to dismantle her, not however before bhe had destroyed two more bays of pilings. They have succeded in recovering most of her valuable machinery, together with anchois, steam-winches, aa well as furniture and fittings of every description. It i* surmised those enterprising contractors will do well out of the portions of the wreck saved. The worst features of this disastrous wreck are that a great number of the quarry hands are still out of employment, and Me likely to be bo for a considerable time. The weather is still very wet and stormy, which very much retards the work of salvage. The Government have at length Bhown their hand in relation to the Grey-Hokitika railway, by intimating tbat no tenders would be accepted for the New Eiver section. This decision, in the face of the fact that a sum was placed on the Estimates last session for the prosecution of this work, and a distinct promise given that this short line of railway would be finished in the course of the present year, plainly shows that the present Government care very little for West Coast affairß, and that tdeir calling for tenders for this work was only a rvse to win the support of our representatives. A sum of between £60,000 aad £70,000 has been expended on this railway, which was commenced ten ytars ago, and a great many if the culrerts and bridges constructed (since then are unfit for use, and will nave to be replaced. Fancy such a large sum of money spent in an unproductive work in one district for the want of completion ; had this railway b«en completed in any reasonable time it would now, ia all probabili y be pt»ying good interest on the money invested. It is no wonder that the workingnaen of New Zealand have now to pay heavy taxes, when successive Governments, for the sake of political support, knowingly ■ink public money in works of which they had no intention of completing. Such works are scattered over many places in the Colony, and are used as catch-yotes by succeeding ministries. Either West

Coasters or their representatives are napping, or the Grey-Hokitiku railway would hare been completed long ago. Public meetings have at length been held both in Hokitika and Greymouth, ursine th« Government to push on this railway to a fiDish. It might not be too late yet to compel a reluctant Government, in fair justice to the inhabitants of the West Coast and to the ratepayers of the Colouy to complete this work on whick so much money has been abwdy expended, and help to relieve the taxation of the Colony by making anproductive expenditure in the past productive in the future So far there is nothing definite known as to the signing 'of the contract by the Midland Railway Co.. but it is to be hoped that with the next batch of mail news a cablegram to the effect that this contract is at last settled to the satisfaction of all parties will be received The vigorous prosecution of this work would in some decree relieve the present depression. The break in the cable is very annoying, as Home news is always Tery interesting to colonists, and especially so in those troubled times when none can tell the aspect European affairs may take even in the short space of a single week. To us intently watching the struggle m Ireland, it is still more annoying, and for that reason alone we hope cable communications will soon be restored, even though we receive many garbled accounts concerning Irish National affairs The Vatican's condemnation of the Plan of Campaign and boycotting kept them busy for over a month, and it would be very interesting to lovers of curiosities in cable -literatuie to compare the changes and colouring which the Pope's decree has received at the cable agent's hands before being transmitted to the colonial Press, with the actual state of the case. The mail news received already throws a very different aspect on the Pope's rescript to that which wa3 inferrred from the cable news, and when subsequent facts arrive, 1 have no doubt that the rescript will interfere in a very slight degree with the methods of Ireland's modern warfare against unsarupulous landlords and a Coercion Government. A very strange item of news has been cabled out recently to the effect, that the corpse of a boycotted man had been disinterred and mutilated in Wexford cemetery. Now, above all othsr crimes, this is one which all Irishmen abhor; the very thought of it is repulsive to their nature ; of all European nationalities the Irish respect the memory of the dead most, and no mat(er how much they may have differed in life, the death of either of the parties ends the enmities of the other. If the facts of this cablegram are true, which I doubt very much, and that the real perpetrators of this horrible crime were known, it would be found that none of those who differed with him in life carried their enmity beyond the grave Most people having any knowledge of the Irish character will not hesitate in saying that this beastly act was never committed by any person conoected with the Irish National movement. Suspicion would strongly point to it as being thedirty work of Emergencymen, or some very low followers of the anti-national clique, who by every means fair or foul are trying to injure the Irish cause, How very opportunely this horrible crime has been committed when the Irish question is engaging the serious attention of the Vatican. Doubtless v was intended as another grave charge to strengtnen the hands of tbe Tory agen's at Borne and to discredit the Irish demand for self-government by flashing the intelligence all over the world. Again, are there not scores of heinous crimes committed in England every week which are never cabled to these colonies, tbe foreign publication of which wo aid be too humiliating to the boasted superiority of the English nation? It is surprising that tbe publication of those crimes are not even suppressed ia the English Press fearing they may leave a bio' on the fair fame of England ; but in any case, you will not find many crimes reported ia their principal organs, you must run over both the provincial and metropolitan Press to dis3over the amount and enormity of the crimes committed every week in this most civilised of nations. The cable or Press agents deserve well of the Tory Government in magnifying and spreading broadcast details of Irish crime, while they studiously avoid letting colonials know anything of the greater and more serious crimes committed in England. In reading the report of a meeting held in Sydney condemning Papal interference in Irish political affaire, I was glad to notice that one of our old West Coasters took an active part in it. Tho gentleman I refer to is, Mr, John Clune, who had bean for many years a resident of Greymouth aad other parts of the West Coast. Before leaving for Sydaey he was associated with Mr. C. C. McCarthy, Mr. Tobias Glennon, and other gentlemen in c Electing the Parnell and Irish Political Prisoners' Defence Fund," which resulted in a good sum baing raise i for that purpose. Afterwards he warmly advocated the formation of permanent branches of ttie I.N.L. in this district, and since hid arrival in Sydney has taken au active part in Irish Natonal affairs. The church committee here have received a bill for over £900 from the contractors of St. Patrick's church for extras in connection witb that building. This sum appears rattier large for extras ; surely the contractors must have included any blunders they may have made in taking the original contract at too low a figure. As many of the church committee are keen bueiuejs men, they are not likely to pay the contractors more than what is honestly due to them. The Rev. Father Carew, who had been on a visit to Christchurch, returned here last week and officiated at both Masses and at Vespers. In reading the frequent accounts of the excellent Catholic Literary Societies of Christchurch, Dunedin, and other places, in tho Tablet, I often feel sorry that we have not such a useful institution established amongst us. Taking into account the very small amount of amusi meat, either mental or physical, which we have in this dull place from one year's end to the other, a Ca;holic Literary Society established here would prove a boon to ail and especially to the young who are verging on the state of manhood. Those societies when conducted properly are a source of great amusement and instruction to their members, as well as to those who may attend their meetings. The cultivation of a literary taste ; the art of giving readings and radiations with giaca and effect ; and the still more important feature « £ being a sound reisoner, and sound debater, could not but be a I lasting benefit to the; rising generation. Apart |frpm this are other

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