WEST CAOST NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1053, 16 February 1911, Page 7

WEST CAOST NEWS.

:'. vTrom Oat Own'Correspondent'.)..Vγ,'.Tho combined schools. picnic wae hold/ it'Kotuku on Wednesday last. 'As.tho iveather was favourable- nnd tho doy was jbserved as a publio holiday, a large num3er of children. and ndulU; attonded. rivcnty-soTen corringe ond trucks .were iut on by tho railway authorities, and , •ho largest train ,that y hae ever 'W-pA iVest Coast of <57eJ-? nputh nt 9.30 a.m., -for tho chosen renleivous. Fully 2COO were present. Tho Battalion' Band attended,. and sports of raVious'kinds'wereiindulgcd iu, until; the return; journsy. KotnkV is- well -known for its oil-bearing qualities, so that hunJred of excursionists visited tho ground that is being worked by Mr. Joseph layior, and genuine surprise was expressed at tho extent to which development works had been carried out. Tho Rail-way-Department benefited by the excursion to tho extent of £157 35.. . '/ ■ The Harbour Board shed, .at the south sido of. the .Holcitika River, was burnt down on Thursday night. .When tho fire wis first noticed it had'a'strong hold, and there was no possibility of subduing it., Mr. J. Fitzgerald, contractor for tho extension works, had most of h?j tools stored in tho shed, .anilt, ds. everything, was' destroyed; he is a loser! to ■ the extent of £Sa or .XM. ■;-.-The origin of. tho fire is'unknown. ■ • ' : ■

-Mr. J. D. Henry, the London oil expert, visited Kotuku on Friday, the 10th instant, and returned to Groymouth that night., ■ Mr..- Henry• stated that it would tnko £2,000,000 to exploit Taranaki, Uislxrine, and Kotuku. This,, however; is but a 'seventh part of the money eub-iMi-ibed in England last year for oil'companv flotntion. He gave it ns his opinion'that wherever small wells havo been drilled at Kotuku the results havo been better than in most other parts of the Empire. A modern dnlhntr plant for Kotuku is on its way from England. ■ Tho matches in the second round of the handicap for Mri Ferguson's trophy re■eulted as follows:-Mis6 T Pcrkins beat Miss Crooke 40-22; Miss H. Skoglnnd bent Miss Kettle, 40—1)9; Misa Zarrall bent Miss Blnckmore, 40-35; Miss Berthclsen beat Miss Nauer, 40—38; Miss Smith beat Mi'S W Crcokc, 40—39; Mies O. Stanford beat Mis 3 Bishop, 40--29; Mrs.'Lewis beat Miss M. Blackmore, 40-20; and Miss Drowctt won from Miss F. Broad by default. In the third round Miss Perkins ploys Mies Skogtoiid, Miss Zurrnll plays Miss Dcrtholscn, Miss Smith pays Miss l>. Stanford,.and Mrs. Lewis ploys Miss Drowott. ; ' '•'■•'>.' "■■ ">-. A largely-attended mating was Tic d Inst Wednesday, m the WaHseml Hall, under the auspices of tho Mine League. Tho Hon. A.'R.'Guinness, M-.P.,-presided, nnd read an apology from tho chairman of- llio Greymmith Harbour Bonrd. ■ Sir. Guinness outlined the' history- of the .movement for tho re-opening of tho mine. Do held that tlio principle of assisting tho gold industry should bo extended to the coal mining industry, and lie stated that an endeavour would bo made to pet the Government to insert a clauso in the Coal Mines Act. 'authorising'advances ,up 'to fCIO.OnO to assist coal mining. During the fifteen years from October .1, 1895. to September 30; 1010, the Brnnncr mines had contributed to the revenue f as fol-ows:-Ront« and royalty,-£25,197: railice £93.152; special rate'(for only sis vear<i £«97: total,. £122.846.'- This equalled some £8189 pe,r annum, a fact that proved what a valuable' asset the mine had been for the Government and ho Greyniouth Harbour Board. The Mavor of Brunner moved :—"'this meeting, understanding that tho Cnb v net rejected the proposal that the Wallsend freehold should bo resumed by tho Crown, and-offered to tho public as a coal mining lease, and being convinced of tho otherwise certain clTnewnent of the old Brunnir mining township, • desires ( to a"k a? a moans to avert such -a,calamity, whether tho Government will consider a request to supplement or subside nn cfJ»? in , irnuiro nnd reopen the -Wallscnd u inn bv gSing, subject to ratification ? v Parliament, a lonn of, soy. B y SrN capital nf £15,000, if sue), amount is loured for the purpose." 'the Ska. Mr. Bn»»H. -Mnyor of # ,GrevH^tTtt^P^d' Borough Council a letter wns read from ho llopartineiit of Agricultural, notify, ine tho council of the appointment of Mr 11. S. Willou ns slock inspector, in «iKVoss)on to tho late Mr. T. Amlerson, ft nd askini; the connci to appoint him. also manager-of tho abattoir..-- Iho ro : quest wns granted. '; , v