LATE LOCALS

Hokitika Guardian, 9 March 1920, Page 3

LATE LOCALS

The s.s. Karoi-i leaves Timaru about the end of the week for Greymouth and Will be available for general cargo. Importers will please telegraph orders. A private letter received from England this morning in the course of references on the high cost of living there, gives the following interesting quota-

tions of current prices at the time of writing:—Steak 2s 4d per lb., butter 2s 6d per lb., stewing steak 2s, ham 2s 6d., frozen mutton Is Bd, eggs os per dozen, reel of cotton Is 2d. Hoii Mr Coates, the new Public Works Minister, is a young and energetic man, and as a county council chairman has had a good deal to do with public works. In the war hy showed great capacity for dealing with men, and in the special course which he took with British officers in England he got (>pe of the finest reports ever given in the school. As the head of an important department he made a good impression in the House last session. Even his political oppon cuts admitted that he shaped well. A iorrespor-dent ‘writes. ‘ Having paid a visit to Kumara, after an absence of two years, the first tiling that j struck me was the absence of some o: . the fine buildings of the early days, which, I am sorry to say, have beer pulled down and shifted elsewhere But the little town of Kumara is stil

there, after 44 years', and will remain there for a long time yet. Mining seems to he a thing of the past, gold being a scarce commodity. A new industry has sprung up, 'kawmilling. Some seven new mills are about to start, and that will give a new life to old Kuinara, which is now bound to be on the up grade. 1 afterwards paid a

visit to the Old People’s Home, and there T found everything in excellent order, clean and sweet. In fact, everything in the garden was lovely. For cleanliness it could not he surpassed, and old men in galore. With staff and old men the number runs up to fiftyseven, and Mr and Mrs Batson do all in their power' to make the old people happy and comfortable. Nothing is a trouble to them, they are all kindness and are well liked by the old folks. Dir and Mrs Batson arc spoken of in the very highest of terms, and all seem very happy in their old days. The food is ol the very best—l saw them at their ! meals- and Llie well laid tables would ' compare with some of the first-class ' hotels on the Coast, I have made up • my mind, should I in my old days get feeble, it would be in the Old People’s i Home at Kumara 1 would prefer to , spend the. remainder of my days. Why ■ some people seem to have a “ down” on | jt I cannot make out. ”