WEST COAST TRIP.

Hokitika Guardian, 18 January 1924, Page 1

WEST COAST TRIP.

WELLINGTON BUSINESS MEN'S VISIT. Air John Myers (president of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce) spoke very interestingly on Thursday on his holiday trip with a number ol other Wellington business men to the West Coast, says the N.Z. Times. “While in Hokitika, the party visited the AYest Coast Exhibition, and was extremely surprised and pleased with the splendid display which was made. Exhibits were shown front the - whole of the AYest Coast, Canterbury, Otago, and Auckland, hut very few from A\ollingtou. 1 explained to the exhibition authorities, who were disappointed at the paucity of the displays from AA’ellington, that we are not a large manufacturing town, but go in more tor shipping; ami that the exhibits shown by Canterbury could not be shown by Wellington bouses, for the reason that the exhibitors had places of business in all Pair centres, not in Christchurch alone, and that it would only he duplicating the exhibits for AA’ellington al.-o to show. All the industries of Chi'lotehureh were represented ; and in s' me eases I noticed that several arms in the same trade had amalgamated their exhibits so as to make a more effective show. For example, eight bootmaking firms from the Canterbury Industrial Association were thus represented. The AYellington Industrial Association might have done something on the same lines, instead of which it made m. show whatever. GOLD DREDGING.

"The party was entertained by the Hokitika Progress League, which :s a branch of the Canterbury Progress League; and while in Hokitika the delegates inspected the working of the Rinni gold-dredge, which is operated bv an American syndicate. The dredge produces from two to three hundred ounces of gold per week. AA 7 e saw the gold for eight days’ working melted, and it was in the form of a brick, the weight of which was 457 ounces, and the value about CflflOO.

“On the morning of the 4th the party intended going to the Franz Josef Glacier; hut in consequence of the heavy rains, we had to postpone the visit to the next day. AA e leit h,v motor at 7.J0 a.in. on the sth, reaching AA'aiho about 4 p.m. On the following day we went on the ice a distance of about a mile, and were very much astonished at the weirdness and beauty of the sight. The glacier presents a wonderful spectacle, and is well worth a visit, Mr R. A. Wright, M.P; (Mayor of Wellington) did the I' ran/. Josef trip with us. AYc had intended leaving for Hokitika on the morning ol the 7th ; hut. because of the heavy lain on Sunday night, the creeks were very high, and we had to turn hack after getting about live miles out. However, the rain slopped, and we were lortunato enough to he able to leave again about ‘J p.m, and arrived at Hokitika at tI.JR. BRIDGES AY ANTED. "There were only three creeks on the way that barred our passage, and we considered ourselves very fortunate that they had gone down so rapidly. But I would point out that it is quite possible for people to he delayed fo> some days, and our party would recommend that these creeks should he bridged, which would not cost, a great deal of money, as it in very inconvenient to tourists who have arranged their itineraries to ha-/e probably the whole of the trie spoilt through the l !' he mg delayed at these places.

"During the trip we motored nearly 700 miles all told ; and the whole of the country, practically from one end to the other, was covered with very line bush, with the rata in full bloom. It was a very impressive sight, and one which all tourist- would greatly enjoy. Mo were very well treated by Newman Brothers’ Motor Company, which is called the White Star Line. The firm studies the comfort of its patrons, and does all it possibly can to show tourists everything that is worth seeing.

"At present the hulk of the tourist traffic from Wellington is going by Christchurch, which means that the tourists very often miss the Butler Gorge, which is one of tho hest scenic features of the trip. I think that if the shipping companies could only see their way to have a passenger steamer to West port even only once a week, it would lie an advantage to the shipping companies themselves, and also to Wellington. On January Ist the motor service between Westport and Nelson, which was formerly a tri-weekly one, was altered to a daily service : so that the passengers coming that way can arrive in Wellington twenty-four hours from the time of their departure from

West port