Page 4 Advertisements Column 1

Kumara Times, Issue 1063, 26 February 1880, Page 4

An interesting discovery h?.s recently been made at Chatham, in the shape of an old Dutch war vessel, one of the fleet which, under De Buy ter, raised such a commotion in London in the reign of Charles 11. by ascending the River Thames and for a time almost threatening the metropolis itself. This vessel, now discovered in the operations for the enlargement of Chatham Dockyard, sank on her return voyage. Part of the guns taken from her have been sent to the gun factory at Woolwich; the others will proba_ bly be handed over to the Dutch Govern, ment as interesting souvenirs. In relation to the contract for the mail service via West Coast ports, the Minister of Public Works, in reply tu a deputation at Dunedin on Monday, said With regard to the West Coast service, I really must say that lam ignorant of the subject, 1 know, from the fact of the matter having been mentioned before, that tenders have been invited for the service, but it is a depart, mental matter. The Postmaster-General, who is also Premier, is acting in that matter, and it has not come before me at all. Ido not suppose that there has been any desire on the Postmaster-General’s part to cut off Dunedin from the communication on the West Coast which has now subsisted for very many years, and which has been so much to their advantage, because Dunedin has famished most of the enterprise and capital which have created the West Coast, I should regard it as a thing rather to be deprecated if our communication with the West Coast is cut off ; but it is a consideration that should override all others from a Postmaster-General’s point of view, viz,, getting a service to connect the various parts of the Colony at the least possible cost. I shall communicate with Mr Hall on the matter, and possibly in. the course of a few days I may be able to supply an answer on the subject to your Secretary. I.may say at Invercargill an idea has been carefully spread that the abolition of the express train between Dunedin mid Invercargill has been accomplished in the interest of the Union Steam Company. The course which has been adopted in regard to the West Coast will at any rate have the effect of neutralising that idea,