' WEST COAST NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2810, 22 January 1908, Page 35

' WEST COAST NOTES.

j (Fkom Our Own Correspondent.) ; GREYMOUTH. January 13. A well-known Christohureh. firm has dv» chased a section here, and intends to erect a large twp-storeyed^ warehouse. It is* thedesire of the proprietary, which has alreadj a large West Coast^ connection, to get a thorough footing here before the completion of the Midland line, when it is anticipated that several Coast firms wilLopen branches in^Greymouth. The material for the- Westport-Stockton ' Coal Company's electric tractipn plant ia 'coming to hand from Lgndon. A numbei of large cases arrived by the Athenic, and are now on, the Westport wharf awaiting transport to Njrakawau. Seeing the rapid : m .apn'er ,in the ; company's development " work r is progressing, there is every reason to expect Jhat the coal output wiil be commenced in -July.Th© scow Haere. which went ashore on the beach, to. the couth of Karatriea bar about- fiye weoks'-ago, is -still aground, but •efforts' will- Be -made to get her off at 'aext -spring tides. """ Mr Leslie Reynolds. C.E.. arrived inlown to-day, en~ route to Otira Gorg*e, where Mr Murdoch M'Lean is now pushing on the> work. Mr Neil M'Lean. now in England, has" secured the 'greater part of the machinery required, and it will" be shipped forthwith. . ~ January 14. .The traffic on the Westland ; section of the New" Zealand -railways continues to increase by leaps and bounds. In fact, ' the present financial year should yield over £12,000 in -revenue more than the. preceding 12 months. This is truly a good index or tKe , prospeiity- at present, being- experienced and pi the buoyancy ,'of trade on. the West Coast. The latest figures to hand 'ar£ for the foiir?weekly period ending December 7, 1907. ' These .show that ' tbe "revenue was £968+, being £1179 in advance of ftiat received during the correspondingperiod of 1906. At the sitting of the.^ Warden's Court at Hokitika .on Friday an application fraught with* important consequences to the district came before Mr Warden Acheson. This was for a water' race of 150 heads from, the> Te Aroha v Falls on behalf of a local syndicate. The proposed company, if the r^ght is granted,, intend to generate electrical power* and to establish a pumping plant .on the- Hokitika River, with the object) of lifting water to work the Rimu goldfield. The scheme has been ' reported on to the syndicate by an electrical and mining engineer with .long, experience and full credentials as a thoroughly, practicable and profitable one. Tffitherto the working o£ the goldfields at Rimu and Seddon's terrace has been intermittent,' the want of water in the dry season's being constantly deplored. A comparatively short spell of dry weather exhausts the dams, and t,he miners ore oblieed to, shut down in consequence, the effect being markedly felt" not only by them, tnrt by the husinees people of Hokitika and district.