THE WEST COAST.

Otago Witness, Issue 4031, 16 June 1931, Page 30

THE WEST COAST.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) COAL MINES. June 10. The directors of the Brunner Collieries, Ltd., have decided to develop the Taylorville section of the Wallsend mine. Two drives of about eight and a-half chains will be driven through the fault between the present workings and the Taylorville area, where a large field of first-class coal has already been proved. The drives will take about six months to complete. It is reported that the Blackball mine will begin work on a new lease next week, and that a number of the miners intend to offer themselves for employment notwithstanding the ruling of the Miners’ Union.

HERD TESTING. The first annual meeting of the West Coast Herd Testing Association was held at Greymouth during the past week, and was largely attended. To celebrate the first year’s work a luncheon was given, the member for the district and the Mayor of Greymouth being among the visitors. A successful year’s work was reported, scientific feeding and the choice of suitable strains having resulted in much-improved records. The number of cows tested was 3450, and the average butter-fat received 230.761 b. Mr J. Monk, of Kokatahi, won the shield for the best herd with a yield of 382.281 b of butterfat from 38 cows in 263 days. The cup for the champion cow was won by Mr R. Wilson, of Arahura, his cow supplying 5501 b of butter in 279 days. Of the total number of cows tested seven gave over 5001 b of butter-fat and 79 gave over 4001 b. Mr J. Mulcare was re-elected president for the . coming year. PERSONAL. Mr T. Smithers, president of the West Coast Beekeepers’ Association, has been appointed delegate to the forthcoming conference. The association will invite either the next conference or that of 1933 to Grey mouth. Dr Hooper, of Wellington, has been appointed, out of seven applicants, to the position of medical officer to the Millerton Medical Association, which was rendered vacant by the removal of Dr M'Clymont to Samoa. Mr P. J. M'Lean has been re-elected chairman of the Grey Harbour Board for the ensuing year. Mr G. E. Perkins has been elected deputy-chairman of the board and chairman of the Finance Committee. Mr V. C. Curtis, chief clerk of the Public Works Office at Greymouth, who has been transferred to Whangarei, received a presentation from the staff at a farewell function during the week. He is succeeded by Mr J. A. Shannon, a former member of the Greymouth staff. Mr E. S. Locking, who has been for three years headmaster of the Greymouth Main School, has received notice of transfer to the Beckenham School in Christchurch. The death has occurred of Mr B. A. Turner, who came to New Zealand in the gold days in 1860 and engaged in mining at Stafford, where he lived for 50 years. He was aged 75 years. Messrs N. M'Ara and W. H. Hutchings, engine driver and wharf foreman respectively of the Railway Department in Greymouth, who are retiring after 37 and 38 years’ service, were entertained by about iOO railway servants and others at a farewell gathering during the week. They have both been popular officials, and their good qualities were recognised by word and deed. The Rev. J. A. Lochore, whose death occurred in Dunedin this week, was a native of this district and has two sisters still resident here.

Mr H. G. L. Noy, of Dunedin, who is a native of Greymouth and served his apprenticeship in a local foundry, has been appointed senior surveyor of ships and inspector of machinery at Auckland. GENERAL. As a result of the heavy weather of last week the Greymouth bar has shoaled to a depth at high water of a little over 16ft. One steamer due to call for coal was unable to enter port. The depth of the bar for some months past has ranged from 24ft to 30 ft. A new Bank of England building, in wood, has just been completed at Hokitika, and was opened during the past week. The Westland Acclimatisation Society has received £192 13s 9d for opossum skins for the last season, and the Grey Society £133 15s 9d.

Twenty-two men and two women have, made- application for positions In the; Junior High School in connection with, the Greymouth Technical High School. No> appointment will, however, be made until it is definitely known that the transferwill be made. A slip front a hillside at Waiuta the other day narrowly missed several motorists on the road. Traffic was held up' for some. time. During the absence on special leave ofi the mistress of the Blaketown School, the pupils, numbering 95, have been in the charge of only one teacher. A request has been made to the board for immediate relief. The result of the deputation from the Grey Harbour Board to the Prime Minister in reference to the restoration of the full subsidy of £15,000 was that as soon as the national finances warranted it, the request would receive favourable consideration. The Westland Acclimatisation Societyreports that the hatchery, which for. the season will be used conjointly by the Westland and Grey Societies, is in good! order. An order for 150,000 brown trou£ ova has been placed with the North Canterbury Society, and the West Coast Societies will this season, handle over a million ova. The Government has withdrawn the bonus for deer taken by the culler in South Westland. The Grey Society made an unsuccessful attempt during the week to net young rainbowtrout in Lake Ryan for liberation in the Grey River. . The proposal to raise a loan for the improvement of the Greymouth watersupply, which has been lately very' unsatisfactory, is meeting -with some opposition. A long discussion of the subject took place at the last meeting of the Borough Council, and the result was that the Mayor, who is strongly in support of the proposal, said that he intended ta S? n y?e ne a series of public meetings, and it the preponderance of opinion was in iavour of the loan he would certainly go on with the proposal. The two main exports from Greymouth have declined during the past year, timberby 17 million feet, and coal by 17,700 tons, due partly to the general depression, and to the closing of the Blackball mine.