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Motueka Star, Volume II, Issue 77, 9 May 1902, Page 4

Writing on the prospects of the Southland oat crop, the Invercargill Times says it is a subject of general conversation that the excellent prices ruling for oats this season will substantiall} 7- benefit the revenue of the farming population. The amount of the grain may, perhaps, be estimated with more approximate accuracy than by a guess at hazard. A *fair forecast of the traffic for the approaching season would be 600,000 sacks of flour bushels, or 2,400,000 bushels. The price which has prevailed during late years has averaged Is 3d, while this season the average at the lowest has been 2s. A simple sum will show that an advance of 9d on 2,400,000 bushels is equivalent to an aggregate increase of .£90,000 to the farmers of Southland this year, a sum which should very largely compensate for the depression in the wool market at sale time. A Melbourne paper reports the death of a Mr Henry Spencer, of Tarragulla. He was a member of the Loyal Garibaldi Lodge, the local branch of the Manchester Unity, Independent Order of Oddfellows. Since the commencement of his illness (nearly years ago), he had been in constant receipt of sick pay, receiving ,£987 11s Bd. To this must be added a funeral donation of £2O, making a total of £IOO7 11s Bd, paid on his behalf. The total number of passengers landed at New York by the Atlantic passenger vessels during 1901 was 567,000, being 26,000 in excess of the previous year’s total. The number of passengers sailing from Glasgow was 19,833, a decrease of 1,812 when compared with the number in the previous year. Although the Taranaki potato crop is fairly good this season, it will not (says an exchange) be sufficient for local requirements: “ How would the ‘ refuge ’ from the Burrow abattoir affect the “ Acclamation Society ?” was a question put to a speaker on one occasion, and when the audience laughed, the questioner v ondered what they were laughing at.

Mr Andrew Collins, of Wellington, speaking at Waihi, said :—“ There are 280 registered New Zealand, and at the next general election we will make things hum. We, the Trades Unions of the colony, can swamp that House with labour legislators thrt will express our views in the

House.” A clergyman and a banker consented to assist at the marriage of two members of a theatrical company in the Wairarapa a few weeks ago. Both banker and clergyman were in attendance at the appointed hour, and though they waited, and sighed, and waited, no bride or bridegroom appeared. Then the two professional men came to think they had been the victims of a Ist of April joke, and, falling upon each others necks, each solemnly and sincerely swore that not a word should he uttereu concerning the episode. A. certain farmer, who evidently doesn’t buy a newspaper, “fell in” the other day (says the Wyndham Farmer). He .sold a line of oats at Is lOd on trucks at the near-by country station. This was on a Saturday, and before noon on the following Monday, and before the oats had actually been delivered, the parcel had changed hands five times, being finally sold at 2s 2fd f.o.b. A consignment of 1985 tons of flour reached Auckland by the Sierra from San Francisco, the present high price of flour having induced a merchant to import with the object of obtaining a reduction in the ruling rates. Further inquiries have set in for American flour, and the next steamer will have 300 or 400 tons aboard. Orders have gone forward from Wellington for consignments, which will be included in the next shipment.