SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES

Otago Witness, Issue 2813, 12 February 1908, Page 52

SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES

(Fbou Ottb Own Coerespondent.)

INYERCARGILL, February 8. As yet none of the v&m oat crop has been offered on the market, but as several padflocks in the Western District are sow in stack, it is expected that some samples will be forward during the next week or 10 days, though the bulk of the crop will not be on the market till late in the month. In regard bo prices, the general feeling seems to be that the market will have to open at under }s on trucks at country stations, as the best prices merchants are now obtaining for forward business is 2s 3d to 2s 3id (f.0.b., sacks in). To allow them to sell forward and pay charges, storage, etc., merchants could not afford more than Is 9Jd to Is lOd on trucks at country stations. There is no doubt that if 2s is obtainable for oats the majority of the farmers will sell in preference to holding. Small lots of old oats are selling to the Bmaller markets of the North Island on the basis of 2s 4d (f.0.b., sacks in) for immediate shipment. The chaff market. has further receded, and the best price now going to farmers is £3 10s. The new crop should be offering fairly freely during the next 10 days. A large quantity is still held in store on merchants' account, and they are getting for it £4 (ex Store, Invercaxgi'l). The demand for ryegrass from the North Island has eased slightly, and prices, if anything, have gone back. No great quantity is yet offering, but during the week 2s 3d to 2s 6d was being paid for decent Knes. Anything clean from the mill and heavy seed would make as high, as 2s 8d on tiucks at country stations. The sales Vld during the week have been failures. Those who are wanting to stock up do not seem inclined to risk it yet, the disinclination being no doubt caused by the continued dry weather, and the chance of northern sheep coming to Southland. Lambs for rape are still in fair demand, though the prices obtainable a fortnight ago cannot now be got. Average values rule from 12s 3d to 12s 6d. Butchers' sheep are alj plentiful, but as owners are not inclined to take the prices at which freezing buyers can operate, there is not much hope of anything to report iv this line for some time to come. Young ewes are still sought after, and last week's values are easily obtainable. There is also good inquiry from round Oarnaru and Timaru for this class of sheep.

Beef is going back in value, and prices at present rule from 21s to 22s per 1001b for prime quality. Best bullocks have been making up to £10, and average butchers' eorts £8 to £9 10s. Good forward bullocks, SB 10s to £6 10s; younger cattle, £2 to £4.

The fibre market still remains in a depressed condition. The stocks held are very small, only about 250 tons remaining in Bluff stores, and from this time onwards there will be greatly decreased deliveries owing to the unsatisfactory condition of the market and the fact that many mill-ears cannot afford to continue to give the prices for the green leaf asU°d by property-owners. There was a Jittle flutter in the market about a week or bo ago, and prices slightly advanced, but the advance was only of a temporary character. February 10.

Mr George Cruickshank, on taking his seat on the magisterial bench, was welcomed to InvercargiU by the Southland Law Society, •the President (Mr W. Y. H. Hall) assuring Iris Worship of the respect and support of ithe profession, and Mr T. M. Mac Donald assured him that the profession would recognise the x duty of assisting him in the administration of justice as far as in the members lay, and he ■was satisfied that Mi Cruickshank's term on ihe Bench would be marked by justice and impartiality. Mr Cruickshank, in thanking those present, said he felt the responsibility of the position lie was called upon to assume, and would do his duty to the best of his ability, reiving on the profession to place cases clearly before him.

The s.B. Theresa Ward has been temporarily put out of her running, through stripping her propeller blades when entering Half Moon Bay on Wednesday evening last, and the passengers had to stay on the Island over night. In the meantime the s.s. Nile has taken up the running, as the Theresa Ward will have to go to Dunedin to have a new propeller put in.

There is a good deal of feeling in Southland ovei the delay on the part of the Education Department in announcing the results of the civil service examinations. A good many i<unils took this examination, not for the purpose* of entering the civil service so much a* if qualify foT continuation at the local High Schools, and as the schools re-opened on Tuesday last, and a great many pupil* ■were not aware whether the} had qualified ior continuance or not, both pupils and parents -were in a quandary. Many who %Tere desirous of continuing their children at the High Schools were unable to do so unless their children had secured free places, and as most of the country childien stay ir town from Monday to Friday arrangements had to be made for their board. The -result of the delay has been perplexity in a great many families, and it is only now — Saturday morning — that the 'a^t of the results have appeared in the local papers, and uncertainty is put an end to A1 Friday's meeting of the Southland Education Board the following appointments were confirmed : — Tokonui. Cyril T. Wild sole teacher; Invercargill South. Andrew Bam. jun., first assistant (Mr L Wild to act until affi Bain can take up his duties) ; Arrowtown. Catherine 'Copland, special District High •School assistant, Waihopai. Helen Carswell. second assistant ; Bluff, Katherine M'Leod. third assistant ; Pukerau. Grace M'Arthur. mistress (reappointed) ; Waikouro. George AI "Sassing. acting sole teacher; Roslyn Bush, Jessie MacKay, acting sole teacher, Tuturau. Alice A. Ball, sole teacher ; Invercargill 'Middle, John Watson, pupil teacher. Misses 3T. Mehaffey and M. Brown to carry on the •jroik meff.itime ; Quarry Hills, Miss il Macirlona'd to be recorurnended to the Department Xw appointment us sewing teacher. 2£r George Aylin, well known for many years past as proprietor of the Railway Hotel, jjipton, died fast week after a long illness

According- to the Southland Times Mr George Suuon has sold his farm at Centre Bush, known as " The Willows," at the record price of JE2O per acre. The sale was effected through Messrs Henderson and Co. Mi W. Trembath, the champion shortaistance runner of New Zealand, bad a great reception on his return to Gore on Wednesday last, the brass band and a scratch pipe band turning out to meet him. Trout are reported to be dying by hundreds, not only in the lagoons along the course of the Aparima, but also in the main stream •Many of the lagoons have entirely dried up, »nd rno»t of these remaining are quite stag■nant There has been a great slaughtei o\ Oels during the dry spell Oir c taken out Sf the Aparima weighed 27lb= and another Jiaken from the Waimatuku -weighed 231bs Jtlounder spearing has recently been indulged to in the lower reaob.ee oi t>« Jacob's River

with gTeat success, the flounders being of large size At the Police Court last Thursday a country resident was fined 20s and costs for insisting on remaining in a railway carriage reserved! for ladies on the Orepuki train, after being requested by the station master and guard to leave.

There is a rather curious practice growing up among second-class passengers on the Southland railways to which the railway authorities might give some attention — that is the practice of second-class passengers joining or leaving a train through a firstclass carriage, with a view, no doubt, to creating the impression that they are travelling first-class. The practice is becoming very common, and is a source of annoyance to first-class passengers, who naturally object to the continual going and coming of those who have no Tight in the carriage at all.

Notwithstanding the very high prices charged (21s, 10s 6d, and ss) a large number of tickets have been sold for Madame Clara Butt's concert on Monday, and there can be no doubt that here, as elsewhere, this gifted singei will have a large audience.

A meeting called last Saturday afternoon to try and revive the Axeman's Carnival lapsed through paucity of attendance, and the project has been abandoned. A levy will be made on members of the old association to pay certain small liabilities.

Stray dogs have become such a nuisance about Invercargill that the corporation is having the Dogs Registration Act enforced, and a number of ownerless dogs have been seized and destroyed.

The Southland Political and Labour League, at its meeting on Tuesday evening, elected Mr L. Neil president and Mr M. J. Forde, secretary. The business got through at the meeting was a motion opposing any policy of assisted immigration, which was declared to be in the interests of cheap labour and, therefore, against the interests of the working classes in New Zealand. Those present were not unanimous, some holding that there was a decided scarcity of agricultural labour, which ought to be procured. The Stock Department was condemned for offering 7s per day for weed clearing,, and the attention of the Invercargill Borough Council was called to the small wages paid by the Tramway Company. A comrmittee was set up to inquire into the monopolising of bush land, the statement being made that one company owned the greater part of the Southland bush to the exclusion of would-be sawmillers, and a committee was set up to inquire into the payment of municipal employees. The annual picnic of the Southland Pioneers was held at Ocear Beach on Wednesday m glorious weather. There was an attendance of over 200 old identities and a large number of their descendents, and a most enjoyable day was spent.

A good deal of dissatisfaction has been raised among Southland teachers by the appointment of Mr A. Bain, jun., to the position of first assistant at the South School, Invercargill. When this position was filled' before by the appointment of Mr Armour there was some dissatisfaction, not because of any want of fitness in Mr Armour, but because two other teachers of equal ability and experience, and with an alleged better claim, on account of long service under the Southland Board, were passed over. This time, not only was the appointee in the employment of anotner Education Board, but his scholastic classification is sa:d to be lower than that , of unsuccessful candidates. So strong is the dissatisfaction not only among he disappointed teachers, but among the 'teaching profession generally, that the master lias been taken up by the Teachers' Institute, and a deputation from the institute, consisting of Mesers W. G. Mehaffey (Middle School), D. Mac Neil (Waihopai), and A. Inglis (North Invercargill) waited on the Southland Education Board 'at its last meeting and 1 strongly urged that such appointments were anfair to the profession generally, and likely to have such disheartening effects as to dem'orailise the profession. They urged that some alteration should be made in the method of appointing teachers, so as to obviate the possibility of a recurrence of this grievance. The matter is to be discussed at a future meeting of the board, and in the meantime other Education Boards throughout New Zealand are to be writ-ten to to to ascertain what methods are employed by them.

The Wyndham people are resuming their endeavours to get a District High School established in their town, and «.t Friday's meeting of the Southland Education Board a deputation representing Wyndham and Eden dale waited on the boaid and urged that) the time was ripe for the establishment of a District High School at Wyndham. as there were a sufficient miiber of children who would avail themselves of a high school education to justify the departure. The matter was referred to the Executive Committee for reeonsidteration and a report. Good rain fell throughout Southland on Friday morning, and has done a great deal of good to the .root crops, and no haim to the oats. Hervesting is now going on merrily all ovei the district, and although in some cases the straw is so short as to make reaping almost impossible, the crop will be ab^ut an average on«.

Mi- R Murie made a successful balloon ascent from the "Western Reserve about midday today. The balloon was inflated with gas from the gas works, and took Mr Murie to a height estimated at 600 ft or 700 ft, where he remained for about a quarter of an hour, aiid eventually dencendfd on t;> the mudbanks in the estuary without hurt. The ascent attracted a good deal of at+ention, the streets being thronged with people craning their necks to get a. ijcod view of such an unusual object in the sky.

At the annual meeting of the Southland Fiozen Meat Company, held in Allen's Hall this afternoon, the president (Mr John il'Queen) congratulated shareholders on the great "uece?s which had attended their operations during the past year, and announced that in order to cope with increasing business the company intended to expend about £26,000 in extending the bui?dmgs and improving the machineiy at Bluff and Mataura, and in ereotmg up-to-date works at Maka rewa Junction. This expenditure should make thp plant as efficient as any freezing works in New Zealand.

On Thur-day e\emp». Dr B^wio medical missionary from Amt>rim, Xew Hebrides, de-mer-ed a lecture illustrated with a sene3 of beautiful magx Lantern pictuies, showing various views of tue scenery throughout the islands, the hospital and mission station and its surroundings, and of natives, their houses, fetishes, etc. Ed Bowie's lecture did not give one a very high idea of the " noble savage "' as found in the New Hebrides, the natives bemg apparently of a very low stamp, anfl apparently not fond of water, as Islanders -are generally supposed to be. the doctor remarking with Tegiard to the filthy appearane of one of the natives shown that his head had not seen water since the last shower.

As a result of the hoavy losses sustained during the past year by fire insurance companies, it is stated that se\eral companies are not anxious to icnew fire policies u\er wooden buildingb or inflammable goods..