SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES

Otago Witness, Issue 2815, 26 February 1908, Page 52

SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES

'CFbom Our Own Cqhhespcwdent.)

lIUTBBCaIt&ILL, February 22. So fax no sample* of the rung sewaon'"B oats Jiave been, offering on the mmrkvt, ihenigh: xme* or tyro rxtbhed out sample* fiaro- Bei«. mhasrn'. Tbe «sga«litsr asppeaxa to be v«rr good; being v«cy bright mi oelcur, &ongh ecarcely a* weil fillepl as ufc fosmair years. Thsesiiing, out: of the stook. is- B*ing dene> in a, good nurnhnr of oagoi,, and it' i» expectted? that offerings will be- ftofrly a* sl *'!*! wflfflin «■» jxext. {cvhaigfLt. It iw eEfficnl* Her a*& Iwwrthe market will op»n>, But the^gezteeat- opinion. aeerae i«» be that to kU*k- buaencas tcr be done witfa. tdw AustMtlimni nrw-feetß prices will have to , opes. «n . the basis o£ about 2s (Ecb., sacjts uj)." It is alreasfy ,tnown th»t largo quMitities; which aaas- BeGeyed to run mto 900* tona, of Algeitiaßt. "ace being imported fronr S»uth Africa- to 'Xxttrfvtdi*. A faw fioxwatd sale* have sinwdy bean made- on tin i basis of slightly over 3a (to.fe, aaclra- in), ana" from average railway stations in Southland pricea rule at 3id to 4d per bushel less , than the- f.o.b. quotartiojis: aooaH^ linen oi the. new season's chaff have 'been offering; on the roaoribat,. ths. price offered being £3. 5b on trucks ait country stations. Growers are, howev«r v not inclined to accept thia value in the- meantime. j

Tbers is sjiS a fairry large- quantity of •old- ch*ff held. in. store, and thi» ia supplying local requirements. The ryegraas mazket is firm, but the quantity, offering is- by no means large 1 . Prices rule from 2s- 8d" to 2s lOd. on trucks at country stations, end there is «. very good demand from the 'north.

Tb« splendid rains we h»v« had d\jring: tb& last bw daya barv* done an immeiuse aaaount of good to the gT*eat crops, »nd in conaequeuce any aheep.- offering, ax* more readily, sold. An improvement has been noticeabße in good BambV fit for fin.i-ghi-ng oft on rape-, and! thees- are now Quoted* at 13s. Toungewes- ace in demand, but no. great number are offering- Yalnetrimle-at.fxomlSs to 21a> Hxea» is v«cy littl* doing in wetherr, either fat or forward, aa the mutton miarket does- not_alTow of freezing being done a£ anything like the prices thufr farmers «r« aaSdog. Several 1 sales of fat lambft we^being 1 effected at X3s 9d to 14s-«d". " ' - "

Beef caa b«r tmoieA On '&c basis- at 31s to22s.per 1031b; Gocdr bullocia are in demand, and anything that -will finish oft on grass are readily- sold at SB to £& 10s. Young Oftttle are- selling at from £2 10» to £L The fibre market ham remained! is a very 'unsatisfactory ' stater during the weejr, and I■Bam. hear of only one am«U sale «f 25 tons lor- forward, delivery taking' placet Lonckra. roer-ebmnts ~t>re not even inauiring for our fiT>T« at the present time, and this indicates that things are in k- very hid way at JS6m«. The price obtained for the parcel above mentioned was £27 fci.£)- wMch leaves very little - profit for either local merchants or tcillcrs when it 'a reduced to the i.o.h. lev«L The** is very little fibre held in Bluff state* and' the industry setma to be at * standstill, because miHere will not nianufaetuse at the current prices. Tow is also out of favour, and I can. heanr of no sales of any eonsequencc during the week. February 24» On Tuesday last a meeting was held in the. Council Chambers to discuss the matter -of having s Hospital Saturday collection in Invercargill, the immediate purpose being to build and equip an up-to-dafe operating theatre at the. local bospitaL Th*re was * good att«ad»nce r and £he Mayor (Mr Sestndretti preaid'J. Dr Heodry, being called on, urged the necessity of •«. new operttmg: theatre, pointing: .ou-t that, the present one was too smalt, was Badly lighted" and v*ntilatedl *n& hs>ri va ante-room: for chtorofounidlg patnmt*. Severai oi . tko gpeo&ex» agoke Hither wildly, Eeferring to the- present operating . theatre aa a • soattial .and a> disgrace ; but Ds Hendry was careful to mate dear that his position was that; al*nougfc thr present theatre oouldi not properly be so described, it was not un to date. DrHastiugs xbung pointed oui that there would 1 be •everal calls on the commtmity soon — for the Victoria- Some and tie Y.M.CIA., — ai«d sng^ gested &af~ oossibly th« Charitable Aid Boaid mitfht undfertabe tha supply of an oper»i:vio tlieatie. It was, howaver. decided co ga on with the. .scheme* and all present c-ere appointed" a committee, with pow«r to »c>d to thoir number, Messrs R. Galbraitli, W. Baird. T. D. Pearce, R. Allen, J. Crosby Smith, E Russell. Duncan Mac-Farlane, John Bt«sitl. and Dr Hastings Young weTe appointed an execulK-*.; aid Mr A. A. Pa*£>«--

c ' hon. secretary ; Mr James "Ward", presid«it ; fc !Mr J. Crosby Smith, viee-presidtent ; and c Mr T. W. Wajlker (town clerk), honorary t treaaurez. Jj, Th« Southland Political Labour League is 1 so far a very vigorous, body. The league is= B endeavouiing to be a, factor in municipal «nd .. Dominion politics, calling the Borough Council to book for its supposed shortr cezninga, and threatening to run its own ' candidates far the council and the Inver- ? cargill seat ia Parliament. The membership * is growing, and is not .confined to manual , labourers, several business and professional b men. having joined. 3 . The Hey. E. H. Jupp, of Kelso^ has been 1 appointed- aa travelling •ecretaxy of the New Zealand Presbyterian Bible Class Union., The election of a representative of the Crown tenants on the Land) Board resulted - in the return of Mr James King, o£ Clifden, „.withr 256 votes; and' other candidates polled pr as follows: — John M'l»ean (Caroline)-, 135; r Neil KXeod (Brydome), 132.; N. A. Neidered (Gorge Bead), 110; Jacob Alsweiler (Moto | Biara), 42. Only about half of those entitled to vote did so. 2 The Wyndham Horticultural Society held & a- most successful show on Wednesday and s ' Thursday la«t,. whan there ware splendid & attendances and record takings. The attendk ' «nee on both days was somewhat swelled by i tha presence of numbers of picnickers- brought . from Inv«rcaigili and the Western. District by «paci*r trains for annual school outings. 1 Mx J. BL Gteddes, who ha* been a- tailor £ ' here for many years, «bA has now relinquished r ' his business- to his sons,, is- about to leave c ftwr Victoria. On. Thursday evening l«at he- . entertained his- employees and friends at a social in Ashley's Hall, and was presented ' By his late employees with a parting c souvenir. I At. -tin* Police Court on Wednesday Alex. ; . B^CiaviQck was- charged, on- tha information t of John. Friend; t&e~ Acclimatisation Society's » ranger, with? shooting a black swan in the tr close .season. M'Gavock's- dounsel pleaded that. M?G-avock had no serous intention of shootHig' the aw«n, believing when he fired r it waft out of range. The Magistrate took - the view th«t it -was not ana. oretmarj" poachmg1 case, and fined M'Gavock £3 and. costs. f < Southland has experienced splendid rains [ of late, and ' especiaEy on Friday, when, a l , soaking- rain fell aU -day. As- a good breeae , followed tB» gwaia erope a-re not likely W ,be harmed, while* the- green crops will be. ' enormously benefited^ ' Mx Reginald Day, who- has been, secreiazy. of the Southland Hospital and Charitable ,AM Board for about seven years, has been > appointed' inspector of agencies for the Aus- , tradia.it Widows? Fund: Assurance Sociaty in Punedin and Southland, At lost meeting of the Southland Poultry Fanciers' Clu-b (of ' which: Me Bay has been a most activ* memI hex since its inception, and recently secietary). he resigned the position oi secretary, ' mad Mr A. A. Paapes was appointed in his stead. ,' Mr R. Muxie made a second balloon ascent >on Wednesday afternoon, and restainedi up about ha-Jf an hour^ descending- eventually ' fa- Mr Cleave'a paddock at the head of the estuary, near the 'Bay toad. The Invercargill bakers are- endeavouring 'to* arrange that thpy will sell their bxead for cash only in future, as them ia now so much los"s« through bad. debts that the buead ! buai'n«Bß i» n«t »«. -lucrative as it should bs. Mi A.-J. Gib&s, of .Ggxe, . &bb been ,ap- < painted h&ndicappef to "the Biverton Racingdub, and Mr. T. Pxen/fexgast atarter. .- At the Police Court las* wiaek J. ML !Larnerl was- sn«d* £5 «nd £2 Be- costs for sfaoMng A. Erndsten during a drunken cptaxML Befar-e I«*ving: fox. Auckland last week ths R<tv. A. MTBean, of the Wesleyan Church, Teriot street, was- entertained At a. facewelX social and presented "with a purse ' of sovereigns. A cqmmittee of the Political Labour League appointed to inquire into and report .on the monopolisation, of. sawmill areas in. I Southland recommends- &at the Government be 1 uiged to pass legislation compelling leaseholders of bush, properties- suitable foe ea-w-milling purposes to commence' work within a reasonable time; otherwise the right' to ftoid such areas will be forfeited. During the heating of the black swan : poaching case- the defendant's tsouTrsel insisted that the swan < waß jiot a very edible bird at thle bsst of. times, " and was.* not in itself • sufficiently deairabfe to tempt a shooter to ' break the game laws*. On. the authority of a well-known ■ shooting man he declared as an ajticxle of suatenauca the swan, required, to be buried for two years, to be Boiled for three years, and 1 th«a it took the rest of one's"life fo chaw it.— Southland Times. A movsment is .on foot at __ Bluff to raise funds to provide Ji^ axiitable monumaait over ' the gpive> of the late lames- Spencer, who lost his life in a heroic attempt to save a- boy ' named Buchanan from drowning. At Tuesday's meeting, of the Invercargill Starx-Bowliett Society the free loan in Group No. 1 was dnewn- by Cluster 43, and in Group No. 2> the foan feQ fe CToster 16&. - Mz- S. Rice, of the K»tion»t Mortgage and Agency Co.. has bsen appointed msnagar of M«ssxs I. W. Baymohd and -Ca. (Ltd.), Invercargill, and will have charge of the business dining JMx BaymotfdTs "absence of about, two > yea-rs frost the Dominion. The Arbitration Court, consisting of Mr ..Justice-: Sim. Mr J.-A. M'Culkragh. ■ and Mr W. Pryor,- sat bast week, and got through a. * conaideraWe- amount of business* .J. W. ' Kelly (Gore) was, fined £2 iox employing ~an excessive n.umb^»vof appzentices- in. proportion to the number of journeywomen. Thomson and Beattie; at Gor«. were fined: £Z on the same charge. A. M'Kenzie (Bluff>, for failing tc indenture apprentice*, was fined £& and cost a. The Matauxa Paper Mills employeesapplied: for an awaid with regard' to wages, hoars of labour, preference, and holidays. . 1 Mr William Scott appeared for the employers »nd Mr J. Breen for the union, and after ; considerable evidence had bsen heard the , president intimated that the court would •ta-ke. time to consider the master. On Thursday the court tat at Riverton, to consider th« demands, of the- employees at the Bound: 1 Hill Gold Mining Company and the counter proposals o£ the company, and in this case, too, the court intimated that it would take time to consider the maiter. A pasty of six — Dr Macpherson (Dunedin). Masars B. aad J. M'Naugfaton (Waituna). J. Munra (Ot#»amika). A. C Tosach (Waikiwi). and A. Robertson <K»p«ka) — spent a week at the Waijtu recently, and got 132 fish, weighing 38|itb. The kugest fish scaled -11-ilb^and that* were several of 7JVb and Sib. A prize ' of a £2 15y rod- (gives, by Dr Macpherson . for the- largest o»tcfi> was won. by Mr J. ; M'Nanghtoa, and a. reel (given- by Ms Tosach) . by Mr JR. WJSaxqhUxL. Tw« of tha party lemained heiand far another week's fishing. For <ta«. n«ht's £Ahi&g^in, the same riyer^ Mr Thow (Balclutha}< got 15- trout,, weighing ; 711b, tfie largest being 15lb. Tie following^ , evaningr the same genlJeman got seven fish, ' tha srextgv wef^t beirrg- 4&IB-. . -

Mr John- B\ Rockefeller's barber slate* plaintively thai although he ha* sha-vetf the nrillnonaire regularly for 20 years be has never received a cent beyond the recognised feeu