SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES

Otago Witness, Issue 2896, 15 September 1909, Page 52

SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES

(From Oub Owk Cobsksfohdznt.) INVERCARGILL. September 11. The oat market is very quiet, and there is no business to be reported. As far as can be gathered cable advices from London seem to show that any demand that is coming from that quarter has ceased, and that London merchants will be looking to Russia for further supplies. No sales are being made to the North Island — in fact, it is the other way about, as Auckland merchants are offering to resell back at Is 8d (f.0.b., s.i.)- These oats which are now being offered were purchased early in the; season for extended delivery right up to , the middle of October. The best prica going to farmers* at present is Is 5d on trucks, but merchants are not keen to operate. The offerings from the country .' are now very small indeed, and this state , of things is likely to continue for some , time, as ths bulk of the oats that are ' threshed have now reached Bluff stores. ! The chaff market is at a standstill, tha best price offering being 35s to 37s 6d for prime quality. Ryegrass is still in fair demand, especially for heavy seed, but there is no change : in price to report since last week. I A deoided improvement has taken place ■ in the stock market during the past week. | A«, very large number of wethers have changed hands, and the freezing works are i now killing these. The prices paid were ' from 13s to 14s. This has led to an im- ' proved demand for other classes of sheep, ! and any lines now offering are readily ■ placed. Young ewes are selling up to j 17s 6d, while ewe hoggets ha\e been mak- | ing as high as 153 for the beat sorts. Ordinary mixed-sex hoggets have sold up to 12s 6d, and wether hoggets from 10s 6d to 11s. Owing to the number of wethers that are being killed it is expected that an I improved demand will take place in butchers' sheep very shortly j Beef is still quoted at 23s per 1001b, and ! the market is firm. Good forward cattle ' are also inquired for, but holders are not 1 anxious to place them at the present time, i This is also true of young cattle, as there I is abundance of feed in all parts of Southland. In a number of cases farmers who have grown turnips have not seen fit to ; buy stock to eat them off, so a great waste has taken place Farm work of aTI / descriptions is well adj vanced, and a fair amount of wheat has been sown on the river flats — more this year having probably been sown than for some years past. A fair quantity of oata is already in the ground, and, given a week of good weather, a large amount more will be sown. i Lambing has started, but will not be general for at least another fortnight. Inquiries continue to come in from London and Australian markets for "lairland "good fair" fibre, the demand during the week having been principally confined to '" good fair." I rnideretand that one i or two millers have sold their outputs at

prices which will leave them a margin of profit and ensure a continuance of the industry in Southland. I understand that jtwo mills are opening up this month below tWaimahaka, and as the millers are particularly capable men, they should make a success of their venture, even at presenc prices. The latest London quotations foi "good fair fibre are equal to £24 10s (f.0.b.), and £2 less for "fair." Tow haa improved somewhat, although the prices offered by London houses are not sufficient to tempt manufacturers and enable business to be transacted with their markets. Small parcels of fibre are now finding their way to the Bluff stores. It is sincerely to be hoped that the exports of this product will rapidly increase and swell the surplus of New Zealand exports over imports. September 13. The annual meeting of the Southland Runners' Co-operative Association, to be held at Gore on Saturday next, is likely to be somewhat troublous. Tho profits for the year are a 'minus quantity. True, tho profit anid loss account shows an improvement of about £200, bu* a good deal more 'than that will have to be- appropriated for bad and -doubtful debts. As no dividend is possible, it is probable that there will be at least 'the usuafr amount of dissatisfaction' under such circumstances, but, in addition to this the late auctioneer of the company seeks electron to the directoxafo, avowedly for th© purpose of bringing about changes in the directorate of management, and as the directors and the manager have had a pretty anxious year, and .nhave not been too generoudy supported by come of the dissatisfied shareholders, they are not likely to take captious criticism lying down. The interprovincial football match Wellington v. Southland, played on Rugby Perk on Wednesday last on a &odden ground, resulted in a wm for "Wellington try 18 points to 5. Notwithstanding the sodden state of the ground the game was ■b. good one, and the gate very satisfactory under the circumstances, there being quite 1000 persons present. Both teams were entertained at, Raeside's in the evening by the Southland Rugby Football Union. The following are the names of the successful candidates' at the recent examinations held under the auspices of the St. John Ambulance Association : — Nursing Class (lecturer, Dr Hendry; examiner, Dr Shore) : Misses L. Martin, E. Young, M. Sutherland, M. Clifford, M. Rogerson, and H. Plause. Women's First Aid (lecturer, Dr Crawford ; examiner, Dr Baird) : Medallions— Mrs M'Kenzie, Misses Vernor, Stevenson, Finlayson, Jamieson, and Smith. First Aid Certificates: Mrs Gait, Misses M'Clymoat and Rogerson. Men's Class (lecturer, Dr Sale; examiners, Drs Snow and Shore) : Medallions — Messrs W. R. Gawn. J. Dow, and H. J. Meyer. Advanced Aid: Messrs Roberts, Petrie, Evans, Bel worthy, Gibson, Spencer, Newinan, Thompson, Lewis, Ashley, Savors, Plunxmridge, and M'Manus. Re-examination Bars: Messrs W Stewart and G. H. Curie. Tho above names are not in order of merit. Mr W. T. Harlett- has been r*-electcd president of the Southland Racing Club, and Mr James Ritchie and Dr Fullarton -vicc-presid^Mttß. The ballot for nocanbei-a of committee- will be held at the annual meeting on the 24-th met. A man named Angus Cameron was killed «n the Dacre road on Friday afternoon last in a peculiar manner. He was sittuw on the front of a threshing mill, when, through the falling out of the kingbolt, the upper part of the mill fell forward <nn his head, creaking his neck, death being iaetanta»eons. The question of getting electrical power for the tramways from the Wyndham River was discussed at Thursday's meeting of the Invercargill Borough Council, the Mayor reporting that he had talked the matter over with Mr Johnson, vrbo had expressed himself as very confident wiHh reg«rd to this scheme. -Councillor Fleming submitted an estimate of the power available, and the uses to which it could be put, showing that there would be a large surplus for manufacturing purposes,, which would give & very large profit. After discussion it was deoided to leave the matter over till the xeoently-appointed borough engineer had had time to look into the matter with Mr Sharp. Th© question of electrical trams begins to be more seriously discussed by Invercargillites, the success of the Wanganui line having a good effect on the public mind. A gentleman at present in Invercargill has discovered a new and effective process for saving the light and fine gold in our blade "sande, etc. The process is said to bo extremely simple and inexpensive, and specially adapted for the lightest of gold. At present it is in tho hands of a_ D-unedin gentleman, who is forming an influential syndicate to work it. — Southland News. Some time ago Mr J. T. Peters was burned out in Dee street, sustaining a very considerable loss. For some weeks past carpenters and painters have been renovating the shop, and only a week ago it was reopenedi with a very fine show. Mr Peters"s misfortunes, however, are apparently not over, for during the week tho plate glass window, so recently inserted at considerable cost has been broken, apparently of set purpose to judge of the marks on the sill. Tihe advertisement for a caretaker for the Gore racecourse attracted 5* applicants, out of whom Mr H. Jackways, the present caretaker, was appointed. Mr Sturroct, the recently-appointed town engineer, arrived on Wednesday, and is already making himself acquainted with his duties. At last meeting of the Inverca-rgill Borough Council the Mayor mentioned that matters in connection with the tramways were being pushed on, and that it was intended to have a meeting of ratepayers to discuss the matter at an early date. At Tuesday's meeting of the Southland Presbytery a minute was adopted placing on record the services to the Presbyterian cause and to the congregation of St. Paul's Cfcuroh of the late Mr George Hardie. At the same meeting it was decided to recommend the Assembly to transfer the Balfour congregation from the Paresbytery of Southland to the Presbytery of Ma*aura. It looks as if the incoming trout-fishing season, would be a good one so -far as the number of trout i 6 concerned. I am told that in the lower reaches of the Oreti large trout are extremely plentiful, splashing round in all directions after the Whitebait. The Miinihan is also said to be full of fieh, and the tooal Angling Society ia doing its best to popularise this stream by clearing away obstructions and putting tihe fishing ;

huts into good order for the season. Other streams are well spoken of, and altogether the prospects are decidedly promising. Owing to the very mild winter and the present beautiful weather growth of all kinds is well forward, the grass coming away splendidly. The half-yearly meeting of the Southland district of the Oddfellows was held at Riversdale on Wednesday, when 12 town and country lodges were represented. Ihe report submitted showed a slight increase in number of the order in Southland, with a gratifying improvement in the revenue. During the course of his address the Onairman (Provincial Grand Master J Henry) drew attention to the fact that the centenary of the order would be next year and -that the membership had grotn to 1.033,701 and the capital to upward? of £14,000,000. A motion to allow wonSn to join male lodges was carried by 2? gt° Paul's Presbyterian Church, Invercarp'iU has suffered' a serioua loss recently trough the deaths of Mr James Shaw and Mr George Bardic, elders' of over 30 years landing At the mornuig service on Sunday week a tribute to the worth of the deceased gentlemen was paid by the mimsSTofthe congregation (Rev George Lindsay)? who, though unable thr<R.gh the effects of a long illness to be pres-ant, wrote appreciative sketch of the characters of Messre Shaw and Hardie, which was readto the congregation. lie WalkW Mounted Rifles have been in .town for special drill during the past week and have put in a pood three days' work at the Garrison Hall. On- Friday evening the Wallace MounteH Rifles entertained at a fish supper the Southland Mounted) Rifles, and spent a very pleasant evening t °The e Southland County Council is about to spend another sum of £300 in unproymg the road between . Dacre and Edendale. known as the Dacre Patch-the particularly bad piece of about six miles which has in past years made cycling (and especiallymotoring) almost impracticable in very wet weather. , „. , , The Association football match Nightcaps v. Bluff, played at Nightcaps on Wednesday, resulted in a victory for Nightcaps by 2 'goals to 1- Through the defeat of Bluff, Oefltio are now in he lead for the Cup, with 10 pointe to Bluff's 9, Nightcaps 6, Underwood 6, Invercar,gill 4. A email fire occurred in the premises of the Southland Fawners' Co-operative Asociation, Leet street, on Friday morndng. An investigation, indicates that the premises had "been broken into, and 1 the wouldbe burglar, having dropped a lighted match on to some drapery, and ilarmed at the result of his investigation, an off without stealing anything. At last meeting of the Gore Town Council the salary of the town clerk was raised to £300 per annum, to induce him to remain, the position of town clerk of Mornington having been offered to him. A well known miner, Harrj Ferguson, formerly of Orepuki, was killed in his claim at Nokomai on probably Saturday or Sunday week, through the caving in of his claim. He was missed on Sunday, but the truth was not suspected till Wednesday, when a search, of the claim revealed the fall, and the earth being cleared away Ferguson's body was founcl underneath. An old-age pensioner named WilliamSquires dropped down dead at Forest Hill on Sunday, presumably from heart failure. Deceased was 70 years of age. The dairying season is on us aeain, an-d all the companies are having their annual meetings. Glenham, Seaward Downs, and Toitois have already had theirs, and Mataura Island. Wyndham. and Fxtend>ale will be holding theirs during the present month Everything points to" a very successful year. Last y<>a.r was a splendid one for the Edendale factory, which is by far the best we nave. This company paid for its milk £43,583. and soVl ite cheese for £46,065, and this year the figures are certain to be even greater.