SOUTHLAND.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 9124, 7 June 1895, Page 2

SOUTHLAND.

" Weekly Press." Open confession is good, they say, and we must confess to being at the present time crievously disappointed, as for a fortnight the cables have been silent, so far as Southland is concerned, at any rate. Nobody has been bought out. Surely something must be the matter, that goes without saying, because Southland presents a splendid opening for the investment of capital, in fact always did ; once here, here for ever, nobody could ever take it away again. We are regular stickers where money is concerned. We know the value of it and act accordingly. Perhaps the Treasurer has got our splendid prospects up hi* sleeve, and that is the reason he wants the Canadian mail boat to land him in New Zealand so that he may hurry down and tell us all about it. Hope so, anyhow. It is about time we heard the la9t of this eternal 3% loan. If these wiseacres knew all about the 3% business, why did they stick the Bank of New Zealand with a _% loan, thus putting tbe bank at a disadvantage. A Semi-State Bank should occupy the strongest position among its compeers not the weakest. The fact is they knew nothing at all about it. The stagnation of trade and consequent abundance of money is at the bottom of the whole affair, and when we have the chairman of a great Australian mortgage company stating that they had refused money at 3_%, the ignorance of our own crowd is clearly apparent.

Suddenly, and without warning, has come the wheat boom, fortunately or unfortunately, it doesn't affect us much, the only way we shall feel it is in the rise of floor, which has already advanced ten shillings per ton. There may be a few odd lots of wheat yet to dispose of in this district, but the probability is that most of the limited quantity of wheat grown in this district has ere this passed out of the hands of the farmers. As a matter of fact we are importers of wheat, there being a steamer .just arrived at the Bluff with over 3,000 sacks oi board. Anybody having wheat to sell had better get rid of it as quickly as they can, booms don't last long now days. As for the calculations about the world's supply, they generally turn out all wrong. The calculation is too big to be done correctly ; besides, many of the great wheat growing nations don't consume it themselves, and it will now be turned out of every corner. Russia has a big crop this year, and the Oce_n Tramps will be set to work, and it will not be very long before the supply and demand is once more equalized, but New Z>aland Is a small place, and tho up* and downs come very quickly.

Following upon the fears of the cattle trouble cotues the report that swine fever had broken ouejin the herd of Mr Anderson's farm at Stirling, in O ago proper. Fortunately the place is somewhat out of the way, being close to the Kaitangata Coal Mine and not far from the sea coast. The whole of the pigs, sixty in number, have been destroyed. Their value wns assessed at £61 10s. Thirteen of the lot were diseased. The carcasses were burned, and everything necessary to stamp out the disease has been done. It is to be. hoped that we have seen the end of this business, because if it spreads it would cause a world of trouble and expense, and give a great blow to what is growing into a very important industry, the bacon curing business.

The Government are getting very economical. It has always been usual on the Q teen's Birthday to fire a salute in the early morning. This year orders were given that no salute, except in the big cities, of course, Invercargill isn't a big city, but, nevertheless, Invercargill having fired a salute for the last thirty years, didn't relish being bereft of their accustomed honour, so the Mayor telegraphed to the Premier in this direction, and received the coTeted permission, and the salute was fired accordingly. So we feel that we have done the right thing. The day was fine, and a strong wind had dried up the roads, so the people were able to take their day's outing and enjoy themselves, for as this was the last holiday for a long time to come, we had to make the most of it.

On Saturday afternoon the people of Invercargill were startled with the intelligence that the body of Miss Smith, the head mistress of the Invercargill Central School, had been found in the Waihopai river, which is situated about two miles fiom tOAvo. Her hat aud gloves Avere found on Ihe bank of the stream. The body has been brought into town, and an inquest will no doubt te held to day (Monday). In the meantime nothing more is known. The deceased lady has been connected with the public schools ever sine-? the Education Act came into force and has been always recognised as a force in the teaching staff as having dove good work, and regret for her untimely end wiil go home ro many young hearts, for in her time hundreds, indeed one may say thousands, of young children have passed through her hands.

No sooner was the Queen's Birthday past than the rain came down in torrents, continuing until late on Sunday morning, so the country will be in a nice mess again. Fortunately it doesn't often interfere with railway work. Oats are coming down thick and fast, for up to the time of wiiting nearly fif y thousand sacks have been carried over the lines over and above the number far last season. Now if ihere was a boom in oats instead of iv wheat it would suit us all to pieces; but we are out of it, and must rest all our hopes on the Colonial Trea-urer.

Every year the Maoris go away to the various outlying islands on their muttonbird excursions; the whole crowd go, men, women aud children taking; salt for curing the birds, wkh potatoes and flour for food. They live mostly on fish. The birds after being cured are wrapped up in kelp. They serve as fuod till the next season comes round. These birds are a great Maori delicacy, and great quantities are sent to the North Island tribes, by whom they are highly prizad, and who are willing and able to give a good price for them. The mutton-birders are nowcoming back, and the first party to arrive value their take at over £500. The weather in the inlands is described as having been very boisterous.

We have had a visit from the Commissioner of Taxes, who met the members of the Chamber of Commerce, and there was a long talkee talkee over the Income Tax returns. Ultimately they made friends and came to an understanding, so I suppose it is all right, and we shall all have an income now that we know how to make out the returns, because that was all the trouble; ie is all right about the income. The shipping trade has been pretty brisk during the week, shipments of oats amounting to about 28 000 sacks, along with great quantities of fish and oysters.