SOUTHLAND NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25444, 27 January 1944, Page 6

SOUTHLAND NEWS

AGRICULTURAL PROBLEMS (From a Cprrespondent) INVERCARGILL, Jan. 26. Warm weather has returned to Southland, and on Sunday last the temperatures came close to the 80degree mark. As a consequence, there was an exodus of city dwellers to the Oreti Beach. This beach is seven miles from Invercargill, and, although the road to it is fiat and tar-sealed almost to the water’s edge, the distance is great enough to* use up a fair quantity of petrol. Surf-bathing, enthusiasts, therefore, have also to he satisfied with" a rationed number of bathes. Country people from a widespread area made for The Rocks at Riverton, where there are ideal facilities for picnics and bathing. ; .The clouds of dust that returning cars raised from the gravel roads on Sunday evening could be seen from a considerable distance. The accommodation at The Rocks has been fully taxed throughout the summer holidays. Many Gore people,-in particular, endeavour to give their children at least. a couple ’ of weeks at the seaside there. Visitors from the north who bathe along the shores of, Foveaux Strait express surprise at the warmth of the water. This may be due to some of the’water from the warm New South Wales current which swings across the Tasman, entering Foveaux Strait. It would be interesting to compare the surf temperatures of Oreti Beach with those of, say, St. Clair and Caroline Bay. , Lamb Production While the weather remained changeable, the Southland farmers were tempted to hold back their lambs just a little longer, hoping for an improvement in the weignt. The heat of the past week, however, has caused many of the lambs to,go back a little. ,As a result, there has been a rush of lambs to the freezing works, which are working to capacity. Those who cart speak with some authority on farming in Southland predict that the immediate future for agriculture here is not bright. The loss of fertilisers from Nauru Island and Ocean Island has meant a great, reduction in the amount of manure available. Lime has also been rationed. They maintain that the exceptional brightness of this summer has delayed the expected deterioration of the grass crops, but they predict that a normal Southland summer , next year will produce harmful results. The rationing of fertilisers and lime to farmers . has been worked out on a percentage basis, on what they procured before restrictions came into force. Those farmers who were generous in their treatment’of pasture are therefore still getting a reasonable amount, but those who were formerly niggardly are going to pay fbr .their omissions.

The Accrediting Scheme i A few weeks ago the Southland Education Board expressed concern lest the district high schools under its control should not be allowed to accredit their pupils for the university entrance examination. The results of this year’s matriculation examination, just published, do not lend much weight to their argument, for it appears that only two district high school candidates have be'en successful —a girl at Nightcaps and a girl at Wyndham. The insignificance of the number suggests that even the expense involved, apart, from other serious considerations, would not' justify the extension of the New Zealand University’s accrediting scheme to these schools,.

During recent years, however, the district high schools have bben working rather under difficulties. There has been a great shortage of suitable teachers—and a “ suitable ” teacher has to be able to teach in some cases third, fourth, and fifth form work almost simultaneously. Then again the generous boarding and travelling allowances available for country/, children have attracted pupils into the larger secondary schools in the cities. In future secondary school pupils will normally sit the school certificate examination in their third year. The successful candidates at a country school will find then that there is a £4O boarding allowance available for them to attend a city, school where they will have a good opportunity' to, secure matriculation by accrediting in their fourth year. Wool Appraisal

The second wool appraisal for the Southland district is to take place at Invercargill on February 2. In preparation for this the mercantile firms are busy setting out their clips for inspection. It. is not expected that this appraisal will be a big one, for there are still many woolly sheep throughout the province. The scarcity of shearers has, of course, been responsible for, the dela’a •

In'conversation yesterday Mr W. M. C. Denham, M.P. for Invercargill, expressed concern not only for the sea birds on Herekopare Island, but also for the native birds on the mainland of Stewart Island. This island is also infested with cats and rats. Mr .Woodrow, the ranger there, has destroyed hundreds of cats, but their depredations continue. One would expect'that the cats would control the rats, bht this is not so, for the cats find the birds much more tasty. At any rate, the rats and cats appear to have signed an armistice, or to have reached a gentlemen’s agreement. Mr Denham proposes to return to continue the cathunt on Herekopare Island during Parliament’s winter vacation. He believes that the cat menace on Herekopare Island at least can soon be entirely eliminated. There is no news yet of the missing deerstalker, Mr Jennings, who is overdue at Stewart Island. The efforts of search parties have so far been unsuccessful.

The best is cheapest in ■■the long runorder Kaitangata coal.—Advt.