SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2111, 9 August 1894, Page 21

SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES.

(From Our Own Correspondent.)

Invercargill, August 7.

Though the weather during the week cannot be termed particularly fine, it has by no means been bad, very little rain having fallen, though several days and nights have been showery. There have been no frosts, and in sheltered localities on warm, dry soils it is said that trees are already budding and grass springing— hopeful indications of an early spring, which would be specially welcome to stockowners this year.

The large number of sheep farmers have held through winter rather than part with them at the reduced prices has caused a general scarcity of feed. The turnips are nearly done, and many flocks are now being fed oh chaff, and it will be with difficulty that some owners will be able to hold on till shearing time should we not have an early and favourable spring. Tne big sale of sheep, cattle, and sundries advertised by Messr3 Tothill, Watson, and Co. on the Merrivale estate for to-morrow (Wednesday) has been postponed indefinitely.

At a large stock sale at Winton last Thursday there was an unusually good demand for all descriptions of stock, and all the entries changed hands at better prices than have been ruling for some months past. Good heavy-woolled hoggets made from 9s to 10j ; ordinary, 7s to 8s 6d; small, 4s to ss; fat wethers, 12s to 13s 2d ; stores, 9s to 10s 3d ; breeding ewes of medium quality, Gs to 9s ; small steers, 60s ; yearlings, 31s ; cows in cilf, £4 10s to £5 10s.

There was not a great deal of tree-planting done on Arbour Day, but Mr Raeside, mayor of Invercargill, assisted by a number of citizens, planted a quantity of trees and shrubs in the Post Office grounds, which has greatly improved the appearance of this block.

Referring to the fatal accident to Captain Brown, master of the ketch Gratitude, a correspondent in this morning's Southland Times says : " A few weeks ago an unfortunate sailor wnile staggering down to his vessel stumbled over the edge of the wharf and was drowned. There was the usual inquest and the usual vardictof • Accidentally drowned,' and the fact that another immortal soul had gone unprepared into the presence of its Maker was soon forgotten. He was only a common sailor, you see, and it could not be expectei that we should greatly concern ourselves with the manner of his death or inquire too minutely who supplied the liquor which caused him to stumble. It was no business of ours. Certainly not I Are we our brother's keeper ? We have a prou i pre-eminence in the matter of a free liquor traffic, and we intend to keep it. And now we have another '.accident.' On Saturday night another sailor — this time the master of a vessel and a man of some education and ability — was assisted down the wharf from a hotel, too drunk to be trusted a'one. The tide was low, and the deck of the vessel lay 10ft below the wharf. In the darkness a man required all his wits to get on board safely. This poor man had no wits left ; kind-hearted rum sellers, licensed by the State, had deliberately robbed him of them ; so he must be shipped as one would ship an i nanimate hog. Whi te his companion is looking for a plank the stupefied sailor dimly remembers chat sailors should spring into the rigging and so descend to the deck. In the darkness the cry is heard, ' Below there ; I'm going to jump.' Five seconds afterwards there was a dull thud on the bulwarks, and the bruised inanimate body of the poor sailor falls back into the water, to add one more to the list of our already too numerous ' accidents.' " Deceased's full name was Henry Hope Brown, and he was a native of Scotland, 40 years of age, and a widower with three young children.

A young woman named Greer, daughter of a settler at Springhills, was arrested thefe on Sunday by Constable Rasmussen on a charge of passing a forged cheque in Invercargill. She purchased goods at Messrs W. Lewis and Co.'s, drapers, to the value of about £G, tending a cheque for £12, and received the balance in cash. She was remanded to Invercargill to appear on Thursday, 9fch inst., bail, which was forthcoming, bsing allowed in two sureties of £20 each and herself in £40.

Tbe Southland branch of the Educational Institute met in the Temperance Hall on Saturday. There was a fair atter dance of teachers, the vice-president (Mr J. F. C. Hiddlestone) presiding. Mr Gammell's address at the late conference was distributed in pamphlet form. The Court of Appeal Bill (now before the House) was unanimously approved. Schemes for the superannuation ot teachers were submitted, along with a condemnatory report on the same by an actuary, and it was resolved to take no action in reference to them. The mode of examination pursued in the lower standards since the introduction of the new syllabus was talked over, and action for the defence oi a teacher ordered to be taken.

At the Police Court yesterday Henry Esmoni Murray, third assistant teacher at the Middle Sahool, was charged with hiviDg unduly punished Ernest Olempson, a pupil 13 years of age. Clemp3on said he bad received punishment from Murray on the hand on Friday afternooD, after which he told his teacher he would hear more about this on Monday. On Mondty morning the teacher intimated he had been insulted by Clempson, and that he felt it his duty to punish him, and took him, so the boy stated, into another room and struck him on the back, neck, and shoulders with the tawse. The bench said they were of opinion that the defence had proved very clearly that the boy had been guilty of a grave offence In making the remark to the teacher which he had. It was very necessary that good discipline should be maintained in the schools, as unless this were done a teacher could not be successful, and they thought the teacher had only done what was his duty. They hoped it would be a warning to other pupils that they must behave themselves in school. The punishment most distinctly and emphatically wa°, in their opinion, deserved and reasonable. The boy had brought it on himself. It was quite clear he would have been punished in the ordinary way if he had submitted to it, but this he would not do, and, it was in con-

sequence of his conduct that nioie severe measures were taken with him. The information would be dismissed, with costs 21s.

A charge of having sold alcoholic liquor on a Sunday has been laid by the police against the licensee of the Railway Hotel, Winton. On the application of the defendant's solicitor the hearing was adjourned from a bench of J.P.s so that it might be taken before Mr Rawson, S.M.

The twentieth annual ploughing match under the auspices of the Southland Champion Association was held on Wednesday, and was a great success, both as regards the number of competitors, the attendance of the public, and the quality of work done. The day was beautifully fine. The principal honours of the day fell to Master W. Young, son of the president of the association. Although he did not plough in the Champion Class, he was awarded the special prize for the champion lot on the field. It is seldom that the verdicts of the judges meet with such general approval as did tho3e of Messrs James Hay and M'll wrick on Wednesday. A number of different agricultural implements were exhibited on the ground during the day, and about 50 gentlemen were present at the dinner held in the evening at the old Prince of Wales Hotel.

At a meeting of the Miners' Association held at Orepuki last week, amongst other correspondence the following was read from Mr James Macintosh, M.H.It, for Wallace • —"Wellington, July 16. 1894.^-1 am in receipt of yours of sth inst. in reference to the proposed alteration in the tenure of occupation licenses on the goldfields, and have written to the Hon. Minister for Lands conveying your wishes on the subject, and requesting him to forward you a copy of the bill at earliest convenience. P.S. — You may inform the members of your association that I am doing all in my power to carry out their wishes in respect of cutting a blazed track from Orepuki to Wilson River goldfields, and with that object in view I have interviewed both the Minister for Lands and the Minister for Mines, and have good hopes that between them satisfactory results will follow." — It was proposed and seconded that the thanks of the association be accorded Mr Macintosh, and the association hoped that the member would still urge the necessity of the track, and trust it may be done this spring.

A man named John Smith, of North Invercargill, was fatally injured on Tuesday while employed on the co-operative works in the Waiau district. A tree fell upon him and inflicted such injuries that he died early the following morning. He was a married man, and leaves a widow and young family. A Te Anau correspondent says that Mr Snodgrass, proprietor of the Lake Hotel, has everything in readiness for the expected tourists during the coming season. Several important improvements have been made to the hotel and premises, and at present the little steamer is on the stocks undergoing a thorough overhaul. There are now said to be plenty of trout in the lake.

The Mataura Paper Mills start work again next week.

The s.s Maori, now loading oargo at the Bluff takes 10,000 carcases of mutton, 12,000 sacks oats, and a large quantity of general cargo for London.

Owners of sheep are notified that the sheep rate is payable on or before September 1. Payment may be made at any money order office or to the local inspector. Parties failing to comply in due time are subject to a pretty smart penalty.

The monthly meeting of the Southland Education Board was held on Friday, the 3rd inst. The commission appointed to consider the question of a possible ' rearrangement of the schools in the Gummies 1 Bush, Groper's Bush, Limestone Plains, and Fairfax districts reported that at a public meeting held in the Groper's Bush Schoolhouse on July 20, the board being represented by Mr J. W. Bain and the secretary, the following resolutions were carried : — (1) " That no action be taken by the board to remove the Gummies' Bush School to a site further to the east or north-east, as suggested in the report dt a special commission of the board." (2) " That no steps be taken by the board to remove the Groper's Bush School to Fairfax." The following motion was negatived : " That the board be recommended to establish a new school at Fairfax." — The secretary stated that since the report had been written he had received the following petition — " We, your petitioners for a new school at Fairfax, bag to renew our application for the same, offering the use of the hall and forms at Fairfax for six or twelve months free of cost, the board to supply a teacher and other requisites ; also, to allow the usual capitation. We, the undersigned, guarantee to make good any deficiency in the teacher's salary of £100 per annum. (S'gned by 14 settlers of the district) ".—On the motion of Mr Bain the commission's report and the petition were referred to the Executive Committee to report. The District Railway Traffic Manager wrote complaining of the inconvenience caused to guards through children at the beginning of the school terms attempting to travel without having procured their new tickets. This was caused by the teachers neglecting to send in applications in time. The old tickets were collected at the end of the quarter, ani he would be glad if the board would instruct all teachers to send in application forms for new tickets at least a week before the end of the quarter, which would give time to issue the tickets. Unless this was done all children travelling to and from school would be stopped if they could not produce tickets. — It was decided to forward copies of the letter to the teachers of all schools contiguous to railway lines. The householders in the following districts having failed for the second time to elect committees, commissioners to manage the school affairs were appointed as jstated : — Arthur's- Point : Messrs G. M'Lean and G. W. Dani* Is ; Glenorcby : Messrs A. Fraser and Ja<nes Balneaves ; Heddon 'Bush: Messrs Jo' n Catto and Alex. Dawson ; Kennington : Messrs B. Mullen and R. Stone ; Myross Bush : Messrs John Henderson and James Wilrff'n ; Greenvale : Musi-rs W. Henderson ard F. Sparks; Quarry Hillfa : Mr James

Pe'e'ton Tre Ks'caMve Ccmrriiieu reportoa as follows :-(l) That the foliowji g appointments had tieen made: lavereargill Middle : Henry 0. Murray, third assistant ; Macetown: Maty A. Millard, head teacher. (2) That the resignation of the pupil teacher at the Riversdale Fchool had been ace pted,and the committee's application for the appointment of a mistress referred to the inspector for report. (3) That the drdrona committee's application for the appointment of a pupil teacher had been granted, and the position offered to Miss Florence Healey, of Arrowtown. (4) That in consequence of the j reduced average attendance at the Invercargill Park and Otatara schools, the assistant teacher at the former and the pupil teacher at the latter had received three months' notice of the termination of their engagements. (5) That the attention of the Edandale, Invercargill South, and Oiaatau Scbool Committees had been directed to the reduced average attendances at their schools, and they had been informed that unless the attendance increased to the number required by the regulations the services of the excess staff would in each case be dispensed with. — Adopted. The following applications wc-re granted :—Chatton, Wild Bash, and North Forest. Hill, for repairs to buildings ; Waikawa, porch and chimney ; Wendonside, half co?t of fencing; Otautau, half cost of additions to outbuildirjgs; Mabel, half cost of gravelling and drainage ; Woodland?, half cost of a raDge ; Ma*aura, extra cost of kindergarten apparatus; Waipounamu, a grant of £7 Is 63 towards fencing; Macetown, £5 as extra cost of the erection of a new school An application from the Orepuki Committee for a supply of trees was dec'ined.— The Qaeenstown Committee applied to have an addition to their teacher's residence ertcted. Held over for future consideration. — Tue innpector of works was instructed ro prepare plans and call tenders for a residence at Waimumu and a new school building to accomedate 50 pupils at Arthur's Point, and to supply a tank at the Elderslie school. — The inspector was instructed to report on an application for the establishment of full time schools in the Oteramika district, in lien of the present arrangement. — It was resolved that the necessary steps should be taken to constitute a new school district at Giifden. — An application from the Otautau Committee for a postponement of the annual examination of their school was referred to the inspectors fcr consideration. — It was resolved to inform the Riverton Committee that if the sections recently set apar, by the : Government as an addition to their school grounds were not required, the board would lease them in the usual wpy.— It was dr cided to inform the O'ago Education Board, in reply to a communication from them, that this board could not see their way to make any suggestions with reference to an interchange of inspectors — Mr Bain remarked that the proposal seemed impractical unde r the present circumstances. — The Executive Committee recommended that no alterations should be made to the regulations affecting the staffs of certain classes of schools, as recommended by the inspector in his report on the subject. Adopted. — With regard to the School Attendance Bill now before Parliament, the Executive Committee reported that, after careful consideration of its various clauses, they had no recommendation to make. The adoption of the clause having been moved, Mr Bain proposed as I an amendment, seconded by Mr Baldey, ] " That the board generally spproves of the provisions of the bill, and has no further suggestions to offer." The amendment waa carried, Mr M'Gibbon, in accordance with notice giveD, moved to the effect that clause 11 of the regulations be j amended by the substitution of the word " may " for the word " shall," so that the dismissal of a pupil teacher after two consecutive failures at examination should be optional with the board instead of compulsory as at present. He claimed that the board should reserve to itself the discretion to deal with each case according to its cir- j cumstarices, and not be bound down to a dismissal whatever the cause or causes of the failures might be. It did not follow that if the amendment were made the board would deal too leniently with pupil teachers who owed their failure to their own neglect, carelessness, laziness, or incapacity ; the board wou'd simply be establishing their right to exerciee their discretion in every case. He reminded members that cases had come before the board in which they bad been loth to enforce the regulation, and that contequently they had found themselves in an awkward position. The motion was not seconded, and therefore lapsed Accounts and salaries amounting to £2968 7s 7-1 were passed for p3yment, and the board adj turner).

The Southland Ne>vs thus s=paf-k« cf ;\ number of apples ferown in M' J.^n Fr' 1 chard's orchard at Waikiwi :—": — " To say that tl ey would compare favourably with the imported article would bp to do them an injustice. In size, shape, colour, and fl-ivonr they w?re alike excellent, and imm°nturably before the imported fruit. The r.how embraced 10 varieties — namely : Ohinuiri (an appl-3 new to this district, suitable either for cooking or eating), Forpe (dessert), Mannington pearmain, Cornish eil'ifliwt-r, stone pippirj, Rymer, Yorkshire preying, Baxter's pearmain, Allan's everla«tin?, and Rf>rn°t dv Ca r ada. A fact woth knowing is that Mr Pii' chard use^ neither straw nor anything else in packing. The apples are simply placed in drapers' cases, which are rilled to as great a dppth as 3ft, but, of course, care is exercised in the pullingr, and bruising is stricUy avoided. To-day the apples are just as sound, as pretty to look nt, and as plpasmsr to the palate as frpshl^-pulled fruit. The Co-rjieh g'lliflower, Mr Pritchard ftates, he has kept up to November, and the ftone pippin as late as March or a year f'f'er pluckinp, while most of the other kinds will remain sound a month or two later than this time of year. With evidence of this kind of the capabilities of the district for growing apples that will keep either for cooking or eating those who were sceptical must now be convinced of their error. Those who would like to see the apples should make an early call otherwise there will be none left for them to inspect."

Invercaegill, August 7.

At the Police Court to-day William Lambert was charged, on the information of J. J. Meikle, With perjury, alleged to have been committed

during the hearing of the bhcep-sto'iliug o;v o against tho informant, who we.s hint 'need to given years' imprisonment by Judge Ward at luvtrcargi;l in 1887. Accused was remanded to Gore.