SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES. (From Our Own Correspondent.) Invercargill, February 9.

Otago Witness, Issue 2241, 11 February 1897, Page 30

SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES. (From Our Own Correspondent.) Invercargill, February 9.

The Supreme Court sittings opened on Monday betore Mr Justice Williams. Alfred Dowsett, a carpenter, aged 44, pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted suicide while under the influence of drink, and was ordered to fiud a surety of £20 to b» of good behaviour for six months. • Tbomdn Huston pleaded guilty to stealing two horses, stating that he had been drinking heavily at tbe time. Hy ! •was sentenced to 12 mouths' hard l&biur. ■ Walter Douglas Dalgleinh, a clerk, pleaded guilty to several charges of embezzlement from hi« employer, James Harvey, s->)icitor, the defalcations Amounting to over £300. On the accused's behalf it was urged that drink hid been the sole ciuse of his taking the money. His Honor imposed a sentence of three years' hard labmr. Frederick Htnry Farr, a you.h j of 16, pleaded guilty to assaulting aud demandj ing money from James B. Taylor. It was j s f at«d that accmed had been reading a penny ' dreadful, and stuck up Taylor by way of a joke, intending, if he got the money, to return it next • day His Honorsai-i that tnough the case w*s one in which he could not apply the Probation Act, he did not like the idea of sending a youth to gaol, and the accused would be sentenced to three months. Alexander M"Vioker (aged 22) and Charles Crawford (19), for entering » house and stealing various articles of clothiDg, were released on probation for 12 months. For a few days last week Mr Paulin's forecast of the weather in the Daily Times :— "Squally to a j gale to light S.W. to N.W. to N. winds ; heavy I rain showers ; indications stormy and electrical"— was a fair description of what we experienced here, but this week it has been very pleasant indeed. Yesterday was the bi-annual election day for members of the Bluff Harbour Board, and an almost unprecedented amount of interest was taken in the event This body, which consists of ten membeis, is accredited in the past with beiug too much under th'i eway of one strong member who Bvrears by tbe Bluff or not at all. The present being considered an opportune time, a determiued effort was made to alter the constitution of this body, and considerable chances were effected yesterday. Mr J. E. Watson and Mr J. W. Mitchell were returned f<»r lavercargill, the retiring members being Messrs J. W. Mitchell and C.iptaiu Sl' Lean ; Mr Wuddtil, the old member for Catnp'ielltowu, retains his seat after a hard contest ; Mr I N. Raymond, another old representative of the Southland County Council, was returned by the casting vote of the chairman ; the Hon. J. G Ward had an easy victory over Mr Thomas Fleming for the Lake County; MrDunlop was elected unopposed by the Chamber of Commerce ; Mr Andrew Bain defeated Mr Pollard, the old member for the suburbs ; ami Captain Stevens wa=i again returned to represent Wallace County. Then (here are two Governmrnt nominees, Mwsrs A Shaw and T. Gilro)-, who hold office until May next. It is to tie hoped that under the new administration the port -will maintain the splendid reputation it has acquired under the old management, and will continue to rank amoncst the first ports in New Zealanu as regards accommodation for the largest of ships, other conveniences, and low port charges. S'joulil aiUitioual taxation, however smell, ou our surplus products accrue in this ' direction, it would be a serious matter for an j agricultural district like ours, whose natural outlet is the peit at Bluff. The following members of the Southland police force are included in the list of promotions j recently made by the Defence Department :— ! Sergeant Macdonnell (Invercargill), S-rgeant i M'Grath (Bluff), and Constables Howard, Bur1 rowes, and MVhesDey (luvercargill), Ferguson (Gore), and Keauey(Mataura). In connectiou with the burning of Milne's horse bazaar at Wyndham, indications psint to malice, as not more than three weeks ago the spokes ot two new coaches were sawn through and other damage done to them by some unknown person. i Shortly after the stables were erected, about a '• year ago, an attempt was made to lire them with phosphorus. Much public sympathy is felt for ■ Mr Currie, the lebsee, and other sufferers by the dastardly act. Mr Cunie was the last successful tenderer for the carriage of mails from Edeudale to Fortrose, and since then he has been running an opposition line ot coaches. Harvest is beconiiDg general on the lighter lands in the inland distiicts, and several crops are already cut. The havoc the small birds are making in some patches is really alarming, and unless , some mort* concerted action is taken to cope with , this pest it will soon prove as ruinous to the agriculturist^ the rabbit did in days goue by to the pastoral i^t I At a meeting of the Southland Acclimatisation ! Society last n ght it was resolved to recommend ■ that the ensuing shooting and coursing teason should be the same as last year— namely, for shooting nativs game, including pigeons, from April Ito July 31 ; the licensing fee for coursing hares to be £1. A request that trout netting in the Invercargill estuary should lie legalised under terms to be fixed by the society w.is considered, but the questiou was found to be surrounded by fo many difficulties that further consideration of the subject was postponed to a subsequent and fuller meeting. The faecretary read correspondence with the Nelson society on the subject of red deer, and it wat resolved that that society be lcquested to obtain for Southland two stags and eiyht hinds at a cost not exceeding £2 per head — tp be removed to this district when old enough for cafe tiansit. Souae pheas^nts which are to arrive by the s.s. Aotea from London are to be sent over to Stewart Island. Mr J. \V. K«slly, M.H.R., was entertained at a ' social at Invercargill on Friday night. In the course of his remarks in reply to the toast of his bealth he predicted that nioit of the next session . would be taken up with wrangling. He looked forward to a wasted session. The Opposition would endeavour to prevent the legislation as far as possible, and the Government would not be extremely anxious to carry measures. There was tome talk of the Premier being invited to London tocelebia'e the Queen's reign If that were so, he thought there would be no session at all. • Mr ' Seddon was the only man in New Zealand able to lead his party, and before he had been at sea many hour-, his party would be at sea also. The .Railway department notify important changes in the train services between Invercargill and Lumsden and Invercargill and Nightcaps, to take effect on and after Monday, the 22nd inst. From Lumsden and intermediate station! there will be a morning train to Invercargill every day of the week, with a train back in the evening There will also be a train from Nightcaps and intermediate stations to Invercargill every morning in the week and back in the evenings, and on Wednesdays and Fridays, in addition to this service, there will be a morning 1 train from Invercargill and intermediate stations !-to Nightcaps and back again same evening. This j has been a long-desired alteration, which both | town and country folk will, I am sure, greatly appreciate.