SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2302, 14 April 1898, Page 25

SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES.

(From Ooe Own Correspondent.)

Invercargill, April 12j The Easter holidays have been more or leSl marred by bad weather. Good Friday was fin'i but very windy, Saturday and Sunday cold and showery, Monday fine but cold and bleak.

On Friday the football match between tha Invercargill and Dunedin teams came off, and resulted iv an easy victory for the visiting team by 20 points to nothing. The chief attractions for holiday-makers yesterday were the Riverton Racing Club's annual raca and steeplechase meeting and the cash cyclirig spoits at Inveioargill.

The Ron. J. M'KeDzie, Minister for Lands, was the euest of the Hop. J. G. Ward at the Bluff from Friday unti« this morning, when he left for the north by express With the exception of a political address at the theatre on Saturday evening his time has been pretty freely taken up with department work iv the Land office here, and minor deputations on various questions. Tha Gore Standard says that Mr M'Kenzie's object in visiting Invercargill is to look up the whole of the Pine Company's claims in Southland and to place them in a position more satisfactory to the people of the colony.

We also had a visit last Friday from the ! Hon. A. J. Cadmaa, Minister for Railways, who in. company with Mr Ward and Mr Macandrew, district engineer, inspected the Winton-Hokouul branch railway and other centres in the Awarua electorate, where several deputations wafted on him, asking for small favours, such as additional stock and sheep loading yards at Centre Bush, improvements tcgoodsshedat Winton, aud additional accommodation at Winton passenger station, etc. To all of these deputations apparently satisfactory replies were given.

The bulk of our harvest has been secured, and iv fa'.riy good condition, but very slow progress ia being Juade in harvesting the balance, and that is considerable. Tn<leed some of the late crops of oats coastwise !ook as if they would never ripeD, but only a fevr miles inland the crops show hovr much fin^r the weather has been in. the interior.

Since the Police Commissioners finished their sitting here 22 out of the 23 justices of the peace resident in Invercargill have signed and handed to Sergeant Macdounell the following memorial : '"We, the_ undersigned J.P.s of the colony of New Zealand in Southland, hereby desire to express our c-ense of the zeal, impartiality, and efficiency with which Sergeant Macdonnell hab performed the duties connected with his position tn head of the police in this district sinco his arrive! :a f outhland."

The Chriatfaa Endeavour Union societies of the Invercargill and suriounding districts held their annual convention here on Good Friday, and the affair proved the most successful of its kind ever yet held in Invercargill. A grent many country societies were represented, and many greetings were received fron? other rccietfe.-> at a distance i^orn here.

A poor old n.ac named Joseph Limericlr. 70 years of age, who wandered from the Southland Home about k fortnight ago, and was advertised for, was found in Seaward Bush in a very exhausted condition. He has revived considerably sirce beign. taken back to the home, but is still in >. very weak ctatr.

Mr T. Perkins, one nf Southland's vecy old identities, and a J.P., on the occaeiop of his resignation of the office of secretary and treasurer to the Southland Hospitals and Charitable Aid Board was voted .£SO in consideration of his long services, aud the chairman (Mr D. Roche) made some complimentary remarks on iho manner in which Mr Perkins hs'i gerforneu thu duties of his position.

The Rev. *t. ChotJton, who had L«en i± r J r . health for a considerable time, died on the Ist inst. Deceased had been in charge of the Wcikiwj parish (Presbyterian Church) for some years, and was held in high esteem by his people and fellow clergymen. He leaves a wife and six children.

Mr Walter Guthrie's tender for the purchase of the Southland Farmers' Implement Co.'s business has beer- accepted by Messrs Cork and Grey, the liquidators.

At the Otautau Court last <| V>,dfcesday, three men, who had been caught by the Acclimatisation Society's ranger in the act of poaching, and were strongly suspected of destroying trout by dynamiting, were fined £22 odd, with costs. The Otautau Hotel, so well and so favourably known under Mr John Smith, junr'a, management, has been taken over by fia owner, Mr Whittaker, from Dunedin. Jtes3ra 3?. Hotop and Patterson recently walked from Mount Kichokon, Lake Wakatipu, te Te Anau. They report the track to be very good. The travellers left on Thursday and reached Te Anau on Sunday. On Saturday and Monday last 54,000 rabbits were received' at the Mataura Freezing works. It is reported that the Gore Meat Co.'s works at Croydon have been disposed of to a wealthy English syndicate, which will carry on business on a much more extensive scale.

Mr Grieve has been elected to represent Hokouui Riding in the County Council. He beat Mr Halliday by four votes.

A correspondent at Stewart's Island writes that the fishermen during the past month or so have been doing very well. One boat with three men brought in two tons of fish for four days' fishing. A matter of complaint on the part of the fishermen is the small price they get for groper. Some of these fish weigh from 501b to 1001b, and yet they only get sixpence each for them. The mutton-birders are getting ready to leave for their respective islands. Their harvest time is approaching. Mr R. Scully's Twilight landed a couple of prospectors last week at Kopeck. It is to be hoped they will strike something good. The opossums that were landed here some time back seem to be doing fairly well. Mr A. R. Hare, late of Blackmount, has received intimation from the Acclimatisation Society that they are sending him three red deer from Nelson for liberating on his run, or any other part of tha Waiau district he considers suitable couatry for deer.