SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2330, 27 October 1898, Page 26

SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) INVERCARGILL, October 25. Another boisterous week along the coast has to be reported from Southland ; but fortunately for the agricultural interests in our province, the weather has been better inland, and farm ■work has gone on without interiuption. The growth on the few fine days that we have had lately has been very pronounced, and the early crops are all in capital condition. The grass has come away well, and feed is now plentiful. The reports of good lambing averages continue to come to hand, one farmer on Saturday telling me that his average was 118 per cent., and ho considers the rough weather lost him about 10 per cent. The bulk of the 1898 harvest has now been carried on the railways, and the returns compare with last year's as follow: — In 1897, sacks carried, 573,419 ; in 1898, sacks carried, 610,989. Of course in both cases I have only taken up to Uie period ending October 22. Large shipments of oats are being made every week fiom the Bluff, and at present I am glad to state that there is an improvement in the prices of both oats snd wheat. , The rabbit factories continue to keep supplied with sufficient numbers of the pest to keep them open, and our factory manager told me that he expected to keep open until Christanas. This will be a great boon to settlers, both large and small, for the fact of rabbilers feeing still able to find a ready sale for their captures will" be the means of keeping bunny '.down to siich an extent that he should be easily kept in check by judicious poisoning by the settlers. • The Lands and Survey office, Invercargill, is now issuing plans of iural lands m Hokonui and Otara for sale or selection on or after Thursday, November 10, and small grazing run Waiau on and after Thursday, November 24. During the storm on Wednesday night, the Bluff Harbour Board's dredge sank between .the new and old eastern wharves, while several of the cutters and fishing boats received more or less damage. A young lad engaged in an office in Invercargill had a very narrow escape fiom spending ,» night in the lock-up and having to answer a charge of bicycle-stealing last Tuesday evening. It appears a business man went out by ,tram at 4 o'clock on Tuesday afternoon, and a-eturned rather unexpectedly at 6, when in going to his office he found his bicycle missing. He at once notified the police, and on returning to the office with the detective to show him where it had been taken from, they anet a clerk engaged in the adjoining office, and after questioning him about the affair, he admitted taking it to lend to his brother. Had not the officer happened to meet this clerk at the time, his brother would most certainly liave been arrested when he was returning the machine, and he has to thank the owner for 'Jhis generosity in not pushing the affair. Too 'much of this sort of thing goes on, and a case -before the courts would perhaps serve as a ,iv irning. f Mr John M'lntyre, one of Southland's oldest residents, and who had resided at Mona Bush for 34 years, died suddenly of heart disease at liis home yesterday. Deceased, a native of Perthshire, arrived in the Arirna in 1864, and immediately entered upon agricultural pursuits in the Eastern district, and remained there until his death. He leaves a widow and family of four. ' Last week Mr James Allen, of Wyndham, was presented with a testimonial and illuminated address by about 150 members and adherents of the Wyndham Presbyterian congregation as a mark of their appreciation of his .work in the church. 1 At the adjourned meeting of the Presbytery 'of Mataura, some discussion took place on a request from the Mataura Session for permission to use" separate vessels at communion. The iKev. Mr Davidson said that some of the cornJmunicants objected to partaking of the wine prom the one vessel, the objection being on account of the danger from microbes. Personally, he did not think there was anything' in ithe objection, and the idea was impracticable as well. Several members doubted if the •IPresbytery had power to grant the request. tOr Copland objected entirely to the innovation, .which in any case the Presbytery had not the right to sanction. He moved — " That (the Presbytery disapprove of the innovation, and cannot avithorise the Session to proceed any further," which was carried. At the usual meeting of the borough council on Friday evening, 12 butchers petitioned the council to allow each butcher to arrange for his own killing, instead of, as proposed, the corporation doing so. The matter was referred to the Abattoir Committee, with a suggestion ,that the butchers should be invited to meet .them in conference. The question of the Police Barracks, which are in a very dilapidated condition, was referred to in the coriespon'dence, the Department of Justice advising that the Government intended to erect new buildings during the coming svinirner. Cr. Allen referred to~the inadequacy of the vote of £500, and the Mayor explained that it had probably been added to, as he understood the plans provided for extending the whole length of the section. Cr.- Goldie moved that the solicitor be instructed to prepare a bill for next session to enable the council to lease the balance of the market reserve for a period of 14 years. — Seconded by Cr. M'Farlane. On the suggestion of Cr. Watson, the following words were added: "And also to set free the accumulated money from the reserve, and all further money accruing, to be devoted to the building of a town hall on the site granted for that purpose in Tay street." — Carried The Gore Standard states that Mr Duncan M'Kinnon had a narrow escape from a serious accident on Sunday night. It appears that Mr M'Kinnon, who was staying at the Criterion Hotel, is subject to somnambulism. On Saturday night he arose in his sleep, .walked clean through the bedroom window, and fell +q the footpath beneath. In the course of his fall Mr M'Kinnon caught on n nail, and that had the effect of swinging him round. Instead of falling on his head and shoulders, therefore, he fell on his leg and side. The noise awoke his bedroom companion, who soon obtained assistance, and the injuries of the somnambulist were promptly attended to. His ankle is badly injured, and it is not certain yet whether some of the small bones are not broken. A wood-carter named Joseph Lines, residing in Macquarrie street. South Invercargill. informed the Southland News that on Wednesday night a horse of his, valued at £20, was killed when in the stable. The owner fed the animal at about 8 o'clock, and on returning to the stable, which is a chain away from the house, an hour afterwards, he found two deep holes in the beast's forehead, evidently the result of blows from a pick. Mv Lines states that the irmlement had been left a cafe distance fi"-*" +•»«» horse, and that he found it in the -t' 11 The matter is now in the hands of the police. The Gore Standard says: — Mr E. L. Bep^, of Mataura, who, when cycling at Mataura recently, collided with Mr Gardiner (on horseback), and obtained damages against him, has agreed to accept £150 in full satisfaction. The damages awarded him by the Supreme Court amounted to £4-25. A subscription list is being circulated in Mataura in favour of Mr Gardiner, and is being filled av> liberally. Mr Beasr. we learn, is confinad

to his room. His condition is causing his friends some anxiety. MINING NOTES. The Preservation Inlet mining news to hand, per s.s. Invercargill, which arrived at the Bluff on Saturday, taken as a whole cannot be said -to be very encouraging, more especially from the Alpha mine, from which big things weic expected. The total results from the crushing of 125 tons of stone produced only 15oz 6dwts, or an average of only a trifle over 2dwts to the ton. This cannot be cheering to the shareholders ; but it must be taken into account that owing to this being the first real crushing, no doubt a lot of poor stone and mullock had to go through the battery. The report from the Golden Site Extended is a little more encouraging; but I would like to receive news of a really well defined reef existing in this property. So far the country appears to have been considerably shaken up in this locality, btit there must be a good reef existing in the immediate district, and in the opinion of those who know it well it is supposed to mn more south than the present workings. As a confiirnation of this, I may point otit that by the mine manager's last report he is coming on to better stone running in that direction. It would not be a surprise to a great many if the solid reef were found in the Lucky Shot (No. 2, South) claim, as alluvial miners have obtained some rich specimens when working at the bottom of that claim, which, judging by the little water- worn quartz, have not travelled any great distance. The Morning Star report leads one on to hope bhat another °ood cake of gold will be to hand before long. The reef lately discovered in the Merrivale d'strict is attracting attention, and various portions of interests are changing hands at enhanced prices. I am inclined to think that it would be far better for the original shareholders of this claim to form a small'prospecting syndicate 01, say. £500 capital, and spend this sum upon the opening out of tile property, as the sale of small original shares from one to another does not in any way tend to the development of the claim. Considerable advance has taken place in the price of the Shotover Quartz Mining Company's shares since the result of an assay (maclp W the assayer of the Bank of New Zealand, Dunedin) became known, and that the return was 7oz 7dwt per ton. A large number of the shares of this company are held by Invercargill investors, who have every faith in its future. The company are now haying an uprise put in to strike the gold-bearing quartz, and intend crushing early in January. There is a 12-head battery, with plenty of water-power on the claim, so that it can be worked at a very small cost. We shall be glad to see the old Gallant Tip once again returning dividends to its shareholders.