SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2368, 20 July 1899, Page 34

SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES.

(Fbom Oub Own~Corkesfondent,) ■ Invercargill, July is. ; The weather continues changeable, and everyone one" meets has either a cold or neuralgia ! to complain of. Even though bad weather is seasonable, I think the ■weather that we are getting at present is just a bit too Tough to be considered usual wintei weather. The roads and streets are in a dreadfully bad state. The main street at Bluff still, I think, holds the medal, but there are some other roadways that will soon be running it very close if this weather continues much longer. Though a good deal of rain fell in Invercargill yesterday, there was none in the country districts north of here. The oat market is unchanged, while the wheat market is only just perceptibly better. The shipments during the week have not been very heavy; but this week it is expected thatsome heavy shipments will be made. The 8000 sacks of oats shipped by the s.s. Mokoia for Melbourne are supposed by those people in the know to have been bought for South Africa ; but nothing is known definitely. The quality of some of the samples coining to hand latterly has been very poor, plainly showing that the tops of the stacks have been wetted by the, rain, and, when threshed, not put aside, but run in with the bulk. During last week the railway carriage of grain in Southland nas 13,947 sacks, making a total of 615,622 sacks for the season. Compared with last year's figures, 10,712 sacks for the corresponding week and a total of 532,018 sacks, .they read very well; but they nothing like represent the' increase of the grain eecured in Southland last harvest. Up to November* last year — practically recognised as the end of the grain season by the Tailway authorities, 628,812 sacks were carried, and it is a wellknown fact that there is a long way more grain held by farmers at this time this year than was the case last year, so by the end of spring we may look for figures approaching three-quarters of a million, if not exceeding it. The trains have now commenced running a little closei up to time-table time, owning, no doubt, to the grain traffic having been so much reduced lately. It seems quite strange to see long strings of empty waggons lying idle in the Invercargill shunting yard, after so long a spell with not an empty truck in the yard. IV The Forest Hill railway line -was opened yesterday as far ns Hedgehope. There was no demonstration, and on the special trains from "Winton only about 70 passengers were carried. I understand that it is the intention of the ! residents of Winton to have a big opening «n the Hon. J. G. Ward's return from England. J. A. Simson, of Gore,, auctioneer, was yesterday adjudged a bankrupt, and the first meeting of his creditors is fixed for the 27th inst. Mr C. Crutch, for many -years inspector of permanent Ways on the Southland railways, has been transferred to the Wanganui section, and left for his new location last Monday. Mr G-. M. Schilling, walking round the world, arrived back here on Saturday evening, and states that since he left here he has tramped some 2500 miles between here and Auckland. He leaves for Australia by the next steamer. The Mataura Ensign states that rumours are afloat regarding a sensational breach of promise case, in which £500 damages are claimed, which, it is said, will shortly occupy our courts. Our S.M. here is undoubtedly a 'practical man, and his action hi a licenFing case before him yesterday further exemplifies this. A Mi Blackam was being prosecuted for failing to admit the police on Saturday night without undue delay, and to satisfy himself about the arrangements of the doors, etc., in the building, the magistrate adjourned the case in order to go. to the premises to examine them. On returning to the court he dismissed the information, as there was some doubt, the benefit of which he held the hotelkeeper was entitled to. To show that he does not grant prohibition orders to be broken lightly Mr Poynton, S.M., yesterday fined two men with these orders out against them £5 each, and costs, allowing one month in which to pay the fine.

The Southern Cross" states : The leases of the land on the North road between Avenal and the town boundary, in the hands of the trustees of the late Mr J. T. Thomson, expire at the end of this year. One section of the block of 40 acres has been used for grazing purposes, , and the other has been utilised by a party of j Chinese as a market garden, and regret has often been expressed that the area shotild be so occupied instead of being available for building sites. It is understood that after Mr Thomson's return from, Europe proposals will be made to have the land subdivided and disposed of in the shape of business anud residence sites. If that were done, there is little doubt that allotments would be in keen demand. " Joe," the big lizard presented to the Athenaeum some seven or eight years ago by a youth from the North Island, who was on a visit to Invercargill at that time, was found dead the other morning by the librarian. This enormous lizard measured 2ft from snout to tail, and' was a fine representative of a fast-decreasing family — the New Zealand lizard, or Tuatara of the Maoris. A box was provided for his accommodation, and at stated intervals he -was allowed the run of the place, and made himself as free of it as any of the Life members. He was a most intelligent creature, but the recent alterations in the building bothered him somewhat. A tourist who knew a good deal about lizards, i after seeing this specimen, said that he had never seen one so thoroughly tamed. Mrs Harrison Lee began her work in Invercargill as a temperance advocate on Sunday week, and has been addressing meetings — sometimes as many as four in one day — in Invercargill ever since. The audiences have been large, and as Mrs Lee is a- good speake*r, her addresses I have been attentively listened to. At the close 1 of her "mission in the town Mrs Lee will visi* the country districts. I Hunting in Southland is once again an tic1 complished. fact. The meeting held at Riverton the other evening was -unanimous in its desire to have sport inaugurated once again. • "With Mr A. R. Hare master, Mr J. Ritchie deputymaster, and Farquhar M'Kay huntsman, there should be no doubt about the hunting this year being successful. The opening run is to be held at Gummie's Bush on the 26th inst., and as the country is easy, there should be a good turn out. I understand that a meeting is to be held after the Otautaii meet on the 31st. to i arange for a point tc point and a hack meeting. i News was received in town last night that the men. sent up to Mararoa to prospect foi a | dredging claim had been forced to give" up work on the river owing to there being too much ■water. They have given an old water course at the back of the station property a partial prospecting, and have discovered very rich ground. I A meeting of auctioneers was held in Inver- | cargill yesterday, when nearly all the Southland auctioneers vere represented, for the purpose of protesting- against the passage of the Auctioneers' Act Amendment Bill now before Parliament. One auctioneer said - that if the bill passed it would simply kill business, and mean ruination to many auctioneers. 1 During his career as an auctioneer he had paid , over £1000 in licenses, having held a license in Invercargill as far back as 1865. On the motion of Mr G. Froggatt, seconded by Mr M. Carr, it was unanimously resolved — "That this meeting considers the proposed aniendnieiit unnecessary, and calculated" to be oppressive in its operation, and to seriously injure the interests of vendors and purchasers alike." It -was further decided to send a 'copy of this resolution to Mr D. M. Spedding, in Dunedin, with an assurance that the local auctioneers will support the actions of those in Dunedin, and cooperate in'any action taken to oppose the passage "of the proposed bill. It was, also decided to send, a copy of the resolutions to every auctioneer in Southland.

I understand that a week oi so ago' the j "Western District A. and P. Association held a meeting, at wnich some 30 farmers were present, to discuss the "sacks" question. During the past harvest merchants have been charging farmers Gd to 7d for their corn sacks, and paying 4d for them when they were buying their oats. The meeting was called too late to do any good in the matter this year, but I understand this body intends taking action in time for next harvest. Very few persons were j aware of the meeting, and but for a remark ! from a farmer who was present I should not have known auything > about it. When the "Western District Association takes up all-im-portant qxiestioTis such as this one, its action would be felt to a far greater extent if it made its decisions known. The small bird question is troubling the farmers in the "Winton district, and a. meeting of the A. and P. Association there was held Inst week to discuss ways and .means to keep the pest under. After a lengthy discussion it was ultimately decided to accept the gift of £10^ worth of grain from the members for the riding, with a subsidy of pound for pound on amounts raised.