SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2379, 5 October 1899, Page 34

SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES.

(Fjiom Oejb Own Corrf.sponbent.) INVEHCAHGILL, October 3. After a week's good weather a nice warm rain is failing, and, with the ground as warm and dry as it is, it will make things grow splendidly. During the week there were two or three frosts which, in some parts of Southland, were severe enough to cut down the early potato crops. The very dry spring that we have had this year has seriously interfered with the mining industry in the Round Hill and Orepuki districts, and miners in those localities are now 'urgently wanting rain. The rainfall at Mr M'-baren's homestead, Redfern, near Otautau, for September measures 3.44 in on 10 days. Compared with last year it shows that there -was one wet day and .10in of rain more this year. For the nine months of the year it gives a total of 98 wet days and 31.73 mof rain, which is 17 days and 12.S2in of -rain less than last year. The grain market last week assumed rather a strange state. Prices hardening all round, and no business doing. During the last two days a few "inquiries have been made for oats, but no business has resulted at the quotations . — B's, Is 6Jd; and C's, Is 6d (f.o.b. Bluff). Farmers are not offering, and merchants are not inclined to sell until the supply is better, as they are anxious to keep up their stocks. In other line 3 the market is quiet. Sheep are still selling at a good price, and as high as £1 a piece has been paid for ewes and lambs, but good lines are worth about 17s. Store wethers are worth up to 13s Cd, and good hoggets are selling at about the same price. The demand for cattle has considerably improved, and some big sales have been made latety. During the month just closed the customs duties collected at Invercargill amounted to £G515 12s lOd, or £772 14s 7d more than in September, 1898. The beer duty collected amounted to £144 5s 9d, being £12 0s 6d less) than in the corresjaonding month of last year. The customs duties collected during the September quarter totalled £18,306 Oa 2d, as against £12,933 7s lid in 1898. Tihe Supreme Court session closed on Thursday night owing to all the civil actions being settled out of court with the exception of. a divorce suit. A few weeks ago the Invercargill Borough Council had the manuscript copy of their first balance sheet — a- document of modest size — framed and hung in the municipal offices. It was also decided to obtain a photo of Invercargill's first mayor, the lp.te Mr W. Wood. The Southland Mounted Rifles' proportion of the 50 men to be selected from the Otago regiment is, I understand, 12 men, and already a nearly twice that number have volunteered their services. A good proportion of tkern are prepared to take their own horses with them. Captain Hawkins received word from Wellington this afternoon to forward on a list of names of those who have volunteered. The electoral roll for Mataura is now in the printer's hands, and contains 4341 names. In tha by-election in 1898 there were, including supplementary rolls, 4590 names. There will be a supplementary Toll in the courseof three weeks or so, and it behoves those who are not yet enrolled to attend to the matter at once. Messrs Gilfedder and M'Nab must have weakened their chances of being returned again for the House by their statements and the manner in which they voted on the division regarding the troops for the Transvaal. ' Both Wallace and Mataura electorates are loyal, and in the event of the troops going both counties will "be represented in the Southland contingent. A meeting is to be held at '"Waikaia this evening to form a branoh of the Liberal Federation of New Zealand. At a meeting of the settlers interested in getting a railway siding on the ThornburyNightcaps line at the hundred line, held the other evening, it was decided to guarantee £100 as part of the cost. The Southern Standard says: — "Mr N. W. Kingdon, who has severed his connection with the Southland Frozen Meat Company) will leave Gore on Friday next for London. Mr Kingdon will represent Messrs R. and F. Wallace, the local wool and frozen and preseived meats exporters, and his headquarters will be near the London Docks. Mr Kingdon will "have not only the good wishes of a large circle of friends for his own sake, but also for ihe enterprising firm he represents. The news of the supposed safety of the s.s. Waikato was very welcome to the residents of Orepuki, and quite a new impetus to business ther«t--3rhe -reaction will no doubt be equally great. The Shale Company have been very seriously hindered by the non-arrival of some 300 tons of machinery which is on board that steamer ; but it is expected that operations will be commenced shortly after its arrival. The country round the mouth of the Waiau is, like the rest ofSouthland this season, looking in good order, ancl all farm work is well forward. The dairying industry is going to be pushed in that district to some extent this year. Farmers are anxious to buy good dairy cows, and it is anticip?ted that the supply of milk at the factory will reach 2Ooogal per day. The output of olieese has been sold at a highly satisfactory price, and farmers are in hopes of getting aboift 3Jd for their milk. There is no doubt that that district is an ideal dairy farming one. Some little time ago a series of rather heated letters appeared in our local papers regarding our telephone system. Complaints would often be made on good grounds too, about the inattention of the persons in charge of the exchange. One gentlemen in the town told me the other day that on one occasion it took him eight minutes before he could get an answer from the exchange, and any subscriber will say that a wait of anything up to five minutes is quite an ordinary delay. Then, again, the secrecy of the telephone is quite a myth ; but in justice to those in the exchange I must say that they are not always the guilty parties, for one can often hear conversations carried on on some adjoining wire. But the greatest charge of all is that -when a new subscriber joins the exchange, subscribers are not notified of the fact until some time after it, and (Xuite recently two subscribers to the town exchange had been connected for over 10 weeks before old subscribers were advised of it, thus making the telephone practically useless to these two subscribers. Perhaps Mr Bush will keep a .closer eye over his assistants in this department. It is stated that the Railway department has

declined to grant concessions in fares in connection with the forthcoming band contest.