SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2433, 31 October 1900, Page 37

SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES.

{Phom Our Own Corbespondent.)

' INVERCARGILL, October 29.

We were in want of rain, and we got it on Saturday — a renl soaking wet day, which produced big floods in the Waiau, Aparirna, Oreti, and Mataura- Rivers. These floods arc now fast subsiding, and I have not heard of any great damage being done by them. The protective works, in the shape of about a. half mile of embankment on the west bank of .the Aparima River, near the Cabbage Tree crossing, made by the Wallace County Council a few months ago, have stood their second test admirably, and there can be no two opinions now about their efficiency and value to property holders in the locality and the Otautau township. One visitor who was at the mouth of the Waiau yesterday tells me so great was the flood water in that river that Towaewae Bay as far as the eye could reach was discoloured with it. The miners will be more pleased than anyone with the rain," for many of them in the Orepuki and Round Hill mining districts were barely working halftime previous .to it, owing to the scarcity of water x in their dams. For the farmers it will fetch the crops and pastures on rapidly, and thus increase the milk supplies of our dairy factories and bring the fat lambs on fast.

Stock, both sheep and cattle, continue to sell at high prices, and several fairn properties have recently changed ownership, selling always ai advanced prices.

The Southland Mounted Rifles to the number of 84 went into camp at Queen's Park on Saturday under' Captain Hazlett, and are to remain under canvas for a week. Major Hawkins, commanding officer for the district, comments very favourably upon the class r.nd condition of the horses the men have provided themselves with at this encampment. The conrpany, in charge of the respective officers, attended divine > seivice at St. John's Church last evening, when the Yen. Archdeacon Stocker preached an appropriate sermon. On Wednesday afternoon a cavalry tournament is to be held in the park, and with so many good mounts a capital afternoon's sport i 3 assured.

Several of our M.H.lt.'s have returned home. Mr Hanan was accorded a very hearty and public reception. Mr M'jSTab made a bee line . for Wyndham, which is not his home, but th.6 hub of large dairy factory operations, in which 1 tli3 hon. gentleman is interested. Mr Gilfedder, , noting the controversy and haggling that is going to take place about the selection of a " sits for the Invercargill railway workshops, has telegraphed to the Hon. Minister of Railways > respectfully suggesting that one of the public reserves at Riverton should be, chosen.

The first of the excursion ''tickets for the ' Christchurch Exhibition and Jubilee show andraces were issued this morning, and quite a large number of excursionists left by the north express. The tickets are available for tho leturn journey up to December 4.

The mayor and town clerk of Winton.-who recently officially visited Gore to make inquiries re the cost, etc., oi" electric lighting, laid their report before the V\ r inton Borough Council last Friday evening. Inter it states two arc lamps of 3000 candle-power, each 25 chains apart, and small lamps equal to 70.16, or 35.32 candle-power, with dynamo complete, woufd cost about £250 ; while the cost of connectionwith buildings would be about £1 each connection. In addition to this, jk would require a.' 12 hoise-power oil or steam engine to drive tho dynamos, which would cost at least another £250, but such an engine coxild. be used for pumping a supply of water for the town, or for fire extinction purposes. The mayor, after inviting an expression of opinion from his colleagues, said that in his opinion — and in this the majority of.the council seemed to concur — Winton was not yet far enough advanced to go in for electric lighting; bfts later on, on the motion of Councillor Watson, it was decided to take the necessary steps for raising a loan of ;£SOO for a water supply for the town.

Mr I. W. Raymond returned by the Waikare 01 Saturday from a world-round tour. At Wyndhain, he was met by 30 or 40 friends, who : offered him cordial greetings, and in their expressions of welcome remarked that they felt" sure the large fund of information he had gathered in his extended travels would, as wellas being a direct benefit to himself and Ilia, private business, be of great value to the Wyndhani public generally, and thp great body of ratepayers whom "Mr Raymond represented in various public institutions of this district. Mr - Raymond, who ha^s travelled through tha i American States, a large portion of Europe,, visited the Paris Exhibition, and been in South; Africa, promised his friends at an early opportunity to give them publicly a lull account or

his experiences and impressions during his absence from Southland. Mr Robert Hargreaves, a very old resident of Southland, died here last Monday. Mr Hargreaves put together 'the first locomotives that ' lan on the Bluff line, and the Blufi railway ' was, I believe, the fir^t rail running m JNew [ Zealand. ', A very successful bazaar was opened at Ure- • -puki on Thursday evening, in a-id of the buikiI ing fund of the Chinch, of England there. Ihe | principal stallholders were Mesdames Griffith (president), Bennett, Sorenson, Straw, Stockl well, Bell, Hurst, Miss Young, and others. '. Songs were interspersed during the proceed- / ings and -the whole affair wag a great success '■ ifrom every point of view, resulting in the adI dition of upward^ of £70 to 'the fund, i The Invercargill Police Court is occupied, ' an-d has been !£or the last ten days, with the 1 'hearing of srn alleged case of perjury preferred ''against John Evans by Thomas Sloan. The ! case, which arises oiit of a mining dispute at , Orepuki, will, it is said, be followed by charges \ of a similar nature by W. S eater v. John ' Homer, T. Seater v. C. Evans, and W. Seater • v. Edwafd Weir. If all the cases are gone on ' -with it- will mean the calling of 140 witnesses.