SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2456, 10 April 1901, Page 42

SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES.

(Faou Oub Own Coebesi'ondent.)

INVERCARGILL, April 7.

Owing to the postal arrangements for the Easter holidays, I must write my notes this week on the Sabbath, and I trust the old adage, " The better the day the better the deed," will again prove its truth.

Our climate during the past 10 days might easily have earned for us the title " sunny south," for the days have been almost perfect summer days. Perhaps a bttle cold in the knbrnings, but the sun at times has been quite fierce during the day, and the cool air in the evening, has been refreshing after the heat of the day. Ai the time of writing it does not look bs if the good weather was going to see the holidays out, the sky being overcast and a strong Wind having sprung up, while the glass has gone back somewhat.

Big stock sales have been held during the week, but no improvement can be yet reported in the prices of sheep. At the ram fair, under the auspices of the Southland Metropolitan A. and P. Association, there was an unusually heavy entry of rams, and, quite contrary to expectations, the sale was a really good one, the demand being quite equal to the supply. Stud Border Leicesters sold as high as 17gs and flocks up to sgs. A small draft of English Leicesters sold from 6Jgs to Bgs. Lincolns were in very poor demand. All the wellknown breeders in Southland were well represented.

Our gram market continues inactive, and I have nothing fresh to report thi*. week. Owing to the holidays, I am unable to get the railway carriage for the week. The following were the ruling prices for farm produce in Invercargill Dn Saturday: — Fresh butter, 7d; factory butter, lOJd ; bulk, lOd ; cheese (farm), 4d , bacon (rolled, farm), 6d ; ham, 9d , eggs, Is per dozen , potatoes, £3 per ton; barley, 2s to 2s 6d , fowl wheat, 2s 3d , chaff, £2 10s per ton ; flour, £7 to £7 ss ; oatmeal, £9 to £9 10s ; pollard, £4 ss ; bran (including bags), £3 10s.

Good Friday does not seem to be obseived (is a holy day now, as it used to be. In one district nearly all the stores were kept open, and in another direction I noticed a sawmill at work.

The holidays have, so far, passed off quietly. The visiting football team from the Kaikoiai Club m Dunedin were such a weak combination that they gave our crock team — thp Stai — 110 opposition to speak of on Fnddy, and our men won by 37 points to nil. The excursion to Stewart Islsnd was patronised by n. very ■large number of people, the tug Theresa Ward being taxed to her utmost carrying capabilities. The Southland Bowling Club are holding a lournament on their green, in which a few aorthern players are engaged. The fiiie weather enticed a large number to go into the rountry on shooting eOTeditions, pnd Mrejdy several record bags are reported. If the weather continues fine there wiill be a largo ciovd going to Riverton on Monday and Tuesday to the races there, which is always an interesting \!efcture of our Easter holiday attractions.

I am informed that several of our budding \>oung sportsmen could not writ until the 1-t of April to get their bago, and that nearly all fever Southland the ducks ha^ a very bad time \»f it on the Saturday night and Sunday preceding the opening of the season

April Fool's Day was kept in pioper style by \jcme of the leading business men 111 Tay street. A well-known "commercial ' lent buuself for jhe occasion, and with the aid of a friendly hairalresser, managed to make a fa:rly good job of his face — representing that it belonged to a rian who had had too much liquor at Bluff and ad fallen off the tram as it came into Invercargill. Carefully laid in the bottom ot a carrier's van, the half-dead form was carted along lo a, hotel where the traveller wes well known, with great care the landlord had him car'tisd up to the best room and laid into the bod. in diessing the patient," they noticed that his watch, pocketbook, and money had all gone, tnd directly they had left him comfortable and ac showed a desire to sleep, the good-natured Boniface crept out of the room and communicated with the police and medical men. Coming down the stairs he was told of the utter prostration of one of his servants after having »een the mangled form carried 111, and after Spending a few moments in making inquiries >s to har comfort, he was on his way to put the pDss of his '"patient's" valuables :n the hinds *jf the police, when he was met in the hnll by Jhe " commercial " himself, dressed 111 his usual

state and perfectly sober, who asked him to have a drmk. So amazed was the publican and one or two others who had helped with the unfortunate victim to a horrible accident that one or two of them are st-11 suffering from the effects of it.

I am informed that Mr R. M'Xab, M H.R., has received word that the mounted corps recently formed under him in the Wyndham and Fortrose districts has been accepted by the Government.

Sergeant Lennie, of the Orcti Rifles, has been selected as Southland's representative of the 20 men forming the Federal contirgent. The Rev. G. Hervey, late of Queensland, has accepted a call to the Gore Congregational Church.

The surfacemen of the GOIO Borough Council have had their wages increased by Is a day. Among the new appointments to the roll of justices I notice Messrs Gr. R. George, H. Man, W. A. Morris, A. M'Kellar, J. Stead, and J. Stronach, of this town. The Education Board have decided to elevate the Gore School to the status of a district high school.

The registrations in the Invercargill district for April were as follows — Births Town, 34 , country, 22; — total, 56. Deaths- Town, 10; country, 6; — total, 16. Marriage certificates issued, 12.

At the last meeting of the Town Council 25 passenger conveyances weie granted licenses. During the past fortnight 108 cattle, 651 sheep, and 8 pigs have t>een slaughtered at the abattoir. One cow and three sheep were condemned as unfit for human consumption.

The' question of raising the price of gas caused considerable discussion in the Town Council on Friday evening, and the report concerning the question was referred back to the committee on the casting vote of the mayor.

Sergeant A. Y. Challis, who was invalided from South Africa some months ago, and was so ill on the way out that he wr A sent to the hospital at Hobart, returned to Invercargill by the last steamer. Challis still looks pretty shaky, but is well on the road to recovery.

Some ladies of the town agreeing that the action of the mayor over the question of a memorial to our late Queen has been the reverse pf right, waited upon the Town Council on Thursday night, and stated that they wished a public meeting called for the purpose of taking steps to provide in the town a suitable memorial to the late Queen. Cr Longuet, who introduced the deputation, said that in all other northern cities meetings of the citizens had been called, and a similar meeting should be called in Invercargill. It was decided to hold a public meeting ort Wednesday week. The deputation consisted of Mesdames James Lennie, J. D. M'Gruer, A. nar^er, J. E. Vernon, J. Neill, and D. Strang.

A very sad accident occurred at Woodlands on Tuesday evening, when a young girl named Mary Lammond, aged 15 years, was shot dead by her brother John, aged 19. The lad had been presented with the gun, and was in the act of leaving the house to go shooting when his hat fell off, and in stooping to pick it up he brought the gun into a horizontal position. While in that position it went off, and the charge struck the girl m the head, death being instantaneous. This family, about three years ago, were left fatfierless, and a few months ago their mother died, leaving a large family, which this lad was supporting with the help of his sister. The poor boy has been almost out of hia mind with grief since the accident, the two children having been much attached to .each other.

At the meeting of J. J. Green and Co.'s. creditors on Thursday, the Official Assignee stated that the books showed a very imperfect system of bookkeeping. According to the books, the payments appeared to have exceeded the receipts by £1440 15s Id, and in othei statements he had found that the total value of goods purchased during the wlio'e oi the time the business was carried 011 was £4301 16s 6d. The stock in hand at the date of bankruptcy was valued at £750, which showed that £3551 worth of goods had been sold. He estimated the working expenses at 5 per cent., making £177 11s lOd, or a grand total of £3728, while the cash received appeared to have been £5127. The list of amounts received, apparently not for goods, was £513, leaving £4644 receipts for goods sold and paid for. There was to be added iv this £500, goods sold and in the books, making £5155, so the total cost having been £3729, there was an apparent profit of £1415 — that was, so far as he could ascertain from the books. The cash paid away had been £5147 Os 7d, cash received and accounted for £4033 4s 4d, leaving £1113 16s 3d unaccounted for— that is, paid away beyond cash received, to which had to be added cash amounts not entered, bringing the total payments beyond the amounts receved and accounted for to £1440 T. H. Brewer, in giving evidence, admitted that there had probably been some neglect in not posting the items to an account from petty cash.

Last Tuesday the Stipendiary Magistrate gave a young man another chance by convicting and ordering to co:ne up for sentence when called upon — a young man who had embezzled £2 from his employer.

At the same court a charge of alleged cruelty to animals against A. Ballantyne was dismissed. It appears that 12 pigs weie sent in a box measuring 4ft 6in by lft 9m by 2ft 5Jm high from Waimahaka to Invercarei'l. When the police saw them at Invercargifl two were lying under the others and gasping for breath. Mr Hall, for the defence, said on the evidence of the police there was plenty of room for the pigs if the height of the box was changed for the width, a-s the defendant had put it into the tram. The railway officials had turned the box over and left it in that position, and therefore there was not room for the animals.