SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES (From Our Own Correspondent.) INVERCARGILL, July 6.

Otago Witness, Issue 2572, 8 July 1903, Page 52

SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES (From Our Own Correspondent.) INVERCARGILL, July 6.

Our winter so Ist has been anything but severe. True, we have till lecently had a good deal of lain, but though there have been a few showers of hail and one of snow, we h-".ve had a very mild season. At present the nig-hts are very frosty and tho days sunny, crisp, and invjguraiing. Ploughing is going on m«rrily, and our fanners, notwithstanding th© state of the oat market, are in feootl spirits. Ihe oat market is in an extremely ruisa.tis factory state, there being o general dulness that is very disquieting. lam sorry to have to chronicle a further fall from last week's rates. Farm-ers offering their grain on Saturday could not get more than Is sd, and for a few odd lines of extra prime Is s^d, on trucks at country stations. This is a fall of nearly 2d a bushel compared with the prices ruling four weeks ago, and h-aa shattered the expectaticms of many farmers who held on, looking for 4.n increase of price, which they eeemed to think was warranted by the steady advances that were made in the prices offered 1 by mercha-uta. I have no doubt but when, a farmer has gTain, to sell and he finds that an advance is in ado almost every week th» temptation to iiolcl on and gerl top price is very stiong, and the first falling off in values is ignored in the confident hope that the market will more ■than lecover. But m soiling oate, as in share speculation, it is a wise generosity to leave a Jittla for the other fellow. Had thi3 policy Blen generally followed in both markets, it had been well for tbo3e who had something to sell. I believe I some tiros ego expressed the opinion that the puces then obtaining were not likely to hold, and stated my reasons for so thinking. Unfortunately my prediction has turned' cut correct, and tho outlook at present is anything but bright. With, stagnation in all the Australian oat nipakets, tha abundant feed throughout the Australian 15 tales, and the cheapness of maize m New South Wales, wiie-ro can we look for an ad.-anca in price? Africa is the only country that appesrs to be able to ab&oib anything like a daeent quantity, and even the-rc, with cargoes tumbling in from all tho fodder-producing cauntnes, tbero do»s net seem to be any liko'ihood of getting better prices than those ruling at present.

The Cooeya'ina, an extra ship cLtrieird h? the Sc-u'h African Company, to cairy produco to South Africa, completed logins about 23, C00 La^.s o f o?. (l 5 on F-i'lay. 1 learn tint a fir iher quantity was required for her, but tho nori.hi.rn ma- kets wero able to supply at chea.per rat^s, and <on=equent!y ehe got ths rest cf her c°rg(3 — 6'Vj tone— at Timaru. It is rumoured here that tlie Canterbury markets have gone- off very much, and that oats can hs put aboa.rd in Canterbury che-apsr than at Bluff. If tihis is the caee, with tho large quantity that has stiU to be handled, 1 would not bo at all surpiised if prices locally should go back still further.

Sheep of all classes continue to mow up, ar.d> fat sheep are quoted at anything from 17s Cd to 19s, which latter price, I was informed, one of our Western District farmers was offered, fo; his freezers. As manj fanners me underfatocVed, and when tho spriag conies on they will have to find stock to ;at off 'heir grass, thf-re does not appear much probability of p-nces easing. It is Tather difficult to undaretund why pncea are quite so high, the London ra/'es not being quite up to those ruling here. Speculation must, I think, be looking "for a further rise at Home. It io almost a pity to see phenomenal rates ruling, as it really does not do much good >n the cud, bcoause the farmer who has to stock up has tc pay so big a pneo for stores that ho often has to sell at about ihe same price after the sheep have absoibedi all his feed. What wouki suit everybody much better wou'.d bo a stable market at a fair and reasonable puce. At present farmers will have to exarcise great caution in b\i)ing ftores, othnwise they arc likely to suffer a fatuous loss. This follows a phenomenal mo in the sheep market ninety-nine times out of s hundred.

Shipping at Bluff during the week bn<j been fairly busy. In addition, to the Me. bourne boats, >ye have had the Ccoeyanna and the Nairnslme on the bsrth all the week loadirg. The latter sailed for London j-esteiday, with an unusually heavy cargo of fiozen pioduce.

At a meeting of the Liberal Association of Southland, hold last Saturday week, the Chairman (Mr r i\ CByrne) stated that the association was going ahead by leaps and bounds. Tho Secrciary reported that tho association had affiliated with the Liberal Federation >f New Zealand. Tins association is evidently KOing to make it its business to see that better arrangements are made for the proper registration of eloctorß, and in this they will have the support of all honest people. Quite apart from the irregularities brought cut by the efforts of the Prohibition party last December, abuses are alleged which ought at once to be made the subject of a most searching departmental inquiry I notice that Mr Hanan, our M H X., has bwn asking m Parliament que&lioiis indicate a move in Uus direction.

The advent of tho new era of no-license throu^hont the Mataura electorate has not been sigualised by any very striking demonstration of woe or jubilation. Numbers of habitu«s in Gore took a last taste several times on Tuesday evening, but no drunks are reported. Reduction in Invercargill does not appear to have outraged the public sense, and the only manifestation of grief by those most affected was the draping of the White Swan in tho habi'iments of wee on Tuesday and Wednesday, the lordly bird on the parapet becoming for the time beirg a black swan. Tho oft-repeated prediction that property -wcralcl seriously depreciate on the withdrawal of li-

cen=es is conoid erafy discounted by the fact that, the Criterion Hotel, Gore, which h?s hithorio been leased at £114 per annum, lias asja-in been leased by the present tenant at £105.

Bernard Mullen, of West Plains, an old res'dent of this district, was fnund lying insensible outside the Wallacetown Junction Hoiel on Wednesday morning, ajid died in the hospital on Friday niorniry without recovering consciousr'es3. At an inquest begun on Friday afternoon, but adjourned for a week to enable the police to make inquiries, it was elicited that d«c*as?d occume-d a room in tho hotel on Tuesday, ai.d either jumped or fell out of the window; s'=o, thpt he had beer, drinking heavily jecently.

At the annual dinner of the Southland CaledoDi^n Society on Wednesday t\enirg, "\lr C. Wysth, who has bc-en one of the society's baJidieapr?rs for over 20 years, was nnde a life m-mbar and presented witb a director' 3 regalia.

The Ensign Teports that Sergeant Flemirg. ■vv'io has been in cliarge of the Goie police district since 1891. is under orders to proceed ;o Que^n3town. Sergeant F eranig, vho has :nado msi'y friends dur.ng his term of office in Gore, will be succeeded by Sergeant M'Kci:ie, of Qucenstown, who was at one time staUoied at Lumsden.

Dr Riley, of Winton, was entertained by the residents of tho district on Wednesday evening, and presented with a gold sovereign case, a gold matchbox, ard til illuminated address expressive of th° esteem in which he is justly hs'd. Mr WyLe, rector cf the Dictrict High School, made the piesentahon. Dr Riley >is in poor health, and is going to take an extended sight-seeing holiday.

Mt and Mrs Collins, of the Sculiiland Cub Hotel, Gore, before leßvinjr, for England on Thursday, were enterta'ned by their friends. 3Lr Co'hns was presented with -an hiscr'b?d silver cigarette case, and Mrs Collins with a ma=sive gold bangle. -

Mr James Beattie, the well-known Gore draper, on retir.ng after being in business there ■for 25 years, was presented by his employees with a fine pair of binoculars.

At a meeting of the con^Tegotion of Knox Church, South Invercargill, last Monday, it was decided to sand a call to Rev. James Aitken, of Wyndham. This evening there will be a meeting of the First Church congregation to consider the call from St. Andrew's Crunch, Wellington, to t'i<- Rey. Gibson Smith. It is generally assumed that the call will be sustained and accepted, and already Mr Smith's successor is being di?cu e scd. Both the Rev. J. M. Simpson (of Winton) and the Rev. James Aitken (of Wyndham) are being suggested, and no doubt either would do well; but after such an able preacher and general 1 } 1 beloved minister as the Rev. Gibcon Siii.th, First Church people will be hard to please, and I fully expect that the congregation will be extremely deliberate in their rhoice.

At the Invercargill Police Court last Monday Selina Tobin, a widow, o f Skippers, was charged with forging the name of Win. Davis, of the same place, to sn order for £7, which she endeavcu'ed to use for the purchase of goods from Herbert, Hay no 3, and Co., Dunedin. Accused was committed for trial at next sitting of the Supreme Court.

Says tho Southern Standard •— " Mr M. J. Cahill, at present lessee of the Albion Hotel, Gore, has secured the lease of a hotel at Teini>"'-a."

I. ?u£snant Fullarton, of the Mataura Moi iled Eiflea, was entertained by the members of his corps at Riversdale on Friday evenin-', and presented with, a handsome dressing case. Eulogistic speeches were made by Major Bowler a?\& Captain Wayte.

The Borough Council of Mataura ore at present considering tjie question of 1 ghting the town with electricity. Mr Harry Double, well known throughout the colony as a fowl and pigeon fancier, died at Chiistchurch on Mordsy evening last, and ■vvcis bailed here on Tlnusdiy. Mr Double, though in fairly good heaUii, ha 3 not been ie«l'y lobiib' foi j oars, aud succumbed to an att.ick of jjiffueiiza.

The Hon. Sir J. C, Wanl lias initiated vanou3 reforms in different blanches of the public service — reforms, moreover, that have given general satisfaction. Now he turns his attention to a new field. As Minister in charge of the Health Department, he has informed the Southland Education Board that he will endeavour to launch some scheme whereby a relia^e periodical examination of school children shall be made. Poor kiddies! On top of all the ills that are being heaped upon them here comes another innictcou. How is this health exam.na'ion to bo carried out? Will the übiquitous Kenneth Cameron come to the schools, say, twice in the year, parade the children, and'play the medico? Will he take the temperature, feel the pulse, exaruin-a the tongue of every child in each school ; or will one keen sweeping glance of bis eagle eye take in all the information that he requires? Mr Cameron makes his office a very important one as it ie What will it be when the Minister's scheme is launched? Methinks the chances are that same schema will not get eff the stock 3.

The teachers of Southland are up in arms over an attempt made to compel them to attend the Saturday classes held in connection with the technical schools. At the last meeting of the board a letter was received from the secretary of the institute asking if such attendance wero compulsory. In this connection I might remark that recently the teachers in the service of the board received a circular intimating that they were expected to piesent themselves at the Saturday classes, ard that any teachers wishing exemption should communicate their reasons for making such appli cation to the director (Mi M'Caw), who would send thpm on to the inspectors for their decision in the matter. In reply to the secretary's quest'on the inspectors replied that no compulsion was suggested. They were right: it was not suggrsted, but distinctly affirmed, and the teacherS were quick to resent this encroachment on their freedom to use Saturday according to thulr own inclination. The competition for the schools pennant has concluded, with the result that the Park Krhoo! team gains the pennant for the third time. Th© competition was inaugurated in 1897 by the S R F U , in the hop? that Southland football would be improved thereby There is no doubt now of the wisdom of the step. I noticed two of the Park School team playing last Wednesday in the Third Fifteen of the Pirates, and one of them (Timpany) scored a clever try, nearly getting his arm dislocated by hia enthusiastic hand-phakin«? comrades. I make bo.d to prophesy that in four years time we Bhall see Timpany and Eunson, of the Park team, and Ferguson, of the South, among the Southland reps , thereby emulating the example of Julian Christophers, who— captain of the Park School Fifteen in 189S— toured the colony as «• Southland tluee-^UfcrteT back in 1902. Of the seven competitiocb the Middle and South Schools have secured one win each, the Marist two, and the Park three. The lectures on scientific farming are not being taton very seriously by the Southland agriculturists. Only 10 attended the opening lecture by Mt Paterson, while at Gore there was what is described as a fair attendance to hear Mr Hilgendorf deal with the relation to Ine soil of the gases oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, and cnlorin«. It ds expected tha.t a 4,-reater number will attend, but it certainly is

regie WaVe that those who are thinking of do:ng so should miss the first lecture. Footba.l drew a large number of spectators to the Union Ground last Wednesday, the day being beautifully fine. The Star and Invercargill teams were the first to take tho field. With a slight breeze against them, the Blues kicked off, aud the Star soon had the ball in their opponents' twenty-five, where it remained the rest of the spell. From a scrum W. Stead ran well up to the line, then transferred to Murphy, who passed to Spear, the latter scoring. No goal resulted. Shortly after this Siiear scored two more tries, chiefly from brilliant and unselfish piay on the part of W. Stead and Murphy. No goals were registered. Hirst, playing on the wing, put plenty of dash, into his plsy, and from a passing rush scored a pretty try. The Biues had a very up-hill fight, but stuck to their work manfully, Christophers and Reynolds being conspicuous on, the defence. From s> loose scram Stone got awey, and after" running shongly, transferred. to Spenr, who seorcl tinder the posts. Although from a good position, the kick at goal was again a fai'ure. Fiom the kick out Murphy returned, and, following up quickly, s'.apped the ball, and scored between the posts. A^ain an easy goal was missed. In tho second spell things were much the same as in the first, and although the Blues had a fair wind in their favour, they only managed fco get in the Star's twenty-five, once. Hirst, by a clever piece of play, scored near the posts, but the Star goal-kickers were out of form, a nn.ssrab!e att-empfc being nwde to register an. additional two points. Shortly after this Hirst got over again; then M'Creath, oy good forward piay. added a try to Ins credit, the kicks at goal being the usual failure. With 10 minutes to go, Bnin, who had been making despcratoattenipts to score, broke away, and, streaking along the lino, scored near the corner flog. Shortly afterwards Stone, who played a great forward game, scored from a rush. JuEt on the call of time Spear scored his fifth try, bringing the result up to 33 points to nil.

In the second match the Britannia, and Athletic took the. field, and tbeir contest proved a far more interesting game. The Athletic started off with great dash, and had the Brits hard pressed. From a scram, near the line, th* Athletics got* the ball, and made a da3fa for the line, Hogue scoring, but for some reason Hefore-e Cameron would not allow it. The Greens kept up the attcck, but conld not get over, and the Brits, seeing their opponents were making the best use of the wind in their favour, put more dash into their play, and carried the ball np the field, from where Reid got away, the ball pissing through, all the backs' hands, Ma-tson eventually scoring. The kick at goal proved a. failure. Tha Greens at this stage lost all their dash, and from a line out C. Purdue scored, the kick at goal again being a failure. In the second spoil, with the wind in their favour, tho Brits got to work, pr.d had tho Greens haid pressed. From a loos© rush Pasco scored, the kick at goal being a very feeble attempt. After a lot of give-and-tako pla-y tho Brits wero awarded a free kick from a good posllion. Reid piloting tho baU between the posts. On the whistle sounding for time, the result was Britannia 12 points, Athletic nil. From 14 tries scoied on the Union Ground on Wednesday no poals wero kicked, which shows that Southland is very much in need of a first-class goal-kicker. If some of the players who »ry to do all tho goal-kicking were to educate themselves more to it, they would be of greater value to their club and have a rosy" chance for tho representative team. Tbe following shows the positions of the club 3 engaged in, tho premiership competition at tho end of the first round. . —

The sp!er>did weather on Wediic a d.iy was responsib'.e for a lecortl attendance of harriers. A start was made from the Queen's Park, and Murpliy and Stead 'ed the pack" northwards to Cruickshank9'a Busk, through Waikiwi and Giaaruere, and home by way of Gladstone and the Avenue. The attendance at the mr.s is werkly incrua&iiig, aud several new nieinbers took pait in the run.

"2 & 5 tn ,il ti <<\ Britannia .. 5 Pirates .. 5 Star .. .. 5 Athletic . . C Inv lcrsill 5 Camb.idge .. 5 § 3 8 3 2 1 1 a s Q 2 1 1 V) o 1 1 8 4 4 roir-ts. o to fci < 3D 3 47 3 39 11 9 26 8 G2 3 60 5 .2 8 7 7 4 2 2 »