SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2600, 13 January 1904, Page 44

SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES.

(Fkom: Otjb Own CoEREsroxDKST.)

IInVERCARSILL, January 11. During tho past we*k the weathei hrs been somewhat wintry, but at the tinit of writing it is simply delightful — bniHf nt sunshine, wiih air pure, fres-h, anci exhilarating. The livers are now in gcod trim foi trout-fishmg, and baskets are everywhere being made, x'hs teaviest fish sre coming fion." 1 the Woiau, several parties who have recently visited that stream getting fish up to 121b weight. Hpre, as in the Oreti, tha ■worm is now being largely used, although veiy few angles vr.ll cdnut tiping it, but talk ir a lordly wajy 01 n-oiai-fisLirg as poaching Big fish ar' now plentiful, in the Orati, from the Lcn bridge upward to Forest Hill. The? Miinihau is in fine trim for fly-fishing. This ri^er and the Wyndliani are the most basuiiful 1 have ever scan end, 11 they ware bctte kacwd, would attract many visitors from a. distance. Yotwith 1 * tax cling- that it is keenly fished by looal arglers, the Mimihau is still full of fi-sh, from lib up to 21ib, and fcur-pcundert aie eoi scarce. The ■Wyndliam is a much larger river, vith larger fish, but they don"t a.ppeai to be nearly so numerous as in tha sister stream. If thi^ is due tc insufficient stocking, it would be well for the society to give the Wyndham more attention, for it is a most beautiful stream, and if it gave as- good spcrt as the Mimihau it \totdt3 be as much fished. Perch are becoming plentiful in some parts of Southland. Eight in the township at Wyrdham is a- large lagoon teeming with perch, and there arc quite a string of othei ponds and lagoons that it would be worth t^iile to keep stocked. Perch «xc &c voracious that if a lagoon is closely fished all the good-sized fish are soon taken out, and nothing but sprats left Perch are occasionally caught in tho Waihopai, and there ;re a few in the orravel pits at Oil? Tree Point; but there are scores of lagoono elong tlie valleys of the Orati and Aparmia wliere they would thrive. Some good perchfishing can also be got at lagoors 0:1 the banks of the Orawia, about 12 miles from Otautau. I think it would be c good plan for the Government to place m lailway stations in oach ii the towns placards showing what fishing foi trout 01 perch is to be had ai that provincial district. Both oat and wheat crops aic- now making great progress, the straw being breast high and the heads beginning to fill Given a contiLUiance jf such weather as we are at present experiencing, the harvest should be, a splendid Ene. The Axemen's Carnival, which will be held it Easter, promises to be a big affair this year, imd will extend ove. two days. The prizes m cash and trophies will amount over £250, and j feature of the carnival will be v championship sawing -ont-ast between repiesentatives of two of th.3 greatest saw-making finns in the world. Tliere has been 3 considerable exodus of Bawmill hands from Southland Jurmg the last yeai, ndl good men ar now rather scarce. One man, whe left hen for the Coast about a year ago, recently returned to take his family over, and, talking to a friend 1 ci mine, he con trasted his present condition to that in Southland. Here he had 10s a clay; the-re he gets £& a week, and makes, bout another £1 a week in his spar© time on a planing machine. Olhia, no doubt, is an exceptional case, but, accciding to him, there is any amount of work for jood sawyers. The person referred to cays he could place about 3C good hands .Says the Orepuki Advocate.— "A valuable oow belonging bo Mr It. Cassels, died a few days ago. An examination m ord«r be ascertain tho cause disclosed the fact that the animal liad succumbed Jc the effects of eating ragwort. rh£j weed had been cut s few days previously, and left lying in thi paddock m ■which the oow was 'iept. In its somewhat dry state it formed & strong, knotty fibre, which closed the passag to the cow', intestines " Sir J G. Ward opened the new Athenasum Rt Half-moon Bay, Stewart Island, on Monday

last, the ceremony being attended hy nearly all the inhabitants r-iic"; v^sitc^s. Ai'other servoxia fire occurred at "Wmton last IMonday, through which Messis Watson (sto.:ekeepcr), O. Lcdcle.l (sa.ddieil. and LiU^y vv.ateh-make-i) weio heavy losers. *\lv J. M. Kennedy, fancy gcccls dealer, also Ind a j;oocl c!cf! of his stock damaged md cle=troycd. Mr Kenned 1 / v.-fi's uninsured!: the other? weie fauly well covered. Mr Kennedy ha? been exceptioiiall}' unfoitunate m tho matter of files, having been btiint out at Feilding, Bluff, and twice before at Wmton. Mr D. W. M'Kay, of Invercargill, who returned to tho co^-iy by th» Sierra, has been mc'St svccessful 0:1 his visit to the tinted Slates. >.ot only docs he brirg satisfactory information about the mbbci hair cuner and Godwajd's hairpin--, m u lnch mr.nj Southland people arc interest-eel, but he has seemed th a sole direct agency for New Zealand for the Hammond +yp<--,\nt3r , has secured the New Zealand leprcsintaiio'i of a new and unproved! incancl^cent hg'it; and hriS disposed of Mr Kennedy's (of Winlon) patent £mv har.dle to thf gicit sa\. -making fiir.i of Simonds. uncl Co. Mr Tom Holland, the pooulr/ duvcr of tnc "VTallncetown cc--ic.b, was 0,1 Nyw Veai's E\c presented with a purse of scveiCigjus to mark Ihc tiavelling public's pppi-'Cj'Atio.i of lit Holland's obliging disposition duimg the last, three yeais. There will be a meeting here on the 19th mst. of obleg.ites ficm the bodies intere'ite'l in the question of the weekly halfhriiday. The InvprcargiU Eorotigh Council favours Wednes<inv, and som? of the suburban councils prefer Satuidpy, so there is likely to ba an animated discvssioa. Tho Invercargill Borough Council has decided to appoa! agnnst the unfavourable decision m their cisc rgaList the Southland. Meat Company, pad lias instructed the borough sohcitor^ ac:orcliugly. The Wednesday midday trains to Riverton began to lun on Wtd.ie-sdiiy last, but the afteincon being very wet there \vmc \eiy few pas-spj-'geis. This outing i<s a very popu'ar one, and on fine afternoons the trai'i is sure to be w:JI filletl. The midday tiams to Kingston have also begun to run, and Queenstovn hote!keepei 1 : and boarding-house kcpeis will havo a l-.u*y time licm liow on -.ill March. Lhf rn;or.ijnodation at. Stowaxt Islrnd hr«> prc/eu quits inadequate, a.nd, an us'-.a , laige iinmbt: 3 of people are camping out. Dr Frank Dunlop, of Dunedin, w?s inducted! i-.ito the pasiorcl charge o£ Jincx Cliureh, Conon street, 0:1 Tuesday last. His father and rncthei, Pioiesso.- a':<7 Dunl'^p, were pie«r.t, aril vcr: r..o=t cordially rcan-f J by th: people Mcs«:s \\. "\J.--ca]islcr raid J. C. Thomson, JiI.H.E , have been re-elected lcpxesentative'j of tho Southla'.ici Education Board on the High School Jjosrd of Ooveriiois. Dr Rodders, jf Wyndham, leaves for .he Home Countrj ;>ext month to inform lnmvelf 01' thr -a v"=t methcci-; 111 the tiep'ment of disca'-o, ri lvi!l 3 optcial attcntio.i to diseases of the eye, cc., nnd 1 tiiroit. At nice iv '^ of the InveicaigiU Borough Counci 1 a !r! rt l fr v.ai received from Mr Wi'sou, architect for the nc-.v theatie and town ha 1 !, advocating the installation of electric light instead oi gas 111 the buildings. The proposal will ba discussed st a meeting to b3 held to-moirow evcriing. At last Fxiday's meeting of the SonthJsr.d Education Eoird the inspactois reported that of 42 pupils who sat foi the recent scholarship examination: the following gr.med over 60 per cent. — viz. Jemima Kennedy CEast Gore) « 75 A'fi-ed E. Reynolds (Waihopai) 72 Wra. A Alexander (Gore; . . . . "n Richard Low (East Gore) . , 68 Norman Milltud (Fortrose) j ; » . 67 Wm. Grie-'C (Waipniwa) .. ' - >i .. 66 Olive Syroat (Waikaia) . . . . 65 Err-sst Little (Longndge Yi'&~p) .. . CA Maiy Fi slier (A.-icwtov/ -) . **■ 63 E-rnest Georse (Park) . . i». -^ 63 G:var Tfocldenott (Edsndale) .. -, . 63 D'Arey Palrnsv (East Cca) . . . 62 Jr2. Quui (Wailcsial . 61 PhiLp Wild (Niagara; .. .. CJ SCKOI.AKSHTP3 EXIENST^W . Jc'2-> X Murdoch (Cii'ton; 73 Bert Giimoui (Wmton) . . 62 The money avai'rV.e wai &.'located as follows EXTENSION SCHOI.AKSHXPS. Jolv.-> H. Xu'dcch (Ciifton) . 73 £15 'Be-A Gilmcv-T (Yi":nto:i) . 62 £35 BOiftD SCHOL.iJISHIPS jC3o EaCU. Jemima Kennedy (Sr.st Gore) ' 75 Alfred E. T>pyno':l3 (Waihcpai and Rivcrton) . . " W. A. Alesa-.dai (Gore) .. 71 Rxhard Lew (East Gorel . :» Nonrua Millard (Fortroas) ... .67 W. Grie»e (Waiani-wa) . . .. 60 Olive Sprott (Waikaia) .... 65 Tre r&tur.is fiom the three co-operative dairy factories in the Wyndham district for the month of Decembsr (remarks the Faimer) are something to feed proud o£, skewing as they do the increasing wealth that accrua to ths community interested through their operatiors. Wyndhain Factory lecsived 5'i3, 6561b milk, as compared with '765 4331b for Hie sam^ month in 1902. The tally at Island Davy Factory was GC3i>24lb as against 577,630:b ; Se.nvard Downs, 197,6171b v. 193 3311b Ihe Decsmb.r payments of these three coucorr<3, for milk ard wnges alone, reached ove. £3030 sterling. The Southern Standard leport? that the directors cf the' Gore Dairy Factory Company hive disposed oi the factoiy for £1050. Possession is to be given .n Apri l . His Excellency Lord Ra-fur'y. accompaniecl by his son add aide-de-camp, Lord Xorthlind, reached here by spcc.al train Saturday afteinoon on a farewsll visit to Southland. He TC ; met ?t the railway stat o : by the ma: ot and councillor and other public men and driven to the Post O?ice square y-heie the M.TVor presented an address expressi' c oi ths warm we'eome of tk^ citizens of Invercargill, ackno-wledgment of hi-. Excellency's services to the colony, ai-d assuiance of the cor.tiaucd loyally of "the people of Southland. Hi<= Excellency, 1 1 leplying, spoke of the lirpoitnnt events which had occulted durn g his 'cig term ot c f5 CG _:] le longest bjt 011s in the history of the colony— the royal visit, the South African war. and the despatch o( the vauous roi,t:ng-e- t« fc'. ents which had fu'iy demoii=tiated fie loja'ty of New Zealandei-s. His term of office hue, bsen as happy as 10. g, the co'o-jy b»ir»g "'i an exceptionally prosperous a.id he deeuly regretted kav."g '-ass. shoios, wiicre Lady R-.n-fuvly and he had ieci\cd so many kii'dno«>,e». Later in thp sftemoon the Governor and his party v.sitrd the rew Wp'hopai V^dge, Gladstone, which was r oima!H opened by Ins Excellency, arcl oj Sunday 9 visit was paid to" Lome" Farm. The programme includes visits to Wmto 1 and Riverton to-day. Stewart I Island to-niorrow, Wyndham on Wednesday, I and Riversdale on Thursday ! The oat market is firmer than before the holidays, and there are inquiries fc parcels of A ! and B grade from Australia and the North Island. It is expected that the demand horn the ' North Island will only be temporary, as their own crops must b? just about ready for harv£3ting. Sales have been made of B grade up to Is 5d f.o.b (°acks m) ai^d far thp few lines that were offering on Saturday Is Id 011 trucks was given. As is U3ual at this time of the yeai stocks in merchants' hands are low.

Thoro iriist, bovever b^ n co .iV~ fpncu t still ur.thieshrd tl'-onqrhcit tu° n^-.tiy, a'ld when, the thieshi.is imi.i out to &tirt on th" iyegia.ss c;op famiTS aid boi, rl lo I .ko the oi^yoihfii^y to ihi r e.i c^t p p.opcrtic i o' t!icir oats, v.hdii should hi fan ly j_ocd unfit tho new crop couics \n I u'ider j 'and I'ifAt samples of new cats from North Canterbury have been off"ied in Clmstchnrch, and Is per bushel asked for Danish. Theie arc no quotation? so far for short oats. The Fiie^'uire lcit Bluff on AVednesdßy for Scuth Africa wifli 55b3 sacks in fu'nhnent of orders receive-1 so'nc time zgo, and for London with 5!86 bi< ks. mostly consignnionto. There is nothiog clou "j locally in nheat. The wcither lately has been ratlier unfa\ourable for the grass harvest, and those viho ha^ c heavy ciops lyirg down uui a risk of having ths gram disco'omcd, but if ws get blight bieezy wcathoi for a few weeks thoiij should ba a j,oocl crop. It is cxpcct:d thnt prices will be lower than for many years. r l!i3 c tock market has beon very dull, a the out'ook for cattle is r.ot br ght. F.it citt'e are falling in price and stoires are weaker in sympathy. Thers is no oatsiclc demand, and bus.■>ies?"i<s resti-ictad to local reqiursment". The dry weather prevailing m Cp - itcrbury had reduced the demand for our store -heep, as also had tho dull- ess in the London market, but in both quarters there has been a revival. Pii'-es for shesp are at a dangeious level for those vho require to buy to cat off their feed. A l .' clashes of sheep are at present high in price, arc 1 , unless the price of frozen mutto.i holds up they have no chance of making a pi out on their fattening. Thtre should be a Inrge propo.tion of lambs frozen oS the c«'0« this ssa?cn, but so far buyers have not mads a start, and they vail haid'.y commence in earnest until tha end cf this month. Sellers are asking anything from lls to 12s, a,r.d buyers are inclined to begin at 10s Sd. There was rather more wool forward for the first sale of the season, held m Ashley's Hall oti Friday last, than for the first sale of last year. The wool wa3 heavier m condition than las tyear, and the proportion of broken was ■small. The clips geneially showed signs of being wpII grown and well fed, due, no doubt, <a the abundance cf feed everywhere. Sellers v ere aQuarently reasonable 1.1 thpii expectations, the depressing reports horn sales held earlier in thr season, togethc-r with the price? offered by private buyers, having prepared them :"or low prices. Co.isequently reserves all roui;d were low. There was. however, an unusually large attends nee of buyers, who evidently knew more about wool tha-i was disclosed m the oaVert l-tport about co'onial and London sales, for the Tackling was very keep, fro-; staH to fiiiish, a-cl with few exceptions the whole of the catalogues were cleared. In tho op: :io:i cf the brokers it has been the mes'u satisfactory sale held in Invercargiil for many years large sale is execpected next month, as thej that time the up-country clins will be forward ar.d the balance of the frrmeis' lines. The average prices realised mr-v joiuhly bo sa-cl io be Id to lid per lb better thai last year.