SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2604, 10 February 1904, Page 44

SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES.

(From Oub Own Correspondent.)

INVEECARGILL, Febiuary 8.

Prices for oato remain the same as last week, but tteie a.re co many disturbing elements affecting the market at piesent that operators ara chaiy of committing themselves largely either way. Ihe Canterbury harvest is new offering on the market, and as the crops are good and the yields abundant this should tend to iowei values; but, on the other har.d, oats at 1& 2d per bushei in trucks do not pay, and the giower, if ho is hi a position to do so, will held on in tho hope thiat prices may be bettered by the threatened war J°tvveen Russia end Jafan. Nci. that ovr oat^. v. otild be likely to be wanted at the &eat of wa^, but that the Etiisia.i supply to Engird wcu'd probably cta.se. There- is a httie dSemand from Western Australia at pi< seiit, but i:oihmg to spsak of, antl the oidtr from South Africa refoired to in. Hst week's i'o'.es sccma to h'-ive gone past n».

Harvesting has not begun in several districts, aid lxi another fortnight should be m full swing all over the provirce. Opinion is div dt>J amorg out farmers as to the probable ] iflds. Scan; me qu-te pessimistic, bat others specie of their exops as exceedingly well headed, and likely to give very hca^y yields. Given a cortinuunce of good weather theie can be no dou'ut that the average yield will be b.g. I notice hero and there that pa + ches hfive been laid by wind and ram, and aloi_g the edges of some fields the -whitened heads bear evidence to the depredations of the birds.

Ryegiass is now offering freely on the market, and for prompt -delivery to catch the aufunin season's trade buyers are giving from 1? 4d to Is 6d per bti=hel. The samples, as was erpected, are fairly free from fog aiid other weeds. Generally speaking, the seed is of a r.«c9 colour, well ripened, and sa,vecll in good coi dition. There is a tremendous ciop m Southland, and it is generally expected that vaiuss will rule very low. Kb doubt v.heu the autumn demand ie satisfied values v, ill fall away. The turnip crop is something wonderful, notwithstanding tho ravjgts cf the fly eaiher m the season. I have heard several farmers remark how very peculiar are the attacks of this pest. One day's sowing will biaircl Mid never be touched, while another day's Rowing when it bian-ds will be eaten right j£f Farmers will bo under great obligation to the Agricultural Department if its experts c?n find a way of combating this evil. The cattle maiket, both for fats and stores, is dull. Fat phcep are selling well, and stoic cheep ax? booming, good foiwaid tv, o-tooths lealasmg anything iiom. 14s to 15s. I lieaid of

a line of 1000 wethci-. ju-l oft the 'hears b>.ing sold fiom Mount i\'ici:olas Station the otl'Si day for iCs lid. Good -\oucg eves fetch horn 153 to 16s, aged e\, cs, 12s to 13s, stole lambs, 03 6d to 10s, loiw.iid. lambs, suitable for finishing on lape, 10b €d to Us, wliile li'inhs for freezing bring lls 6d to 12b. Ihe demand foi dairy cows atill continues stiong. At Mi Jamea Ciombie's displeiushmg sale on Tuesday Jiist his dUiiy cows, including thoso m milk and diy, averaged over £9 each, and qtuto a large proportion sold for prices ranguig hem £11 103 up to £l-i 7s 6d for thp highest. For some time past farmers have been oymg out abotit iho difficulty of getting efficient farm labourers, and thi's" difficulty will be increased by harvesting operations. Employment is so plentiful smco the recent revival that faun labourers have become veiy independent, and I am assiired that it is not unusual for men rpproved for careless milking or ploughing instead of trying to do better simply tell the cmployei to do tho work himself and walk off the" place. It is not a question of wagesfarmers generally are prepaicd to pay wages equal to those in such other cmrloyment a 9 faim labourers aie likely to take to, but to a spirit or independence iuii wild, and degeueiated into utter responsibility. Unless some other sohition is found farmers aie disposed to T.crk into those lines which leave them least dependent on outside help, a course which will m course ot time be bad for the laboureis themselves.

These Hokormi farmers who staited the agitat'on. against the sale by the County Council of flax- cutting nghta slong river frontage leserves have already secured a lot of suppoi.tsis m the Wintoa district, and propose holding a meeting m town next Sattuday, which, as farmers always come m crowds from all pruts on Saturdays, is likely to be largely .attended. The Invercargill regatta, held on the Estuaiy on "Wednesday afternoon last, was leniarkable for the number of close finishes, most of the wins being by feet xather than boat' lengths. This was true of the Maiden Fouis, Senior Fours, Junior Fours, and Junior Pa-'p- lhe Maiden Sculls was a, piocession, and the lnteri revincial Fours was rather an easy victory tor the Southland crew, the Otago men being done long before the winning post was reached. Their vio-tory an the Senior Fours must have exhausted them more than their opponents who axe all much younger men To say that Southland rowing men are elated over their Sry is putting it mildly. To wm an interwcmiual contest three years out of four is good Reason to elation. That there were :n< > sailing races on the progiamme is due to the a action of the sailing men themsel ves, whoweie conspicuous by their absence when the public mScr regarding the regatto was held some KJo The -ailing men got off a couple of mmmm Griffith, Orepuki, m " B.lionr; P. S/r^cefX'obSp bdd during SIPS! ££sKsES¥Sas V 7 J. O'Kane, Southland Hotel £ 3 . Sa. S&Sh; A3k"S2i£SS°S ESS was 88 years of age, and belonged to Macraes. The oystenng season opened last Monday, when all the boats engaged were very successor J. Beer has been awarded a bronze medal for 'his gallant efforts to save the liife ox W. Thoia.'S the mouth of the Apanma some time ago. Beer, J. Boniface, and V. Thomas were timing in over the bar in their fishing boat under sail, when the boat was overturned by the rollers, and the occupants thrown into th- water They were repeatedly washed oil the bo-t and when Tliomas was earned away Beer rescued him, and, regaining the boat, supported hiu till he dried, just before the arrival of a rescue boat. . , . • + \n accident, re&ultmg m painful injuri.es to two 'troopers, occurred during the encampment of the Mounted E.fles. The horse of Trooper Weir of Ke'so, fell, and liooper Leask s noise stumbled over WeirV, and roiled on his rider and on Var, with the result that both men were badly injured, Weir's, collarbone being broken and Leask' s shoulder-bone split. The directors of the Southland Frozen Meat Company, m their annual report, recommend payment for the year just closed of a dividend of 's per cent on the company's B shaies, and oi B er cent, on the A shares. The total profit for "the year is £9251, of which £2<-,40 as written off for depreciation. £1580 6s 6d to be distributed among shareholders, £1000 oi edited to debt; reduction account, £4000 carried to reserve account, and £2380 13s lOd carried forward. The losses sustained by sevsral in the Goie fire will be a severe blow. The case oif Mr 3 Mulhare is a particularly haid one. Tins lady (a widow) kept a small fruiterer's shop, and lcsided on the premises with her children. She was uninsured, and piacticslly everything she possessed was destroyed. Mrs Kenning (also a widow) sustained a veiy heavy loss She was uninsured, and had i-150 worth of working plant, refreshment room furniture, and £75 worth of stock, besides household furniture and effects. Nearly everything was destroyed. Mrs Kenning had completed arrangements to sell out her business at the valuati on named above, and was to receive £109 for the gcoclwill. The tiansaction was io have been concluded on Fuday. Mr C. Henderson (uninsured) had £130 *orth of stock .md fittings consumed. Mr E. Carr had floQ \\Ox' ! i of stock uninsured, ard the only xlmig saved npi a barber's chair worth £10. Mi=i E CotUr had no anturarce, and lost £25") wcuth cf goods. Burley and Co.'s stock was valued at £250 (unlnsuieci), and on!y a. table and £2 cash weie rescued. — Mataura Ensign.

On Wednesday last Mr M'Carthy, S.M., fined a man at Otautau lot supplying liquor to a prohibited person. This is not a pnbhehosue case. Defendant took a bottle of whisky to a house at Wiey's Bush, and E-horocl it v/iith a number of f nerds, the prohib'ted person bepig amongst them. Commenting on the annoyances which may arise out of coivivjf.hty where prohibited persons may be present, the Southland Times says that prohibited peisons should wear a dia languishing badge, ami be punished

thuy appear without it S.K-h a riovision is b-coniMi"- neci,-'i-\, so th.it the.c should bo no shidow of excuse for those who may innocently, cnie esjsiy. or cwinuj.y a^- st in tie breaking of a law which ,s b>."ciicenhy deigned to save drunkards f om a oia%ii g v li'oa apparent.], they cannot resist. A start is to be irade «t once to lebuild those premises .n tho mam rfveei, Gore, whicn were destroyed by tho recen- fire. _ It 1S reported that Major Bowler is likely to be promoted to the rank of Litutenantcolonel m chaige of No. 2 Otago Mounted Battalion, and that Captain M'Nab, of the Munhiku Mounted Kifks, will be given his maionty.— Southland Times. The Southland National Scholarships have been definitely awarded to Gwen Hoddinctt, of Edendale Schco", 530 marks; and PhiKp "Wild, Niagara School, 513 marks. The Rev. James Ailkcn, of VTyndham, has received a call to Khandallah, Wellington. At a congregational meeting held at W yndham last Monchy to consoler the rearrangement ot the Wyndham parish, with a vuew to giving the townspeople fuller ministerial services, Mr Aitken indicated that he would probably accept the call. A proposal to constitute Edendale with Seaward Downs and Mataura Island a separate charge was carried at the meeting zef erred to. At last Tuesday's meeting of the Southland Presbytery an application for a call fiom Nightcaps, Waino, to the Rev. T. Tait, of Cromwell, vas granted, and the call fiom Jis Wallacetown Church to the Bey. W. Ritchie was referred back to the congregation for more signatures. • The Wanton Record reports that Mr Arthur Gerrard, jun., w?s on Friday last presented by his neighbours m the Winton district with a handsome gold watch and chain, m recognition of many friendly services, principally in the treatment of their live stock. In last week's notes I mentioned the accidertal death af a, man named Patiick M'Carthy, of Riversdale, who was killed by falling fiom a, school picnic tram near Bluff last Thuiaday week. An inquest was held at Bluff last Friday, and the verdict arrived at was "That deceased met his death by falling from a train, and that in their opinion no blame was attachable to anyone." The jury also suggested to the department that the regulations affecting schoo. excursion trains be strictly adhered to.