LOCAL A. AND P. NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2667, 26 April 1905, Page 9

LOCAL A. AND P. NEWS.

Mr James. Benret, M.H.R., informs tl'c Tiiapeka 'JLiniCa that he will again be a candidate for the Tuapeka seal at the general election.

JBunny is at present evidently doing his little share towards helping to swell tho prohts on tho Otago Uential railway (says last week's Dtmstaa Tim-es), as somewhere about 6000 of the übiqiutous little animals are daily being despatched from the Oniakau •Station alone. As none ar,; being taken for export irom the Clyde or northern districts this quantity must be making a notioeaLle di^erence m ihe numbers ot the pest la the comparatively small area being trapped.

At the Magistrate's Court, Wyndham, on Monday, 17th inst., before ~"3Hr W. G. Kiddell, S.M., D. K. .UKae was charged, on the information cf inspector Wright, with failing to clear noxious weeds (ragwort and Canadian thistiesj on the land occupied by him. Mr J. Macahster appeared for rhe defence, and raised the point that the failure to clear weed^s was not an oiienee under the provisions of tho Noxious Weeds Act, ana that therefore the nmgistra-t-e had no power to inflict a penalty. The case was adjourned by the magistrate until after Justice Etl wards had given his decision in an appeal case on the same point. Seven others «ere similarly charged, and the cases also adjourned. — On Tuesday, 18th inst., at the (jore Magistrate s Court, before Mr G. Cruickshank, S.M., six settlers were charged by Inspector Dalgleish with failing to destroy noxious weeds ou their properties. After formal evidence had been given, his Worship held over his decision pending the receipt oi the full text of Judge Kdwards's pronouncement. There irab a slight drop in the price of sheep at the Riversdale stock yards last week (reports the Southern Standard), when about IiJ,OOO were forward. Good youngewes were the only sorts to keep up previous high rates, and for one line of these as high as 25s were given. "Wethers, old ewes, and, in fact, all other sorts receded in favour, and a big number was passed in. The decline is in sympathy with the slight lull now being experienced in the north.

The low price ruling for cattle (says the Western Star) ie affecting many farmers throughout the district. Inn umei able cases have been heard of farmers buying a mob of cattle at £3 Ife per head, and after keeping them for a season, having been offered £3, being a loss of 10s, apart fiom the loss of feed, commission, etc. The increase of stock is due to a falling off in the export trade. For 1903, 281,4040wt of beef was shipped from the colony, and in 1904 only 181,9050wt was exported, being a decrease of close on 100,000cwt. For the quarter ending March of this year 170c\vc only was exported from Lyttelton. that being the only port in the South Island to ship beef from. The largest export of beef was shipped in 1901, r great part of which wont to South Africa. Trade, however, has been on u»ie decrease, and at the present little of our beef finds its way to that quarter. Hopes are held out, however, that on completion of the Panama Canal, which will considerably shorten the distance to tie Home market, this trade will bo revived, as it is only an outlet for our beef that will tend to raise the value of cattle.