SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES

Otago Witness, Issue 2699, 6 December 1905, Page 48

SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES

OFeom Oub Own Cobrespoxdent.^ INVERCARGILL, December i. Tlie local oa.t muTkot continues very firm, with a sieady business doing in small lots to the North Island and Western Australia Prices to farmers can now be quoted at is lltl to 2s on tmcks at cow try stations. A few small lots have been offering from the cimtry during the week, and lairn-evs Lo.vo been selling at these p T ice>s. Lines held on storage have also becu taken ov-rr by merchants a-l ihe t,bove prices (less full s^tora^o i charges). There are several inquiries in for ' iarge quantities, but it is difficult to n-sccta.in. whether or not Ihey arc all o>i aoco'iut of the same order. If it is so they are- probably wanted for Africa for immediate shipment, and the difficulty will be to arrange for freiglri unless s<me special steamer is brought along, and it { is not likely that any snicsh freight ■will be ' offering unless a quantity of 500 tons -jt up- , ward is ready 1o go away. With ihe present light stocks at Bluff, bold on merchants' account, it is difficult to get any large quantity I under firm offer, ii ~A is pt all possible to 1 make a sale merchants will do thoir be3t to • etoir tho oats 'rnt a<* early as possible. Tlieie 1 has been no stock taken of the oats held at j the Bluff during the la<jt throe weeks, but it j is estimated that there are about 60,000 sacks I in store tJiero, I'he bulk of them being B yrr.de. I Low grade oats arc very source as any vhat were available waie cleared out early >n the season. The Sydney mai'kot is still inquiring for A grade, buit veiy few of this quality &io available at tho Bhiff, 1 hough sales have been niado at 2s 4c! foi A grade fcparrowbills, 23 i\d foT A grade Gaitcus, and 2s 3d for oidinaiy B grade. There is a. ■^eiy s^tioiig drina.id; for chair, | the average price running from £3 os to £3 7a ' 6d on trucks at cou ltry stations. Farmers being veiy far behind with farm work tire not inclined to sell for immediate delivery, nnd there is only sufficient offering for local requirements. There is a strong inquiry for fowl feed, out voiy little wheAt is left available ai South-

Ir.nd. The local maikel is being supplied at 3t, 2d, ex stores but it is doiibtful if anything over 3s 3d Bluff (sacks in) could be obtained. There is no Im&iness passing in barley, lliere has been a. little bettei deina,nd for feed quality coiling the last week, and sales have be-en made at 2s Sd to 2s 9d (sacks extra). Potatoes stall maintain their high prices, and £12 on tiucks at coixntry ttations lipj be^n given for prime Denvents. Very few are available, and those who are purchasing at -.hese high prices are just working from hf.nd to month. J Thea-o is no change to report in ihe stock n-ia.rket. Fat cattle still maintain the rise I in price that took place a foitnight ago. Tliete is a good inquiry for all classes but particularly for well-grown, forward-conditioned sorts. 11l ere aa - e several buyers in the district wno are on the lookout, and are purchasing tuit-abl-s lines. There is nothing doing in the sheep marko-t oii'tside butchers' requirements, and these aie spiling as high as 26s and 275. A large number of farmers have started f hearing, but H),e I'ccent bad weather has hmdeied them considerably, and it is not expected that a very big catalogue will be offered at the first sale on the 19th inst., tliougJi it is underwood that the usual contmgeait of buyers will conic down foa: whatever quantity is available. During the past week Sir J. G. Ward has addressed the .electors of Awarua at many points throughoiit the electorate, getting half-a-dozen visits in in a day by employing motor car. Lady Ward and Mr Cyril Waid have accompanied Sir Joseph. At last meeting of the Invercargill Borough [ Council the tramways Committee was instructed to get all possible information with regard to the instalment of an up-to-date tram service, with an estimate of the probable income and expenditure, and to report to the council within two months. As election day approaches the interest in the election of candidates and the vote on the liquor question becomes intensified!. One of the most prominent workers in the no-license cause prophesies a victory for his party with. 327 votes to spare. In Invere«rgill there i= i general agreement that the contest is between Messrs Hanan and Raymond, and that Jfr Kaymond will give Mr Ha.nan a close run for the seat. At last meeting of the Southland Education Board the following appointments were i>.ads: Mokoreta, Mrs S. E. Simmonds, sole teacher; Merrivale, W. A. Diack, sole teacher; Brydone, Thomas Kelly, sole teacher; Glencoe, Clarissa Daphlyn, temporary head teacher; Avondale, H. M'Feeley, ditto; South Wyndham, W. H. Sinclair, ditto; Oteramika, Jpssie Nicoil, ditto. Meredith's store in Tay street was broken into last Tuesday morning, and! £1 in cash and 35s in stamps stolen. The street musician, such a common sight in big cities, is becoming pretty fsiniliar" to Invercargillites. The blind man with the asthmatic organ is quite an old friend, and lately we have had a blind man aoad his wife with a graphophone. Both ot these, and especially the latter, have evoked a good deal of sympathy amd very liberal support. Exit now we are suffering a visitation which ahould be stopped. On Saturday night three y-iung men, apparently strong and healthy, and! one at least of them with extremely " healthy lungs, posted themselves at the corner of Dee and Tay streets, and attracted a Dig crovd and. some coin by singing comic and somewhat vulgar songs. On Monday evening last Mrs Jaejcson's hotel at One Tree Point, a very old wcoden building, was completely destroyed by fixe. It was only moderately insured. I have good authority for stating that Mr W. A. Saunders, who has resigned tlie positions of tourist agent and registrar of electors, has bought the Winton Eecord from Mr Frank Hyde Mr Hyde, I am told, has not been enjoying very good health lately. The arctic weather recently experienced in. ' Southland has been followed by a blink of our best sunshine. Saturday and yesterday were magnificent days. The Southland Education Boardl has tinder consideration a recommendation by the Director of Technical Instruction that teacher of woodwork should be appointed. The salary would probably be £ 200 per annum. What an advance no-license has made in Southland may be judged from the fact that the principal speakers at last week's demonstration were Mr Andrew Bain, chairman of the Bluff Harbour Board and the Southland Hospitals amd Charitable Aid Board; Mr J. E. Watson, head of the firm of J. E. Watson and Co.; Mr W. D. Hunt, local head of the firm of Wright, Stephenson, and Co. ; and. Mr W. G. Mehafiy, head master of the Middle School. At last meeting of the Southland Education Board reports were submitted regarding the eyesight and the teeth of a large number of school children examined. Both reports showed that the children's eyes andl teeth were in an unsatisfactory state. { Mr W. Johnston, of Groper' i Bush, died on Thursday morning. He war one of the earliest settlers in the Western District. •At the Supreme Court, on Wednesday, E. J. Scott, the wrestler, was found "Guilty" of wife-desertion, aaid ordered to come up for sentence when called on. Last weak Charles Brass, of the Woodlands Hotel, was charged with refusing meals to two travellers without sufficient reason. The charge was not proved, but the occasion gave the magistrate an opportunity to point out that hotelkeepers were required to provide meals at aJI reasonable hours. The supply of j liquor was quite a secondary matter. The weather has been against bowling during the past week. The 12-rink match between the two local clubs was to have been played on Wednesday afternoon, but incessant rain fell on the Tuesday night, as well as ' during Monday, and as a, consequence the South Green was too soft for the "A" Section I to get their game off. The "B" Section, how- j ever, playing at North End— six rinks of juniors— had their game. The players at North End have been practising a great deaJ n.ore than their confreres of the South, and the_ results of this match would seem to indicate that they have made considerable progress towards proficiency. The scores at the finish were: North End 113, Southland 70. The former won five out of the six games — a pretty decisive defeat for the older club. There is such a keen demand on the space at North E<nd in the evenings that the committee is considering the advisability of doing a-way with all single-handed trophy matches except the Senior and Junior Championships, now approaching completion. Mr Armour, who was selected to fill the position vacated by Mr Porteous, was again a subject of discussion at the board meeting last 'Friday. One begins to feel sorry for that young man. The latest information !>iv<?Yi to a discerning for otLsrwise) public is ilia.t had the board made the appointment he would never have had a look-in. However, he has assumed office, and rumour says he will fill the position creditably. Why the boaad 1 allows its discussion?, if it will discuss the oase, to get into the daily papers is beyond the comprehension of tho=e who have any sense of the fitness of things,

' It is said that an Esperanto Club is in course of foimation. The head ard front of the — well, we will leave a blank for the word — is Mr "Webber, the head master of the largest school in Invercargill. He has become thoroughly imbued with the value of a knowledge of the international language, I and wishes to do his little towards speeding the coming of the millennium. There is no I doubt of the possibilities- of Esperanto, and when one listens to Mr Webber enthusiastically dilating on its advantages — not only in the matter of -travelling, but also towards promoting the peace of the wor'.di — ore wonders whether it is not something short of criminal to hold alcof from the movement. Sin os tha recent heavy weather, telephonic communication between Stewart Island aiiid the Bluff has been suspended, and there appears no doubt but the cable has been broken. The repairing steamer Tutanekai ig expected to leave Wellington on Tuesday for Bluff, and will locate and mend the Lreak. On AYeduesday members of the Shamrock, Kose, and Thistle and St. George Lodges paid, a visit to the Awarua Lodge. The district officers were also present, and a Purple lecture was afterwards given. On Wednesday, at Otautau, in boisterous weather, the Wallace A. and P. Association held its second annual show, which was in every sense a. success, horses and sheep being particularly fine. Cattle were good, but lacked support ; while the dairy produce waa splendid, although there was a big falling away in the entries. The ■hunters' jumping brought out 10 entries, and the display was above the average, and no spills resulted.