SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES

Otago Witness, Issue 2707, 31 January 1906, Page 52

SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES

£Tbov Oto Own Correspondent.) INVERCAKGILL, January 27. There is no change to report in th« oat market, which still remains in the unsaiisfactoiy condition reported last week, no business being done either in buying or selling. Farmers will not accept the prices ruling, which can now be quoted at Is B£d to Is 9d, on trucks, at country stations. This is equivalent to 2s 04d, f.o.b.s.i, and at this price it seems impossible for any sales to be rrrnd*. The North Island markets seem to be -we'l supplied, and reports from that source are very unsatisfactory, prime B grade being bought m Canterbury at 2s per bushel, f.o.b.s.i. Farmers who have now got over the bulk of their turnip-sowing have been making inquiries with reference to threshing their oats, but as the pTe&ent pi ice is not very encouraging they are more inclined to put it into chaff, and the large offerings of this latter have pulled down the value of prime quality chaff to under £3, on trucks at country stations. The best price I have heard of during the week was &1 17s Gd, on trucks, at Dipton. The Duuedin market seems also to have taken a set back to the detriment of our local market. Local requirements are being supphsd at £3 2s 6d to £3 ss, ex stores, Invercargi'l. Fowl wheat is very scarce. A few small lines offered from the eastern district brought 3s Id to 3s l^d, on trucks, at country stations. The local market is being supplied at 3s sd. ex stores, Invercargill. Feed barley is still selling to the North Is'and at late quotations — namely, 2s 9d' to 2s lOd (sacks extra). No doubt this is taking the place of fowl wheat to a. great extent. New potatoes are offering in small lines, and are being placed at £6 10s to £7 10s, delivered in Invercargill. The retail price for quantities is ruling at £9 to £9 ss, ex stores. A. large number of farmers are still sowing turnips, but with the more sett'ed weather recently experienced the work is now well in hand, and turnip-sowing in Southland should b* completed before the end of the month. Many of the farmers now sowing are putting in the early variety of turnip, which is known among farmers as the " soft " variety. Owing to the unsatisfactory state of the sheep market no business of any consequence is passing. Farmer? cannot now sell to come out of their purchases without a pretty heavy loss, and are more inclined to hang on to see if the market will revive. Buyers art making inquiries for fat lambs, but so far very few sales are reported, but this line of busniess should be well under way by the middle of next month. The first draft of lambs, 40 in number, went into the Bluff Freezing Works yesterday, and 200 to-day. There have been a -few inquiries from Canterbury for store lambs, but the- difficulty is to get farmers to put their surplus under offer at anything like a reasonable price. There is no doubt that if a reasonable price was nominated northern biry-ers would come to Southland for this class of stock. A3 mentioned last week, iforward-condi-tioned cattle are much sought after, and there are plenty of buyeTS about for really good sorts. Other classes of cattle seem to be neglected, and buyers hard to get hold of. The bulk of the shearing is now over, though there are still a number of clips to come in. "Wool is coming in fairly freely for the third eale, which is to b© held on the Bth of February, and proves to be much superior to what was sold at the first sal? of the season— a fact largely due to improved weather. Eyegrass cutting has now started, and the binder i 6 busily at work in the Western district and the Taring-atura, and the beginning of the month should see some samples on offer. It is generally expected that the seed will be of good quality, but the price will lsrgely depend on the Canterbury- market. Local stocks of seed are piactically done. . January 29. The hearing of the petition to have the lec-ein Invercaigill licensing poll declared void was resumed last weelc, and continued on Tue-clr.y, "WedEe&dsy, and Thursday, Mi J. H. Hosking, of Dunedin, appearing for tho petitioners-, and &fe A. S. Adams for the le&poiidonta. A great deal of evidonc© ks to {■l^ged :rr*g-ule,ri*iß9 and arg-ament for and against was heard, and the court's decision reserved till Wednesday of this week. The petitioners at an early stage abandoned Lhe allegation that minors had \oted, and' devoted tii-ernselve'j to endeavouring to prove interference with voters, crowding of the booths, lcfusal to give voting papers to voters, the informality of certain specified votes, etc. It was argued on behalf of the petitioners that while csitjun. vo.-fces. weje informs! tfcfi YjOtots

must be counted among those who voted, but this, it was pointed ont by Mr Adams, could not possibly have been the intention of the Legislature, an in many cases it would iuive the effect of makrg votes count in the opposite direction to that obviously intended. "Supposing," said Mr Adams, "1000 persons marked their voting papers with tho intention of carrying no-license, and their votes were found to be informal, the effect of counting in their votes in ths total of those who voted on the licensing question would be to greatly reduce the chance of carrying out their obvious intention." The poll may possibly be- voided on other grounds, but t-he general impres-sion seems >o be that this latter question is the crux of tbs. matter. Mr R. H. "W. Bligfa, lecturer of the Australasian White Cross Lsagiue, has completed a very successful visit to Invercargill. He* was united here by several Christian men, and the V M.C.A. Hall has been placed at his disposal. There have been well-attended meetings of young men, who have expressed them-selvt-s n.F being v.^oll pleased with th» ieachii.sr. Mr Bbgh has bravely dealt with the frauaa who make money out of lads who, through lack of knowledge on sexual physiology, fall victims to their overtiues. Such advice &a Mi Bhgh gives is of great value to tihe young men or our coiony. From, conversation with Mt Bhgh I learn that some of these fellows make their "profession" a cover for offering for sale to school boys ajid others articles ihe &ale of which is prohibited by law — a vile business. The town schools resume work to-dsy (Monday), and a number of school picnics will bo held dunng this week and next. Mr A. R. "Wills won the Southland RiEs - Club Chami>ionohip at G-rasrnere- last Wednesday, v/ith -p score of 158 points. That, dredging does not necessarily ruin land is, according to the Southern, Standard, piove.-! by the. fnct that tailings in the Waikaka Valley sown some >«ars ago with grass and cloror s-jed is now carrying: a thick -sward of grasrf. The Southland Education Board has :eceived 32 applications for the post of assistant ir=poctor, recently resigned by Mar Braik. The licensing petition oaso heard last week was reported verbatim by Messrs John Ward 'Southern Cross) and Ralph Br«.v (of Ihuiedm), authorised court reporters. This was the firat occasion of tho employment of authorised court reporters in Invei-catgilL The Southland Frozen Meat Company has just added to its work© at Mataura a large fellmongery plant suitably housed. "The following Southland school ehil'dron who silt for the National Scholarships examination la&t month have passed: — Christina Sliicl, <xcre, 598; Ethel Elley, Invorcargill, 062; Mary Matheson, Invercargill, 528; John Saimond, Queeiistown, 505; Oswald Reynolds, Waihopai, 490; Alice. Wild, Niagara, 480; Malcolm M'Artney, Invercargill, 475; Edith M'Dowell, East Gore, 475; Robert Ritchie, Invercargill, 474; Allan Anderson, iuveircs'jgill, 468; Jean Brown, East Gore, 4&5; Avilinc Hoddinott, Edendale, 459; George Agnow, Invercargill, 453 ; T'hos. Kennedy, East Gore, 448; Herbert Patton, Arrowtovm, 445; Elizabeth Cavell, Riverton, 430; Bartholomew Farrington, Wflikaia, 428; Grace P»ton, Invercargill, 424; Jas. Boyne, East G>ore, 418; Francis Delargey, Waikaia, 417; George Richardson, _iWyndham, 417; Jajs. Matheson, Kennington, 411; Violet Hamilton, Wendon, 404. Lite annual meeting of "the Southland Rifle Club was held on Thursday night with * record attendance. Th© report of the year's proceedings showed that the club is now as prosperous ia.nd shooting as keenly taken up as in the palmiest days of the club, «nd that th« membership was steadily increasing. "Weekly competitions we^ro mostly iho case, and but few missed the opportunity. Tho balanco sheet showed a credit of £S. The chiinpion.<sbip tihis year again fell to that consistent shot Mr A. R. Wills, -with Mr A. Robinson runner-up. The oye+er season opens on Thursday, .and iniosfc of the trawler® are already in a condition to begin operation*. Tho dredge Murihiku continues to do good work, and blasting operations are being carried on close to the wharf, where it was found to bo too hard ifor her to make an impression, and the stuff -thus loosened is afterwards picked up. The Rose Gassy, which went ashore art Riverton some time ago, but wm refloated and taken to the Bluff to be patched) up by Murison and M'Phail, is again almost ready for ?ea, and is expected to get under way by the end of the week. The work done on her is in every way satisfactory. An important meeting of Freemasons is being held in Invercargill a,t present. _ Yesterday the visiting brethren were driven to Rivei I ton, and taken up the beautiful Pourakino River in oil launches. On Saturday evening Frank Forde, the allround Southland athlete, and Clarence Weber, a notable etrong man and wrestler, had a wrestling match in tho Ze>alandia Hall, the style adopted being Cumberland! and catch-a«-ci-tch can. Not much interest was taken in the match, as Forde was fully expend to win the Cunibe-rland wrestling and \\ ebev In* catch-as-catch can ; and ?o it turned o\it, the result being derlflred a draw.