SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES

Otago Witness, Issue 2808, 8 January 1908, Page 52

SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES

(From Otje Own Cobhespondent.l IUrVEECABGH/L, January 4. Ihiring'the past fortnight there has been no oat business doing by local , merchants, the' offices having been, closed ; Jnosi of the time. Merchants do not now [ ixpect that anything of importance will be £one till the new crop i* available. Taken. *11 round, tfta craps, of the Southland district are ripening splendidly, and there has already *een a considerable amount of cutting for chaff, and much more will be done during. Jha- next fortnight or three weeks, when the cutting of the crops saved 1 for grain should be fairiy general. Farmers are nopef ul that Vy the first week in February* decent prices ■tri.lL be going, anct in. most cases they are sanguine that their yields will be quite equal to those of the last year or two. There is no shipping- being done at present, but it is •understood tha-t the Auckland boat will take tip ; her running during the Hex* few days, and will then run steadily, as was the case during tne past year. Very few oats 'are offering at present, and farmers are selling what, they can. spare over their own- feed. [requirements at- from- 2s lOd to 3s, on "trucks., at country stations. T£e- local market is still_ being supplied >wita. chaff at £& lOs, ex store, at Inveroargin. There is- .very little doing in. stock, and the demand tharf; set in some time ago for lanibs tor forward delivery, lias eased considerably, fedmig the state- of the northern market into conside:r.a-tjkm, it: ia» not likely that the high . 'prices iTsa-t were produced 1 -ait the beginning pf the- season will rule for fat- lambs 5 and farmers who liave. beea baying at. 13s in some cases- to ship" ioT forward lines of paddock lambs will have very little margin fox fattening. Tke demand from the- north has eased considerably, except for lines of young ewes, but these are not at all plentiful — in fact, those- who ar«= holders are not keen to sell. ■A" few lines- of two-tootbs are now selling at 14s to 15s. x This is for 'mixed sexes, but for lines, "of two-tooth ewes as high as 17s 6d is fclitainable; The beef market is a* little easier, but at the pome time supplies ai© held in. very firm hands, and it is not likely -that prices will go much lower. A quotation for 4s per 1001b frouM b©> a fair average o£ what is at present ruling for good lines of young, cattle showing breeding. For bullocks fit to top off on, grass there is a specially good demand from, buyers' front round the Taierf and Bal-clutha. who -are Still operating in Southland, but unless lines are hi a forward, condition buyers are not keen>-

Farmers who have been in. town during the holidays have been, very sanguine about the prospects of the green, arops. JBarly turnips and rape are looking exceedingly •well, and in some cases farmers who arefattening lambs hope co put them on the rape by the Ist February, which, is consider■ablyl earlier than usual. The late turaips_ tolife eaten off in winter are a.lso, looking epecialliy well, while the wheat, oat. and ryegrass crops are fully up to farmers" hop*> 3. Grass cutting has already started, and during the next m&eik it wilt be very general. There is supposed, .to be. a large acreage to be cut thisyear, md; as present- stocks are practically nil thsrs is a prospect of lairly good prices Iseing olitafiiabTe, at afayrate at the beginning of tlie season.

Shearing is practically over so far as ordinary farmers are- concerned. Wool has been coming in fairly well, and now that tho boliHays are over it should find its way to town In large quantities. So far as can be gathered^ there is very little private buying going on, but for one or two specially medium Bamplea of fine crossbred 9£c& to lOd has been, ipaid. Judging by the saPes up north, farmers should not be- too hard to satisfy, and it is ■expected, that most of them will sell at the local sales. The first of tfrese will be held on. /the 27th January, and for it there are- now about 3500 bales in. InveresreiliL stores. Owing to the holidays, there has been. rpractioaUy no inquiry for fibre, but such small offers' a«- have filtered through indicate a very depresseS market both at Home and in lAmericai. There seems to be a little morelocal inquiry, which, may be attributed to speculators buying at the present low prices ar-ealising that. miHers will not manufacture should prices go below- present nates, and no .doubt looking- forward to an improvement ■latex in the year. I Bear of very few actual cades being- made, but millers are reducing their ideas of values; and i-fc is quite possible that those -who have held on. te milling so long may be induced to contract for the next few montha* supplies. Tow is also neglected, and there are ho offerings in hand, for spot»r forward parcels.

January 6. The New Tear holidays, though' free from tain, were somewhat disagreeable, A howling. *ftj« blew- all New Year'jß Day, and madethings vary unpleasant fox visitors to the paled onifctt sports, the attendance at which we« smaller than usual. On Thursday (he Wind was not quite so strong, bui strong inough to spoil the Bluff: regatta, very few of W races being got off. The- visitors to Bluff -were quite a* many as usual, but mast 6t then sought VVelter from the w£r>£ on.

the hillsides and along Ward's parade, in ] th« bush, or behind the rocks. The Bluff | hotels did a roaring trade, and several returning passengers were scarcely fit to take care of themselves on the train, and were taken charge of by the police soon after their arrival in lavercargill. The traffic to Stewart Island has been unusually heavy during the holidays, both the Theresa Ward and the Nile having as many passengers as they could carry, and the boarding-houses at Halfrnoon Bay being quite full up. Among other notable visitors are the Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward, and Lady "Ward and family, and the Mayor of Invercargill, Mr Scandrett. and Mrs Scandrett and some m-smbers of their family. There has been a good deal of talk in Invercargill lately regarding the possibility of the members of the Southland Sawmill Workers' Union going out on strike. The award of the Arbitration Court expired on December 1, and the union have made increased demands on the employers, who declined to entertain them so far as they relate 10 wages, believing that the men are amply paid. With regard to the contention that the employers are at present making big profits, and should therefore give further increases of wages, the employers say that what they are making has nothing to do with the workers, the only question being whether they are being fully paid for their work, which question can be settled by comparing their wages with those of men doing work of a similar kind and value. It may be true that employers generally are making money now, but some are making very little, and some have been ruined. The idea of increased wages on account of a supposed general increase of profits is regarded as absurd, and the men would cer"tainly not agree to let the rule work the other way, and take reduced wages from those employers who a>re doing badly. The only events got off at the Bluff regatta, on Thursday were the Cutters' Eace, won by the Britannia; the Cutters' Working Dingey Eace, won by C Bradshaw; the 011 Launch Eace, won by the Tutanekai's launch; and the Ships' Gig Eace, won by the Tutaaekai cre.w. Visiting rowing men are complaining- of the action of the Regatta Committee in abandoning tlie rest of the events without asking tie opinion of the entrants, many of whom had come a long way to compete. It is contended that some of the races could have been got off on . Friday morning, before the wind became strong. Among other visitors to the Presbyterian Bible Class Summer School at Invercargill were Rev. Geo. M'Neur, missionary from Canton, and Mr D. M'Donald, formerly of Port Chalmers, but for the last three years engineer in charge of a mission steamer on the Congo. At both First Church and St. Paul's Mr M^Neur gave addresses on -the progress of missionary work in the Canton villages, and the wonderful awakening in China, an awakening which shows itself in their new educational methods and army organisation, and which is sure to bring China into the front rank of world Powers in a Very short time. In view of this fact, Mr M'Neur urged that missionary effort should be augmented, and every effort made to secure that the awakened Colossus should be friendly to Britain and her dependencies. ' Mr M'Donald had something to say, which, boiled down, amounts to a statement that the atrocities reported from Belgian Congo are proved up to the hilt, that English rule is preferred- by the natives to any other, and that the objections of the anti-missionary trader is due to the fact that the Chrisianised native expects to be treated like a man, and not like a -dog. and has learned the value of money, and is not so easily imposed' on as his savage brother. The Southland! Racing Club- held its summer meeting on Thursday and Friday last, when the attendance, notwithstanding the unpleasant windT on Thursday, was fully up to the average. Good entries were received, but scratchings, especially on the second day, were fairly numerous, a number of tne horses being affected by the hard condition of the track. The sum of was put through the machine, as compared with JE8369 last year. Eleven bookmakers r>aid the £12 10s per day license fee, and this no doubt accounts for the falling-off in the totalisator investments. The Summer School is. regarded as having teen a great success in every respect. The closing scene was the presentation to Mr Jamieson of a roller-top desk, and to Mr and Mrs Jamieaon of an enlarged 1 photograph of themselves in a handsome - frame. Mr Jamieson's five years' service as organising secretary expired on Tuesday last, and h» is about to return io -the regular work of the ministry. Who his successor — or rather his successors, for it is proposed to have two in future, one for each island — is to be no on-o knows. It will take very good, men indeed to fill his place. Mr Jaradeson's intense earnestness, his calm dependence on. God, his method and industry, his wisdom, and Ms geniality, have made him an ideal secretary. The Summer School people in the afternoon express on Tuesday had a carriage to themselves, and had a good time with more or less musical items, recitations and speeches. Mr Jupp got off' at Waipahi, after delivering- a* farewell address, in which wise counsel and merriment bubbled up simultaneously, the merriment coming away with a rush at last, and breaking up the sobersides. Mr Jamieson's last words were devoted to showing that even now^ so long after Samson's day, some -good may "be done with the jawbone of an ass if it is wielded fay a High Power; but the ass- must be dead, it must he still, and give up kicking. It is understood that after putting in a fortnight's holiday at Mr Jamieson's old home a<t Waiwera. Mt and Mrs Jamieson pay a- month's visit to Mts Jamieson's people in Sydney. Thereafter Mr Jamieson takes up temporary church work at Hokitika. •