SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES

Otago Witness, Issue 2811, 26 August 1908, Page 52

SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES

(Fkok Oxtb Own Cohbbspohdest.)

INVERCARGILL, August 22. 'Ishere is no "change to report in the local oafc market. There is practically nothing offering from the country, and merchants toe not at all keen, to operate in the few lines that are available, as they are unable to nrak« any sales even at last week's quotations of 2s 3d, f.0.b., s.i. The general feeling eeems to be that there will be no move worth recording for another six „ weeks or two months, by which time the bulk of the oats purchased for " forward" ■delivery by northern merchants will be taken- away. The average price to farmers ftt present^is Is 10£ don trucks at country stations for" ordinary B gade. The chaff market continues very firm, prices ruling at £3 10s on trucks at country Btations for prime quality. The quantity offering, however, is not more than, enough for* local requireinente. Potatoes- are still quoted at £3 5? to £3 7s "6d on trucks at country etations, but the business done daring tbe past week has been very sVnall. All classes of sheep, with the exception of •wethem, are strongly inquired for, and a good ' deal of private dealing has been idone .during the week. Young ewes are . specially wanted, and prices have been iruling at 26s for extra good lines. Ewe hoggets are fetching 17s, and mixed sexes Choggete) 14s to 15s. Forward wethers are doll of sale, no doubt in consequence of the fat market being- at a stand-still. It is pleasing to note thW the London, market ia a shade firmer, but prices will have to rice considerably befoa-e farmers wiho stocked up earlier in the year will be abl© to get out with even their own money. Butchers' 6heep are fairly plentiful, and (prices rule from 18s to 21s. There has been a deoided move in the cattle market during the week, and buyers from the north have been operating very areely. Prices for bullocks rule from £10 Job -to £11 10s, which, according to those sable to form, an opinion, works out on the basis of 26s to 27s per 1001b. Good forward <)onidibioned bullocks are also strongly inquired for at from £6 to £7 10a. Theire is very little doing in other classes 'c$ cattle, though well-bred 1 lines of young feteew can be readily placed to go north tut fully "P to last quotations. There has been no improvement in the fibre market during the week, and the %ruainess_ passing has been very limited. iLatest Jbondon. advices confirm the report Ehat large stocks of manila are still unsold i n London, and this no doubt has the effect of keeping New Zealand fibre at its present iovr price. From latest files it is interest- j «ig to note that New Zealand fair grade j fibre is quoted at 10s per ton over the ' »ttir. grade manila, which seems to indicate Jtjhe market's preference for the New Zea)<<Vnd prod/uotion, and is extremely gratify- ( ing as showing that the system of grading adopted by the New Zealand Government meete with the hea.ri,y approval of London and Continental manufacturers. There has "been very little inquiry for tow, but I hear, that a small parcel has changed hands iixr local manufacture at a satisfactory price. I understand that a great Quantity of tow not coming to town is finding its way to th 3 Mataura Paper Mills As being useless for any other purpose. August 24-. The Rev. R. Ferguson, of First Church, !|nvercargill, has received a hearty and «nanimoas call from St. Peter's Church. Grey Lynn, Auckland, a district of about 10,000 ; nhabitants. It is understood that, although the church is not in a very flourishing condition, it ha<? great possi- j ollities. The call was sustained by the j tuckland Presbytery at its meeting on uesday last, and will be dealt with by the juthland Presbytery at its next meetingOn 'J^nesday, September 1. Michael KJildaTiff. arrested for an assault tui Constable Herlihy at Waikawa, was last ] jjree'k. fined 40s and costs on this charge, ]Kid ior resisting the constable in the oxecuijjon of his duty was ordered to pay the I I»edical expenses. The weather on Tuesday and Wednesday Sxat'was of a very disagreeable character, ■fceavv "rain falling most of the time. Consequently the East End football ground was yiot in first-claes condition for the interprovincial football match Otago v. Southland, playpd on Wednesday afternoon. Several mud puddles seriously interfered |Mth" the ffame, and rain fell almost oonfcinuouslv dirring its progress. The state !5f the weather is greatly tc be regretted, fe there were no -jther attractions, and" '

| had the day been a good one there Would have beep a. large attendance, and the game would hove got a good advertisement. Local Soccer enthusiasts have had an uphill fight to get the game established in Sfouth- ! land, but there are now four good clubs tin existence — viz., Invercargill, Bluff, , Underwood, and Nightcaps, — and it is i catching on in the schools. The teams on [ Wednesday were fairly well matched, and ! on a dry ground would have given an 1 attractive exposition of the game. As it ! was, the 300 or 400 spectators present were treated to a pretty fair exhibition. The teams, as already remarked, were fairly well matched, the Otagc team being a second rate one, and the Southland one not quite the best the province can*" produce. Otago's advantage lay in the superior combination of her forwards and the straight, swift goal-shooting. Southland's half back division was weak, and the forward play somewhat selfish. Moreover, the team had hard luck in that two good shots struck on the goal posts and rebounded into play, enabling the Otago backs to clean:. The score of 3 to 1 indicates about the strength of the teams. By the time the game finished most of the members of the two teams were covered from head to foot with mud through rolling in the mud hole in front of the western. goal. Southland will be largely represented at the forthcoming Brown Shield tournament at Dunedin next month, a number of enthusiasts havingdetermined to go up to barrack for the provincial team, which they expect to see ip the final. I unders-fcand that Mr Storie, mining expert, who went to Preservation Inlet to report on the mining possibilities of the district, was very favourably impressed by the general indications of the country.. The recently-formed Hibernian Band I gave a concert on Monday evening last, and attracted a good house. All the other j town bands assisted by playing about the town before the- commencement of the concert. A debate, " Would Socialism Tend to the Elimination of Individuality." will be held on- Thursday evening next between representatives of the Southland Political Labour League and th< V.M.C.A. Literary and Debating Society. The debate ia to be held) in the V.M.C.A. Rooms, Esk street. A few lambs are now beginning to be seen in various parts of Southland. The winter has been extremely mild, but if we have some of the severe weather which sometimes characterises Southland springs it will go hard with many of them. j A High School jßoys'j Boys' football match, played between Otago and Southland teams I on the new football ground at East End 1 on Saturday morning, resulted in a victory for Otago by 9 points to nil. The Otago boys returned home by the 1.35 express on Saturday. A boy named Grindley was charged at the Police Court last week with palming off a silvered' penny on a shopkeeper in Dee street as a florin. The accused, who was said to be of weak intellect, was cautioned and discharged. S At last meeting of the Southland Acclimatisation Society the Rev. Geo. Lindsay i resigned from the council on account of his ; inability to attend the meetings, which are held on. the same evening as his regular week night church meeting I A man named Adam Ferrier, a workman on the Waikaria railway, burst a blood vessel * while at work last Monday, and died shortly afterwards. A little girl named Cowie was killed at Boggieburn, Winton. last week by being thrown out of a buggy against a fence post. The accident was brought about by the horse taking fright and bolting. On Wednesday evening Mr V. R. Hackworth, of the National Bank, Riverton, was entertained at a social at Thor.nbury, and presented with an illuminated address in recognition of his services during the pa^t ,16 years as treasurer of the Western District A. and 1 P. Association. The First Church Presbyterian congregation held its annual meeting on Tuesday evening last, when the annual reports and the various balance sheets were submitted, and a number of musical items were given by the choir. During the year there has been a slight increase in the membership of the church, but the average attendance has not been satisfactory. Seaut rents have increased, thanks to Mr J. W. Thompson, convener of the Seat Letting Committee, but the ordinary collections show a considerable falling- off, as does also the Sustentation Fund. The Wyndham Herald understands that the average price of £8 8s obtained by the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company for Mr J. A. Sinclair' herd of 58 cows constitutes a record for Southland. Some time ago the local V.M.C.A. set out to raise £5500 to build up-to-date premises. A site was secured in Ta-v street, but this has not been regarded as auite central enough, a.nd efforts p.ave ibe&n made to secure one ir E-sL street. It is probable, however, that after all the Tay «fcreet property will be built on. Up to the rn-es.en.t the promises tdtal £3810, ana instalments are now coming in freely. Before leaving Oolae for Rongotea last Wednesday Mr and Mrs William Jones were entertained at -a farewll social. During the evening Mrs Jones was piesented with a silver tea and coffee service, and Mr Jones with a pair of field glasses-. There is still a great deal of building going on in Invercargill. The new Southland Times office is well forward, and proves to be a very laree building. The warehouse for Messrs Royds Bros, a-nd Kirk, now being erected in Tay street, will also be a very large building. Messrs j Dalgotv and 00. are ereotine lavtre stores down by the jetty, and Messrs J. E. Watson and Co. offices and stores in Tay street. There are also a larg-e number of residence? going up in various parrs of the town. One of the choicest lines of bpcf sold in Southland ,this year was purchased the other day by Messrs M'Kenzie and Harper. The cattle, which were fattened by Mr H. J. Middleton, of Uplands. Waimah&lca. weT© scarcely three years okl, and were Shorthorn-Hereford cross. They were ?old at a very hiorh figure to Mr H.u-per. who states that this line without doubt is the be6t sample of what erood feeding can do that he has handled for somt years.— Southland Times. I understand tliat. Mr W. G. Tait is resieminej his nosition of Deputv-rearistrar of Deeds and Land Transfer officer tc join the legal firm of Messrs Arm stead and Hunter. Mr Tait was admitted a solicitor of tho Supremo Court of Xew Zealand by his Honor Mr Justice Dormiston about two year? a?o. Tho Southland A. and P Association holds its annual business meetincr nc\t Saturday. Mr John Gilkison. of Me=-is J. E.

Watson and Co., has been nominated president for the coming year. The Rev. G. Lindsay grave an address yesterday at the V.M.C.A." rooms on " Sir George Williams, Originator of the V.M.C.A. JMovementj" and had a large and attentive audience. Mr Justice Dennaston's decision in the patent case, David Clark (Drummond) v. James Macalister (engineer, Invercargill) has been given in favour of Clai'k. Mr Macalister makes a turnip-ridger, of which he sells large numbers. Clark claimed that some of the special features of the machine were cohered by patents granted to him, and claimed £250 damages and an injunction to prevent Macalister from making and selling the patented parts. Macalister replied that these feature? were common property, a ridg-er embodying them having been made and <ised in Southland before, the issue of Clark's patent. His Honor held that Maca lister's claim was not proved, and granted the injunction, with damages (40s) and costs. Golf is now a consideration with a very large number who have hitherto looked askance at the pastime. The course, though small, provides quite enough diffioulty for most of the exponents now figuring^ on the 'inks, and satisfies present desires. Mr R. A. Stenhouse. who has been first assistant at the Invercargill Park School, has left to take up the duties of head teacher at Ngapara. Mr Ham, in making him a presentation of a handsome travelling bag and set of brushes, expressed regret at the loss of his services, and appreciation of the arood work he bad clone in the school. Mr Stenhous© stated that he left the Park School with 'grreat reeret. as the six years spent there had been the happiest part of his teachino carper. Hi? place is to be filled Hv Mr- M'Kenzie, third assislant m the Middle Schoo'.