ALBURY (South canterbury).

Otago Witness, Volume 06, Issue 2899, 6 October 1909, Page 40

ALBURY (South canterbury).

October 2.— The season has been the best that nas nc-en experienced for many years. There nas been a splendid growin in all kinus ot vegetation. The luinoiing, whicn is me inoai important event on tne frarin. jusc now, nao e.vceetitd expectations, and comparatively little trouble has D*«n experienced witn the ewes. Tne percentage m acme cases has been cOi-aicieiably o\ar liJO. sporting. — The great holiday of our year is ijabour Day. On that <.lai« tno Racing Club holds its annual race meeting on tito course belonging to &ne president, .Air J. S. Kutnertord. Lear by year tlie club has been improving iis position, and give>n good weather October 15, iyO9, will witness the best meeting we na\e had in the dijytr.et tor tne lajt- six j-ears. A spoits club lor the promotion o». athletics nas lately been lormetl, and promises to oe a pronounced success. xV number ot energetic enthusiasts nave cnarged themselves witb the ctuty ot making tae meeting, whion is to be held at the end- of the >eai, everything that can be reasonably lookec 1 foi, and there im no <Joubt tnat tnej will amply justify the liupeo cnt-ertdined uy tne meinbeia oi the club for its BUt-cef;. Dramatic. — iienri s Dramatic Company visited Albury on the 2bth, wnen "Aloiiv! m the Wcrki" was ftagt'U. Ihere Was a fair auenJatice. Considering tne face that lew professional companies visit the distiict, it is ourpr sing that larger num-be-rs cvt 1 not turn cut. There is a feeimg, however, ..hat nigh-class -ompanics, or e\en good second-rate companies light shy ol these small towns, and this explains the oi niaiii> audiences. Successful i>it»entmsnt ot tue drama was given. After the tall ot the curtain in the la6t act the principal actor cnankec 1 .he aud.euce, ana annouu'jed hir> intention ot returning with his company in three months. They intend to make a circuit of the South Island to a f us. County Council- — Many improvemcjrts an the roaus are being etit-cted Dy the gango employed by the Mackenzie County Council. The engineer a.ixl workers of tna council are to be -congratulated upor- the very able manner in which thete works ha\e been carried out. At its meeting on Fn■aay the council passed a hearty vote of tnanks to the engineer, and granted him a bona? of £25 as a mark of its appreciation of the manner in which the bridges latley coiutructed had been planned »nd supervised. In Mr Banks the county has a most painstaking and efficient officer. Church. — The free byte ria-n Church intend shortly to erect a manse on the block of land at Albury recently purchased trom the Crown. A gentleman who does not de-ire that his identity should be disclosed !)<*=■ offered x» advance the necessary money at 1 per cent. This easily beats the Government Advanc&s to Settlers Office. Out Member. — Mr Buxton lately \isited the district for the purpose of seeing Mount Xossing Station, tlie cutting up ot which for close settlement has been advocated for Home time past. Whether the Crown Lands Purchase Board will take the matter up time alone can tell.

Some very large fish have b&en caught on the eastern side of the Wellington harbour during the past few days. One day last week the Rona Bay fishermen secured an immense ling, and al*o a number of hapuka, each of which weighed over 801b. Smaller fish are not very plentiful in Wellington harbour at present, but large catches of warehou are reported to have Little Ting C. Cheng, one of the two Chinese laoys who graduated from West Point, has the honour of being not only one of the " five immortals " of the class of 1909, .but "the goat." In other words, he graduated at the foot of the class. A number of famous soldiers set him the example. General Custer, who stood at the foot of his class, said that " it was a sight harder to graduate at that end than at the* other." The decline in the population of the city of Glasgow, which was about 12.000 last year, presents a troublesome question to those directly interested in its prosperity It has been suggested that the recent staa nation in the engineering and shipbuilding indu6ti;«t. Ie part)} the eauo«.