SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2915, 26 January 1910, Page 52

SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES.

(Feom Oub Own Cokrespondent.) INVERCARGILL, January 22. A few samples of last year's oats have been offering during the week, and purchases have been made at Is 5d to Is on trucks at country stations. There is only a very small business of the hand-to-mouth order being done, and not much prospect of anything great coming along until the new crop is available. How the new crop is likely to open it is difficult to say, but should the London market want any quantity,, or show any likelihood of giving good returns for consignments, it is probable that prices will open on the basis of Is 6d on trucks at country stations. Cutting should start during the next week or 10 days, and should be in full swing towards the last week in February. Taken all over Southland, it is likely that crops will be fully up to last year's (standard. There are patches where the crops look very light, but on the heavier land they are fully up to expectations. Indeed, soma are so heavy that •they are likely to go down if we get anybroken weather. Growers of wheat have fine crops all along tho river flats, and on the heavy land in the Rays water district there is every prospect of splendid yields being obtained. The ryegrass crop is being cut. Several lines have already been threshed out of stook, and have been offered on the market. So far no business has resulted, as merchants hardly know what to offer. Tho seed shewn weighs from 241 b to 271 b, and is in splcndiid order and free from weeds. It is anticipated that a very large quantity will be offering during the next fortnight. Chaff is exceedingly dull, and no business is being done outside local requirements, these sales being on the basis of £2 on trucks at country stations. The stock market is also exceedingly dull, and practically no business has been passing. A few inquiries have come in from the north and from Cant.erbu.ry for ewes, but nothing has resulted. There is an abundance of feed in Southland, and there is no danger of any holders having to force their surplus sheep on to the market. Though lambs will be offering during the next month, so far no "forward" business in lambs—such as that which wa.s done in very large numbers last year—has been got off this season, holders hardly knowing what to ask, though buyers are nominating from 8s to 8s 9cl for the best store lambs, delivery beginning to the middle of February. The general feeling seems to be that fat lambs will open at 10s 6d to lis 6d. Butchers' wethers have been selling at from 13*5 to 14s. Beef is _ quoted at 22s per 1001 b. Anv lines coming- forward to the local yards are just sufficient to fill local requirements, and it seems that rot many really prime cattle are held in .Southland. Good for-ward-conditioned sorts aire also scarce, and quotations rule at from £5 10s to £7. All classes of youn"- cattle that are coming forward are readily placed, a large number having found their way into the Orepuki and surrounding districts, where, it is reported, thea-e is an absence of good grass feed this yeaaj, Prices for other sorts rule:—Two to three-year-olds, £3 to £4 1.0 s; one to two-year-olds, from £2 to £3 10s. The rane and turnip crons are looking fairlv well, though the spell of dry and' windy weather that we have had has told sevare'lv against those grown on lighter ground. Taking it all round, the crop will be hardly as good as last vear, and a number of areas have had to be sown a second time owing to the first sowing' not taking. At the local wool sale, held this week, a, record catelacrue was submitted by the National Mortgage and Agency Cdmpanv. This firm, whioh has no lar.«re station olios to swell its numbers, offered 3517 hlnles, which remresentpd l the clips of 330 different growers. To show how satisfactory the sale was, it is -just necessarv to say tha.t the National cleared the whole of 'ts catalogue, with the exception of 140 bales at price." fully up to its clients' expectations. The next sale is to be held on the Bth of February, and as sever*! lots of wool arrived too late for tb« sal* 3 just held, it oxpec-Wl that a rood-sized catalogue will He offered on that date. The Home market is very firm, and it is not likely that prices will come back am'. The fibre market has dull during tho week. pnc A s easing ?omewhn.t. owin.g. no doubt, to the ivregidaritv of the offerings from this side. Inquiries are corning +o hand from Australia, but I do *>ot know of a.nv sales completed uo to the time of writing, T-orwJoni c*W<mi indicate prices <».onfd to £23 Se. t 0.b.. for fair, and £24 5s for good fair—a. drop of £1 5s wt ton from the highest price this season. Tow is in good '•le-maod. the soa.ivity of stocks keeping lip the price of this article. •Tanuary P,4. Commissioner and Mrs Hay, who have been appointed to the change of the Salvation Army in Australasia, arrived at Inv.ercf"~ill on Monday morning last, when thev were welcomed to the town hv Councillor Ott, in the absence of the Mayor, and the town clerk. Mr T. W. Walker, along with a number of officers of the Salvation Army in Southland and others. In the eveninc all the local bauds combined in giving them a musical welcome at the rotunda, when Commissioner and Mrs Hay expressed their thanks for the ctfrdial way in. which they had baen reoA»«d- A. rmblic m..eeti]Oa_ held. latex

on in the Town Hall, was presided over by Mr Ott, and was addressed t Mr Ott, on behalf of the townspeople, and the Rev. Mr Hales on behalf of the Ministers'Association. A man named James Moyle, while assisting to remove some bales from the lift on the top storey of Messrs J. E. Watson and Co.'a new building in Tay street, fell down through the lift and sustained such injuries that he died in less than an hour. An inquest was held, when a verdict was returned that no blame was attachable to anyone, but recommending that a signal from below should be answered by a signal from above before a lift 'eaves the flat from which goods are being carried. The case excited a good deal of sympathy among visiting wool-buyers, who subscribed £SO for the wife and children of the unfortunate man, and it is understood that Mr J. E. Watson has acted very generously in the matter. After two postponements, the rowing events of the Bluff Regatta were actually .got off on Wednesday afternoon, the weather being splendid. The Railway Rowing Club won the Senior Pair, Senior Fours, Maiden Pair and the Youths' Fours, while the Awarua Boating Club took the Maiden Double Scuils, the Maiden Fours, the Junior Fours, and the Junior Pair. The annual Field Day of the Southland Beekeepers' Association, held at the apiary of the president (Mr James Allan, "Oakleigh," Wyndham), on Wednesday last, was a great success in that the weather was splendid and the attendance large, Invereargill being represented by about twenty members, while there were visitors and members present from as far east as Waipahi and Dunrobin, Inspectors Brey and Kenny being also present. The experience was a- valuable one for practically all beekeepers present, both old and young, as the president gave a demonstration of various f bee work, and addresses w giver, .jj the presi dent, Inspector bi«y, and Mr R. Gibb. The association is pro.gree.si.ngly surely, if somewhat slowly ; but it is a matter of astonishment that its membership is not larger, since there are over one thousand beekeepers in Southland alone. Many of these, of course, are only in a very small way, having only one or two hives, but one member has about 300, another 200, and another 130, while there are quite a large number who have 30 and upwards. Although the Agricultural Department has undertaken to assist the industry, its efforts so far have not been productive of as much good as was expected. In the matter of foul brood, for instance, its work has resulted in very little improvement. It is true that it insists on beekeepers substituting frame hives sot the old box hives, and tells them that they must keep them clear of foul brood, but the number of inspectors employed is utterly inadequate to overtake the work of inspection, and foul brood is en the whole as prevalent as ever, with the jrdded danger that those who have adopted the frame hives are too carelessly assumed to be free of it; whereas, n many cases, they are in a worse state than before. These facts were repeated by several members en Wednesday, and it was decided to write to the head of the department and ask that more efficient measures should be taken towards the stamping out of this terrible pest, which is a constant source of danger, trouble and loss to all beekeepers. A young man named Samuel Gruett was charged at the Magistrate's Court on Friday with begging from, various persons, and was remanded 1 for medical examination. The unfortunate fellow's latest craze was for pictorial calendars, in quest of which he made a round of all the offices in town. The Wool Sale, held in the Victoria Hall on Wednesday last, was a record for Southland so far as size of the catalogue was concerned, the total number of bales forward being 12,932, which is 2265 more than last year's best., and represents 1170 wool glowers. The range of prices was as follows:—Halfbred and fine crossbred, superfine to good, 13£d to 12d; good to medium, ll|d to 10fd; medium to inferior, to 9£d. Strong crossbred, .superfine to good, 12d to lid; good to medium, 10|d to lOd; mediums to inferior, 9§d to B£d. In strong crossbred, which is mostly grown in Southland, the increase in price over that obtained a year ago is most gratifying, Tanging, as it does, from an improvement of 2d to 4d per lb. It looks as if Mr W. A. Ott was going to have a walk-over for the position of Mayor of Invereargill at the election in May, as Mr W. Macalister has now definitely announced that he cannot accede to the request recently presented to Mm to contest the election, and Mr Scandrett gave a promise some time ago that he would not stand in opposition to Mr Ott. So no other candidate isi announced 1 . but it is a long time till election day,, and it is quite possible that there will be a contest .after all. A youth named Ernest Newton was charged at the Polic Court last week witb robbery and arson at Riverton. From the evidence, it appears that the boy broke into the house of Mr Thistleton and stole bank notes amounting to £l2, and then, to prevent suspicion falling on him, set fire to the chest of drawers from wMcK the money had been obtained. The ac-*-cused was remanded till Tuesday, wjjera he will appear at Riverton. ( Mr G-. A. Turner, vice-president q£ tKa Southland Acclimatisation Society was one of the party accompanying Sdtmeton when he Was ca,pfcured by 'Batnger, Friend on the New River estuary anc! was afterwards fined for being aUegal%■ ,M possession of trout) has thought ££» tM proper thing, in view of hjs&. bepy£ ; of the party, although having ng in the offienbe, to resign, his pel accordingly <|ent it in to the. ias6 meeting of the society, and it wM'"accepted..

Three jATOjrc&rgillites, JMsaaefi Bits* anil B«Uamy agwi Mr J._ wm mem-

bers of the party that made the opening trip between Lakes Wakatipu and Te An.au. After reaching Te Anau Mr M'Curdy returned to Invercargill much delighted with the scenic beauties, while the ladies returned to Queanstown via the EoutebiiTn tfrack. —■Southland Times. The total amount realised by the 12,932 bales of wool sold at Wednesday's sale was £162,600, which gives an averagevalue of 12^d. The anual conference of the W.C.T.U. will be held in Invercargill this year, beginning on February 9 and lasting for a week. About 20 delegates are expected from all over New Zealand, and preparations for their reception and entertainment are now being made. Some very large trout are now finding their way up the various rivers of Southland. Last week a party of four Invercargill anglers obtained ten fish, running from 81b to 12ilb, and at the same time and in the same pool a Fairfax angler got six of an average weight of about 81b. These fish were obtained after dark with an artificial minnow worked as close as possible to the ground. There are evidently some very large trout going up the river, as Ranger Friend found a dead one in the Oreti weighing 19ilb, which was deep and about 2ft long. The Southland Acclimatisation Society ' has decided to put a stop to the pollution of . the Waihopai at Woodlands . through the discharge of dairy factory refuse into it, and have notified' the chairman of directors of the local dairy company that, if the nuisance is not stopped, "proceedings will be taken. Dr Dunlop, of Invercargill, who was some time ago asked to preach at the Glebe Church, Sydney, with a view to a call, and declined, has now received a straight-out call from the church. The call will be dealt with by the Southland Presbytery at its next meeting, when- it is expected that Dr Dunlop will accept it.