SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES.

Otago Witness, 1 June 1910, Page 53

SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES.

~ <i"HU:I Our Own Correspondent.) INVERCARGILL, May 28. At this time of the year the flax business is always very quiet, owing chiefly to the difficulty of manufacturing during the broken weather, and also to the fact •that it k not advisable to cut green flax, while there is a danger of heavy frosts injuring the roots. One or two millers have a. considerable quantity of stripped fibre to put through, and are now busily occupied in scutching for the market.* A disappointment, however, very often follows this process, owing to. perhaps some slackness of supervision and over-anxiety to get a large quantity stripped, with the result that the grades suffer considerably, and the miller is often a considerable loser by injudicious efforts to turn out a largo quantity instead of being satisfied with his ordinary output. Latest quotations from London indicate, if anything, a slight easing in the" market, but reports are to hand that the New Zealand fibre is mow likely to hold its own in the future, as there is not so much probability of its coming into active competition with Manila as has been the case in the past. This is a very satisfactory prospect, and should go far towards putting the industry on a more solid foundation. Latest quotations indicate the price of "good fair" as £2l 15s, f.0.b.; "fair*' £2O 10s, and "common " £lB 15s.

There is still a fair inquiry for tow at equal to £6. f.0.b., for No. 3 grade; £6 10s for No. 2 grade, and £7 10s for first grade. —' The oat market has weakened considerably during the past few days, and merchants have been unable to do any busi- 1 ness worth mentioning with the north. Quotations all round are easier by Id per bushel than was the case last Saturday. A considerable quantity has been, offering from the country, but farmers are reluctant to accept the reduced values, and in most cases are storing on their own account. The quantity held in Bluff stores now on farmers' account must be close on 200,000 sacks, and "it looks as if they will have to be kept till the spring if the ownei-s wish to better current rate®. To-day's quotations are from Is 7£d to Is 8d for A grade Gartons, in trucks at country stations, and Is 6gd to Is 7d for B grade. There is no outside demand for chaff, although there is a fair inquiry for local consumption. Prices are from £3 to £3 2s od, on trucks at country stations, for prime quality. There is nothing doing in ryegrass, but good heavy seed from the mill is worth from 2s 4d to 2s 6d per bushel. There has not been much business doing in potatoes during the week as the sudden rise in price . has tempted farmers to hold on in the hope of a still further increase. I have heard of some being sold at £5 ner ton for Up-to-Dates. but how long this will last it. is impossible to say. The sheep sales held during the week rmve been slack, and very little private selling has been done by ajrents. At Wallacetown Jbhe market for fat. sheep, both wethers and ewes, was considerably easier, in oonseauence of several butchers having purchased their requirements privately outside. Good fat wethers were sold at from 14s 6d to '6s: unfinished, from 12s 6d to 13s 6d, and fat ewes from 8s 6d to 10s. A considerable number of fat ewes 19 beinp frozen on owners', account, and consigned to London. Fat laiY»b%.are pouring into all the freezing works at a srreat rate. The butchers are - working full time, and it is_ the opinion of those in the trade that it will b° a verv hard matter to buy <rood lines of hoggets in the sprinsr. One freezinrr buyer bought, in the Ponth HiHend and Limehills district, over 13,000 fat lambs. Good store lambs to carry 'through till the shearing are being sold at from 10s 6d to lis fid. The market for fat cattle is fairly brisk, and several lines have been sold n>-u-ately during the week on the basis of 25s per lOQlb. The WaJlacetown sale was exceedingly good for prime beef, wh l '"h brought an average price of 27s per 1001 b. "For; ward" cattle, in. sympathy with "fats,' are inclined to harden a little, and are beinff sold at £6 to £7, according to condition and size. The market for young cattle is easier, and sates are hard to rnnke, but a line of yearling heifer from Olennrchy sok' at W.allacetown on Tuesday for 3 o-uineas. while a pen o f two-year-old bullocks, well bred, made £4. May 30. In view of the fact that roller skating has been such a craze all the world over, and that the proprietors of rinks made a great deal of money, a company called the Amusements Proprietary Company was recentlv formed in Invercargill to run roller staking rinks in this town and in Dimedin. The Dunedin rink has been going for some weeks, and has been a wonderful success financially. Some time ago the proprietary made arrangements with Messrs J. G. Ward and Co. for part of the Market reserve in Clvde street, and on this they have erected a building - , which gives a very large floor space and a magnificent floor, the boards being, for the most part, only about two inches in width. The building, although net finished, is now fit for use, and the Amusements Proprietary Company, anxious "to get going flis 'soon as possible,

opened the rink on Friday night. It is understood that about 3000 invitations were issued, and a large number of these were made use of. so not only was the floor crowded 1 during the evening, but the lailed-off portion for spectators was packed as full as it could hold. Expert skaters are delighted with the floor, and although there is a rink already in existence in Tnvercargill, it is anticipated that this new venture will be .a very great success. On Wednesday last the train from Gore to Kingston had a narrow escape from serious accident. About mid-way between Riversdale -and Balfour the engine became partially derailed, and an examination showed "that two large stones had been placed on the rails. Half an hour was lost before ihe engine could be jacked back on to the rails. The police being communicated with. Sergeant M'Kenzie, of Gore, proceeded to the spot and found that the culprit was a boy living in the vicinity. Still another dairy factory company to be formed in Southland! At a meeting of farmers, held at the Mimihau schoolhouse on Wednesday evening last, it was decided to form a company, with a capital of 2000 £1 shares, to provide a dairy factory for the Oware district, if guarantees of 330 cows could be secured. It is understood that nearly the required number have been promised, and that there is every prospect of the company being formed. The following provisional directors were appointed:—Mr T. W. Foster (chairman), and Messrs Udy, M'Kelvie, Gorman, Twomey, and Rudders. The factory, if erected, will be built on a site by Mr Mabin, and Mr James Hunter (Inverc'argill) is to be secretary. I understand that a change has taken place in the personnel of the Waikare Syndicate, the Messrs Jamieson retiring and Mr T. Crocket, of Bluff, taking their place. It is understood that the syndicate have decided to blow up the wreck instead of attempting to refloat it. Mr R. M. Strang, in view of his marriage with Miss Campbell, of the Crescent Farm, Wyndham, was last week presented by the Southland Hockey Referees' Association with a silver hot-water kettle and a spirit stand, as a wedding gift. The presentation was made by Mr George Robinson, president of the association. Four young men were brought before Mr Cruickshank, S.M., on Wednesday charged with shooting hares out of season, and were each fined £1 and costs. A concert and dance, held in aid of the funds of the Public Hall at Edendale on Thursday evening last, resulted in about £25 being obtained. On last Friday week Mr Alick Shand's store at Kenington was broken into and goods to the value of about £SO were stolen. So far there is no clue to the identity /of the thieves. At last meeting of the Wallace County Council it was decided to apply for an Order-in-Council to authorise the construction of a railway from Wairio to Birchwood, and it is anticipated that a start will be made with the work before the spring. Mr and Mrs Thomas Patterson, who are leaving Browns to settle in Invercai ( - gill, were entertained at a farewell social in Browns' Hall last week, when Mr Patterson was presented with a suitably inscribed gold watch in token of the esteem in which he and Mrs Patterson were held throughout the district. The annual meeting of the Southland branches of the N.Z. Farmers' Union was held in Allen's Hall, Kelvin street, on Thursday and Friday, when there was a large attendance of delegates. The address of the president (Mr H. J. Middleton), dealt largely with the dairying industry, which he said was the third largest source of export from the Dominion, and was quickly overtaking the frozen meat industry. The total value of dairy exports was now over £1,600,000, and as the large estates were broken up, it must greatly increase. The outcome of the conference's discussions was: (l)Reaffirmation of the 7)rincipal to freehold tenure; (2) that young men withdrawn from their work to undergo military training should be paid from the public purse; (3) that farmers borrowing from- the Advances to Settlers' Department should be at liberty to insure in any sound office; (4) that the auctioneers' commission on the sale of cows should be reduced from 5 per cent, to 2£ per cent. ; (5) that members should be urged to subscribe to the Farmers' Union Advocate ; (6) that the Minister of Railways be asked to provide a greatly increased number of goods waggons before next season; (7) that imported timber be admitted duty free and be carried on railways at the same rate as New Zealand timber ; (8) that the Government do away with the system of co-operative labour on railways, etc.; (9) that auctioneers be compelled to disclose both buyer and seller at public auction sales. At the annual dinner on Friday evening, Mr G. J. Anderson, M.P., for Mataura, said that there should be a dairying school in Southland, te which, if necessary, the Farmers' Union would be justified in giving a £1 for £1 subsidy. Mr J. C. Thomson, M.P.. for Wallace, who followed, said if such a school were established he hoped it would be managed on co-operative lines by up-to-date farmers instead of by Government officials.

The Municipal Band, which has been in existence for the last seven years, has disbanded, and several of its members have joined the Garrison Band. The defunct band is in debt to the extent of over £IOO, but has aa&ets valued at about £550, so that there is every prospect of the creditors being paid in full.

A cable was received on Saturday from Mr J. D. M'Gruer, of Invercargill, announcing his safe arrival in London, after visiting Vancouver, Winnipeg, and other places in Canada.