SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3015, 27 December 1911, Page 52

SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES.

(Feom Oub Own Correspondent.) INVERCARGrLL, December. 23. Mr Macandrew, who has been schoolmaster at Ma.ta.ura for the' past 25 years and recently retired on. superannuation, Was .on .Wednesday -evening, before leaving £o# Timaru with Mrs and Miss Macandrew, I BjfKfe farewell by the Presbyterian congrega- ' •jion at Mataura, of which, he has long !**en a. prominent member, and was presented; with a beautifully illuminated address. At the same time the congregation . tfceaoniedf Mrs Macandrew with a case of £Qver forks, and Miss Macandrew, who has f>een an ideal Sunday school teacher, was piPesepfejd with an autiograph album and a fSfiflft fountain, pen. . The building® of ,fche Day Technical Collee© at Inveroargill are nearly completed, and teachers are being advertised for, and iwork will probably commence about the end of February. The currioulum provides, in addition to continuation classes for ordinary sohool subiects, for agricultural, trades, and commercial courses for boys and domestic and commercial for girls. The commercial courses will include shorthand, typing, bookkeeping, office routine, and business methods.- ] Mr J. O. Irving, thie well-known wnd re- : epeoted Roslin, Plains farmer, died at his xesidence on Friday, after a short illness, ot the advanoed age of 82. Mr Irving was one of our pioneer farmers, taking up land at Roslin. Plains so long ago as 1863. He /•was a director of the Southland Metropolitan, A. and P._ Association for 25 years, end was m/uoh liked by all on account of his genial disposition. He was predeceased by Mra Irving, but leaves a big family of sons anj: slaughters. Mfc Joseph Hatch has just received word cof %p wreck at Macquaries about' a jnontn ago, of his schooner Clyde, which toe jeeently bought for the southern islands oil. |tade. It is not very long since Mr Katgh lost another boat, the Jessie Nicool, at ,tne island, the orew undergoing several - months' privations before they were rescued. Afc the last meeting of the Bluff Harbour Board reference was made to the loss sustained by the board through the death of iwo of its members, Messrs P. S. Bro&e and H. Hirst, and letters of sympathy were ordered to be sent to their relatives. Professors Rentoul and Macfarland have orri-wfcd from ' Melbourne for their annual trout-fishing outing in the - Western District. They found the sport very poor last year, the rivers then being extremely low and clear. At present they are all high, j Iput ft cessation of rain for a week would : put them into firstrclass trim. I . At last meeting of the BLuff Harbour Board Mr G. A. Lee, who has been assistant engineer to the Otago Harbour Board for several years, was appointed' engineer at a salary of £450 a year. j , The matter of widening streets and pay-1 ing compensation is- causing the Tnvercaa--pill Town Council some anxiety. At a recent meeting of the counoil it was esti- ! Jnoted that before the work was finished the cost would be quite fiIOjOOO, and several councillors were strong in their j Condemnation of a law which required the streets to be 66ft wide in a town liice Tjivercargill. '".••- - • At a meeting held at Orepuki a few days ago a resolntion was passed calling on the Minister of Railways to prooeed with the . railway extension from Tuatapere to OraiWia- without delay. ,' A movement is on foot to hold a banquet »t Winton in honour of Mr J. R. Hamilton, fwho recently contested' the Awarua election with Sir Ward. j Mr Wm, Domigan, a very old resident of invercargill, died) at Qaeenstowu on Wednesday, at the age of 73 years. .', All the Inveroargill schools closed on iWednesday, when the annual distribution Jbf prizes took place. The will be i feopened on Monday. February ,5. I

\Vm. Fordo, the well-known Souhlife&dl ■wrestler, has challenged Lanauze, who was one of the company of wrestlers who performed at the Invercargill Show and challenged all-comers. Forde was one of those who accepted the challenge, and Lanauze failed to "down" him.

The Albion Proprietary (re-constructed) has bought Mr R. Erskine's property in Esk street at a price which gives about £IOO per foot for the land. Another proprietary which recently bought a Dee street property could now get 50 per cent, on their bargain. Every Christmas and Easter there are great complaints about the overcrowding and slowness of the trains on the Western line, especially between Invercargill and Riverton. Riverton is certainly the most attractive holiday resort in Southland, and' every Christmas the trains are crowded to suffocation, and are run at such hours as to prevent many Invercargill people from using them. For' yeans past a desire has been expressed for a train to reach and leave Inveroargill at the same time as the Muff train—viz.! 8.55 a.m. and 5.10 p,niThis year the need for better train arrangements has led to representations by the Riverton Borough" Council, and a petition by over 80 Invercargill business men that a train to and Ironi Riverton should l be run as above was presented to Mr Brebner. traffic manager, on Tuesday last by a deputation consisting of Mes6rs W. A. Ott (Mayor), J. Crosby Smith. R. J. Gilmour, and James Hunter. Mr Brebner said that the matter 'had been under consideration ,by the department for some time, and he thought that if anything was done it would be to put on a special train for Riverton.. only, so as not to inconvenience others who were sniited by the present train. This is just What Invercargill and Riverton people want, but scarcely dared to hope for, and if such a train service is established permanently it will give Riverton a big lift, as even under present circumstances there is a good demand for building sites. A great convenience has this been provided by the Riverton Borough Council in erecting bathing-boxes. The Riverton ladies greatly assisted by getting subscriptions and holding a successful bazaar. The Invercargill Rowing Club are this year offering £B3 in cash prizes, besides trophies for their annual regatta on February 21. At the annual meeting of the club last week Mr A. J. Ball was elected president.

E. A. Hamilton, who escaped from Invorcarjrill Gaol on the 12th inst., and was recaptured at Gorge road, was on Thursday sentenced by Mr-G. Cruickshanks, S.M.. to 12 months' further imprisonment.

The Government lias acquired 50 acres of Thomson's Bush on the Waihopai as a scenic reserve.

One of the oldest and best-known of Wyndham residents, Mr W. J. Winter, saddler, died at his farm. Menzios Ferry. on Wednesday evening, aged 62. During his many vea.rs' residence in the district Mr . Winter has beep." prominent in public life,, and 'he will bo missed by 'many.