SOUTHLAND LAND BOARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 3033, 1 May 1912, Page 18

SOUTHLAND LAND BOARD.

The monthly .meeting of the Southland Land Hoard was attended by the Commissioner (Mr G. H. M. M'Clure, in the chair). Messrs D. King, J. M'Lean, and J. Thomson. The following applications for land were approved;—Part block 11, Longwood district, two acres, Jos. Millard ; R. L. sections 381 and 382, block XIV Taringatura district, Terepa Estate, 2148 acres, Robert Miller; education reserve. The following were held over for Warden’s report:—Part block 11, Longwood district, four acres, James Fortune, R.L. Parts of original sections 110 and 111, block 11, J. ougwood district, eight acres one rood 27 poles, J H. Sorenson: M.D.L.O. Mrs Norah Teille objected to the granting of the foregoing applications Application for Title. —Section 349, Forest Hill Hundred, 164 acres, George Cunningham ; O.R.P —Approved Purchase of Lease-in-perpctuity. 41, block I, Mabel Hundred, 97 acres; T. .1 Garvey.—Ranger Maokley appointed appraiser. The following applications for transfer were approved:—Section 302, Hokonui district, 387 acres, L. A. Niederer, to T. S. T. N., and V. Butson. Section 32, block VII, Mataura, seven acres, Mary Allison and John Gray, to Wm. Allison. Section 9, block IV, East Winton township, eight acres, Edwin R. Kidd to Wm. Hamilton. Section 27, block II Mataura Hundred, 105 acres, Wm. M. Pryde to Robert Pryde. Section 3, block XXVII, town of Invercargill, one rood, Wm. Wills to John Burke. Section 5, block XVI, Longwood district, 398 acres, H. T. C. Robins and H. A. Fischer to David Marnarne. Sections 34 and 40, bjock 11, Waikawa district, 25 acres, H. Greenway to Thos. Findlay. Other applications were de#lt with as follows: —Section 29, block VI, Otara district, 134 acres John and Johanna Lines to Jas. M Sutherland —Approved, subject lo necessary declaration being lodged. Section 580, Hokonui district, 139 acres two roods 19 poles, Colin McDonald to Jas. R. Thomson.—Held over for ranger’s report. Section 140 e. block I, Brydone Village, one aero 13 poles, Hugh C. Craig to James Jewell—Recommended for approval of lion. Minister of Lands. Robert Aitken applied for reconsideration of his application to transfer section 35, block ITT. Alton district five acres, to Peter'N. M'Cubbin —Refused The Chief Surveyor submitted the following survey plans for approval;—Plan of sections 59 to 62. block IX, Campbcllfc.wn Hundred, and 50-53 and 63-6, blocks XXIV. Invercargill Hundred Plans passed and prices fixed. Plan of section 16, block 111, Longwood district, 34 acres 2 roods, renewable lease application 2512. —Plan passed.

Miscellaneous.— Moffett Bros, applied for sawmill area 327 d, block XI, Waikawa district, 192 acies. —Held over till former areas abandoned. W. H. Whitaker applied for sawmill area J 96 200 acres, with a reserve of 600 acres, block 11, Paterson district.—Recommended for approval of Hon. Minister of Lands on payment of £5 5s valuation fee. G. H. Spriggs and John Stewart ajyplied for sections 359 and 360, Forest Hill Hundred, at present held under grazing license by John A. M'Rae, 321 acres thro© roods 16 poles.—Ranger Cameron reported and made a valuation of tbo surface sowing by Mr M‘Rae —Sections to be granted and opened to application on the optional system, weighted with valuation for improvements Anthony Tecolsky offered £1 per annum for a grazing right over 40 acres, approximate, situated north of section 64, block V., Long wood. —Refused John Liidlaw offered £1 per annum for a grazing right over reserve between sections 51-6' block VI, town of Wyndham, and the Mataura Rivor, 13 acres approximate. —Ranger Cameron reported on the land, and valued tho grazing at 12s per acre.—Held over Adam Clark offered £1 per annum for a grazing right over abandoned sawmill area 415, block VIII, Jacobs River Hundred, 200' acres.—Granted subject to saw-mill rights. „ , I. W Roney offered 10s per annum for the right to occupy bridge reserve opr-osito section 5, b'ook VII, Lillburn district.— The offer was accepted.. The Southland Education Board applied frr an additional area of about one aero and a-half or two acres, being part of section. 31, Merrivale Settlement, adjoining rhe present: education reserve of 5 acres 2 roods 22 poles.—Left in Commissioner’s hands to deal with. , , . . W. C. Turnbull applied for permission to erect a building 30ft x 12ft Sin on run —Ranger Martin recommended granting of re juest.—Approved Mrs M. E. Maepherson applied for permission to erect a building 30ft x 14ft on sections 3 and 4. block Vl._ South Lumsden township. —Ranger Martin recommended granting of request.—Approved. r R. M’Ewan offered Is per acre for a grazing right over sections 11 and 13. block YTT and 9 and 11. block VIII. Waikaka town Mr E. R. Bowler, on behalf of a client requested that sections 11 and 13, block VII. bo offered for sale for cash by public auction. —Messrs Indor and Cochrane suggested that a report be obtained as to the advisability of granting the ooctupiers of land m Waikaka, town freehold titles.— Messrs Corcoran. Asher. Woodhouse, and Bennetts requested with areas in Waikaka township.—The Warden reported

that the land is auriferous, and cannot consent to the sale of the sections. Lease to be offered at auction under section 130 of •• The Land Act, 1908,” subject to all existing and future mining rights, upset to be fixed bv the Commissioner. W. Durie applied for an extension of time within which to build and reside on section 5, block X, Alton dr-Triot.—Granted six mouths’ extension, to reside. Arthur Gerrard applied under section a I of “The Land Act, 1908,” for permission to surface-sow aoout 2000 acres of pastoral runs 394 and 416.—The application was recommended for approval of the Hon. Minister of Lands. , , . , Edward Roberts applied for a dairy factory site of six acres, being part of section 14,'block IV, Cbatton district.—Tho matter was held over for warden’s report. A E. Dyson, the lessee of sections L 4 and’ 13. blodk XIX. Invercargill Hundred, applied for assistance in orcW to secure the land from river erosion.—Briard has nop, —but 'rt’l wevriit f with valuation for any improvements made Allan Galt applied to bo supplied with pipes by way of assistance in draining part sections 15. ‘block XIII. Invercargill Hundred, held by him under education lease. - Board has no power AGKiCD 1/1 i. 4 .>, ; t’ASTOUAI NLW& Harvesting was being pushed on apace during the fine weather, but the break on Thursday will delay operations to an extent which cannot yet be gauged. The cold snap, however, will not inflict any harm bejoad delay in harvesting, and it is the warm, muggy weather which the farmers are dreading. In the outer districts (reports our Balclutha correspondent) there is a good deal of crop out yet, and 1 shortage of labour is causing considerable delay It is expected that chaff, except very bright lines, will be almost unsaleable, but, on the other hand, farmers say there are prosoects of the value of wheat advancing. The Pelorus Guardian states that a dastardly act of vandalism was perpetrated cu Messrs M'Callum Bros., at Meadowbank recently. Two valuable draught horses, valued: in the aggregate at £IOO, were found to have been poisoned, one being dead when discovered and the other being in a dying condition. Farmers in the Feilding district are still getting good prices for their fat wefihera and ewes, and, with plenty of feed for tho winter, they are facing the future with an easy confidence. It is reported that those who shipped their first lambs this season have received much better prices than they were offered by the freezing companies at the time. The superintendent of the Wereroa Training Farm has received 41 boys at the institution during tho last three months. At Wcraroa experimental farm. Levin, the Government has two champion cows, as proved by their records given herewith. On Friday. April 19, Domino had been in milk 229 days, and had given a total amount of 16,5271 b with a test of 3.6. Her return for Friday was 531 b. Manola, who has been milked for 265 days, gave 501 b of milk on Friday, with a test of 3.5. For the 265 dbys her total yield has been 17,0001 b. The Gisborne dairy farmers have decided to form a testing association.

Tho entries for the dairy section in connection with the Hawera Winter Show last year numbered 31, but this year 42 factories have entered in the competition. The reapers and binders have been busy in all parts of Southland during the past few days of fine weather (says the Southland News), and though we gre now in the last week of April there are yet crops here and there that are not ripe. These are now being cut, and will be used for chaff. Potato digging has commenced in Southland now (says the Southland News), and from reports to hand the Waiau district crop will be a very poor one. On the farms in the Western District, where considerable areas were planted to help clean the land of thistles, the yields are on the light side, but the samples are clean and fair sized. At the banquet tendered to the Prime Minister recently at Manaia, Mr T. MThillips, speaking of the need for the greater production of butter-fat by breeding and testing, said that the average yield per cow for the Dominion was 2001 b. Of these 5 per cent, produced 4001 b per year, and another 20 per cent. 5001 b of butterfat, and yet the average was only 2001 b. The fame of New Zealand butter is spreading to distant places. Lately Taranaki factories have been receiving numerous inquiries from firms in America and South Africa for supplies of butter, but so great is the demand that dairy companies cannot supply half the quantity inquired for. Tho annual report of the North Otago A. and P. Association states that though the membership is increasing it is by no means what it should be for so large and prosperous a district. For the third year in succession Mr J. S. Anderson heads tho list with nominations, his total for the three seasons being 88 new members, with onlv one defaulter. Mr David Rodgers (Kauroo Hill) put in an enonretic canvass through his district, with excel lent results. Disappointment is expressed at -only 15 entries having been received for the field turnip competition, but the late period of

the season when the,competition was decided on may account for others not entering. . . The Egmont A. and P. Association made a profit of £272 on the year’s operations. Mr 0. Hawkeu, the president, in the course of his address, said it was found that a number of farmers were unable to exhibit at the show because they could not get anyone to look after their stock. Ho thought the farmers would be well advised if they formed an association to import labour. The state of the bank returns boro this out, for men were being driven out of legitimate enterprises from this cause of shortage of labour, and going in for speculation, simply to escape the laDour difficulty. With high-priced land l — he did not think it too high—they must have the labour to work it. Mr O. Hawken was re-elected president, with Mr B. (J. Lysaght as vice-president and Mr A. W. Gerties as treasurer. At a meeting of farmers and others in favour of starting a dairy factory at Kelso, alter addresses by Mr J. L. Herbert (who was in the oliair) and Mr Greig (manager of the Tapanui factory), guarantees were obtained from the owners of 150 cows. Mr J. M ; Konzie was appointed to canvass the district for additional guarantees, and a committee appointed as follows: —Messrs 'J. L. Herbert, C. W. Body, R. Thomas, J. Haughj A. S. Herbert, W. Abram, Alex. Stewart, A. M'Phedran, and E. Duff. The reduced railway services consequent upon the strike of ccal miners affected farmers in many districts. They found themselves unable to procure artificial manure for their crops a.nd food for their stock. The live stock markets were also affected, and prices advanced about towns where it was difficult to walk animals to market. The Smithfiokl Club, London, has included classes for yearling heifers of the pure breeds in the ‘schedule of the annual show. The Wairarapa and East Coast A. and P. Society has decided to put the sheep pens at the show ground under cover, and to raise funds debentures were issued which were nearly all taken up by members of the committee. The expenditure under all heads last year amounted to £2333 7s sd, and tho receipts fell short of thus sum by £539 2s Bd. The assets total £5132 4s, and exceed the liabilities by £2524 2s lOd. At a meeting of the committee of the Western District A. and P. Association, it was decided to hold the winter show at Riverton on the week previous to the Invercargill show.