SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3148, 15 July 1914, Page 38

SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES.

(Faoit Cun Own Cohheepomdewt.l INVERCARGILL, July 11. The Town Council, at Thursday evening’s •meeting, decided, to send the town clerk to Wellington to interview the Public Trustee with regard to that gentleman s refusal to hand over to the council the £20,000 left to the town by the late Mr John Feld wick for the improvement of Victoria Park. At the meeting it was claimed by one councillor that the Public Trustee’s action would result in a loss of £BOO.. The following gentlemen have been nominated for seats on the Southland Education Board; —Eastern district, Mr John MaoGibbon (only nomination); Central, Messrs W. N. Stirling and George ritoveii?; Wostern —Mr John Fisher, and Messrs John Findlay and P. de la Perrollc. . This year there is going to-be a choir contest at the forthcoming Competitions, three town and. two country choirs having entered. A conference between dairy factory directors and representatives of the Dairy Factory Assistants’ Union is to be held in Invercargill on the 24th inst. to cqnsider the union’s demands. The wages claimed range from £3 5s per week of six, days for first assistants in first-class factories to £2 15s for junior assistants. It is claimed that all assistants shall have one day’s holiday for cucli week worked —i.e., e&cli iissist&nt sliiili have six weeks’ holidays in a year. At a meeting of members of the Invercargill Musical Union, held on Thursday evening, it was reluctantly decided to disband, “after 25 years’ good work. Mr Ohas. Gray, who has been conductor all those years, wrote reviewing the position and enclosing his resignation. The resignation was accepted with regret, several members taking advantage of the opportunity to express their appreciation of the splendid work done in Slouthland by Mr Gray. The Chairman, Dr Hogg, claimed that, had it not been for the union and the ability and energy of its conductor, the nast 23 years would probably have been very barren years musically. . Mr H. Bowers, who was inspector of factories hero for the past six years, has been promoted to Christchurch, and leaves for his new post in about a fortnight. The house and section at the foot of Don street, so long occupied by the late Mr D. L. Matheson and more recently by Dr Ewart, was sold by Messrs Wm. Todd and Co. yesterday for £3050 1 to the Public Trust Department, who, it is understood, intend to erect a large block of offices. Mr Alexander Hamilton, who has been manager of the National Bank at Riverton for the past seven years, has been promoted to the position of manager at Oamaru ; and Mr C. R. Barratt, accountant in the National Bank, Invercargill, has been promoted to be manager at Riverton. The Government has agreed to give £3BOO for tlio erection of’a school to accommodate

* 300 pupils and for a teacher’s residence at George street, South Invercargill. Inspector Hendry and Mrs Hendry, who are about to take a trip to the Home Country, were entertained by the staff of the Education Board on Friday and presented with a travelling rug for Mrs Hendry and a solid leather suit case and pipe for Mr Hendry. The annual meeting of the Southland Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was held in Allen’s Hall on Thursday evening, and was only poorly attended. The chairman, Mr J. L. M‘G. Watson, said that the society’s work for the first year had been satisfactory in the moral effect it was creating. There had been a number of prosecutions for cruelty, and in every case there had been a conviction. The Society bad now a membership of 221, and he appealed to members to undertake to get • each a new member so as to help the influence and the finances of the society. The inspector, Mr R. W. Robson, =aid that he had investigated 75 cases of alleged cruelty during the year, and the society’s work was having a good effect. Archdeacon Packe spoke of the great good done by the society at Home during past' years. He preached a sermon every year on the duty of kindness, and suggested That the ministers of the various denominations should be asked to do the same. The past week has been one of. the most active in the life of the' recently-formed Southland League. The public meetings have been most enthusiastic, and important branches have been formed at Lumsden, Wyndham, Orepuki, and Riverton. The farback country is giving its no small measure of support to this progressive association, and as an instance it might be mentioned that at Birchwood a branch has been formed with a membership of no loss than 75, including 20 of the female sex.