SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3312, 5 September 1917, Page 27

SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) INVERCARGILL, September 1. The silting- of Iho Supreme Court in Invercargill this week was "a short one, lasting from Tuesday 10 Friday, there being? only one criminal case. A ease of pretty general interest in Southland was an appeal l by Mr James King against 1110 action of the Southland Land Beard in forfeiting his lease with right to purchase of a block of land at the Waiau. Mr King did not fulfil the condition of compulsory residence, and was allowed 12 months' exemption on his representing that there was no road uccess. At the end of that term the board decided that the road access was sufficient, and gave Mr King i'ou- months in which to build a house and fulfil the residential clause, and, as he did not comply with their requirements, they forfeited the lease. The peculiar feature of the whole case was that Mr King was himself a member of the Land Board while the matter was under consideration. His Honor Judge Sim reserved his decision. Mr Charles lUingworth, vho has been a member of the oifiee staff of <h© Invercargill Corporation for the past 10 years, has been appointed town clerk of Mataura, vice Mr Frank Mehzies, who lias accepted the position of town clerk at Taihape, Korth Island.

Lieutenant J. A. M'Queen. son of Mr John M'Queen, managing director of tlia Southland Frozen Meat Co., lias been awarded the Military Cross for sjallantrv in the field.

The Southland dairy factor)' companies are now issuing their annual reports, which are extremely satisfactory. The price paid for butter-fat this year is an easy record, running in many cases to Is Sd and even* Is 9tl. The general run of prices last "year was Is 4d to Is ad, and in on? or two cases as high as Is Cd. • Before leaving the service of the Matawroi Borough Council Mr Frank Menzies was entertained by the members and presented with an illuminated address, 'ndicating J.ho high esteem in which Mr Menzies is held. The presentation was made by 'the Mayor (Mr Lowden}, who expressed keen appreciation of the value of Mr Men/.:es'a services, and of the pleasant relations that had been maintained between him and members of the council. Mr Menzies, in replying, expressed gratification at finding his efforts so highly appreciated. It had been a great pleasur» to him to serve the council. One of the case.; brought before the Supreme Court this week was a claim by ilio Wairio Railway Company against Wm. Smith of £221 ss, and £25 damages, or the return of certain mining plant. From tho evidence it appears that the plaintiffs had been mining on a certain area which subsequen+ly came into the possession of Mr Smith. The company did not remove its plant, which Mr Smith continued to use. Some of it was returned from time to time, and the claim wm for the remainder, Hia Honor Judge Sim disallowed some of the items, and gave a verdict for dCS3 JBs Cd and costs.

Mr J. J. Schultz still leads in the egglaying competition, his tallv b'-'ng 47C eggs. Mr John Stevens comes fourth with 450. Tho following resolution has been adonted bv the Southland Reform Council:—"That this council strongly urges 'hat the recommendations of the National Efficiency Board that a poll on national prohibition be carried out without delay, in order that tho people may have the opportunity of qualifying themselves to bear th» burden of war bv destroying the of all prcventablo obstacles to. iv. t'onal "fficier>cv of even? kind; and that, pending ths taking of the poll, •lis practical restyic'ioris suggested by the board in regard ( o 0 o'clock closing be put into immediate operation." After the ra»etins: ff Ihe Tnvercar.gill borough C-cun '' on Thursday evening Mr Charles Illinpwort.h. who liaa been appointed town clerk o' -' itaura, was entertained by councillors and of the municipal staff and presented with a purse of sover-* eigns. The presentation was made by Mx T. W. "Walker, town clerk, who spoke of Ms Illingworth as having b?en a good, capable, and courteous servant of the council, and hoped he would have a° successful a career as Mr Menzies. who. like Mr Tllingworth, has gained his experience in the Invercargill municipal offices, and h«d become town clerk of Mataura. and was Je«v'-><- that town for T"'ihape. Councillors Br -1 r hex members of staff spoke in a r : m ; !:u' strain. Mr Tllingworth made an apm-oprmte acknowlcdg* ment. in th« course of which he said he hoped +o rmhold the tr-dif ions of the Invercargill Corporation office in his new ap«

point-men t. For using Lis house nt Lindisfarne ns a' pipes of resort t.>r *hfl consumption of liquor, n man named Curios Pnmcw -cv ; :r on Thursday, ni ihe Invworerill • Police Court, fined £CI and cos 1 ;*. TV information was Jnid in consequence of complaints by neighbours.

Tt is understood that Mr L. Birks. the (Jevernmeut cleclr'aal expert, will Inspect various Southland districts during the next two weeks with a view to reporting on the

possible sources of electrical supply, and will lecture at each ce7itre. A committee l-Dprcsentmg tha Invercargill Borough Council and the Southland League has sketched out an itinerary covering from the Oth to the 14th ins't. . . Detective M'llvency, at one time stationed at Invercargill, has been promoted to tlie position of chief detective for the Cantorbury district. ~ In the course of a lecture on Continuation Education," delivered before the invercargill School Committees' Association on* ridav ever.ing, Dr Hansen, Director of technical Education, said that he would welcome compulsory continuation education lor the Whole of the Dominion, including English lterature, history, physical culture, and manual training Continuation education, m his opinion, should be free, and should be continued up to 18 years of age. On Thursday evening at the Federal lea Rooms Mr A. J. Geddes was presented by the Southland Rugby Union with an illuminated address setting forth the union s appreciation of his services to Rugby football during the past 20 years, and especially as president during the past three years, in acknowledging the presentation Mr Geddes eai'd that the pleasure he had experienced as player and as official had amply repaid him for any services he might have rendered.