SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3338, 6 March 1918, Page 23

SOUTHLAND NEWS NOTES.

(From Our Own Corresponbknt.) INVERCAHGILIj, March 4. The Patriotic Uyinkhuna, under the auspicea of tho Caledonian Society, waa he;tl on Wednesday, the weather being! favourable for a goad attendance, the objeot ot tlie leie being to raise funds for trench comforts at the iront. The gathering, which waa hold on the Show (Grounds, waa preceded by an elaborate" decorative procession through the main streets of the town. Practically ths whole of Invercargiil's population lined the sixceis to view the pro-' cession, which was headed by a good reprol- - of a fighting *" tank," built by tha railwayman, and allowing the . expenditure of much thought and no little labour oa its finiah. Tne decorated vehicles, etc., which followed the leader received thcil full shore of admiration from the. crowd. Messrs Herbert, H&ynes, and Co., - the i.M-C.A., Messrs Thomson and Co., ano} Messrs William Lewis and Co. made very effective shows. The vehicles were followed by several decorated cycle teams, _ which snowed much originality by those" responsible, the lady employees of the Corporation, the Technical College, and the Jttlgn School girls being the oest. The whole procession was a complete success, and formed a most useful introduction to the afternoon's entertainment. The programme at the Show Grounds was a varied one of sports, dancing, and piping, each event being well contested. The side. shows were numerous, and earned a good return, while ihe baby show yielded a large number of entries and attracted considerable attention. Z As a wmd-up to the day's enjoyment a, concert, consisting mainiy of Scottish items, was held in the Municipal Theatre in the evening, when it was announced that tne day's proceedings had nested over JESOO up to that time, with a considerable sura still to come in. A disastrous tire broke out in Fleming and Oo.'s cereal mill at Gore on Friday inornt mg, the building, which was a four-story one, being totally destroyed. The Fire .brigade, however, was able to save the other portions'of the plant from destruction, the silo, with its storage bin* for oats, etc.. being saved, although the contents will most likely be damaged by smoke and water. Th-J engine-room also is practically intact, but the boileivroom is wrecked. Fortunately the firm havo duplicate machinery; of a portion o f the mill, and as soon as a new building is erected the work of installing the duplicate machinery will be proceeded with, and the mill again got into working order. Tho insurances approximate JSaO.OOO, while the loss is estimated at about .£12,000. The latest casualty list from the front re-, polls the death of Private J. A Boss, of Fairfax; Private Kelleher, Makarewa, is dangerously ill; Captain W. Bell, Invercargill, is on the serious Jist; Private T. J. xhvyer, Bluff, has been wounded; while Private A. W. Broad, Grasmere, has been removed from the seriously ill list. Mi T. W. Foster, of Oware, Wyndham, chairman of the South Island Dairy Association, and a well-known farmer, who has taken a lively interest in all agricultural matters, took his seat on the Southland Land Board for the first time at its meeting on Thursday, and was welcomed by Mr H.. D>. M. Haszard, the Commissioner. Mr Foster takes the place of Mr Colin Robertson, who recently resigned from the board. Mr Alexander M'Gavock, for some years clerk of the Southland Land Board, who several months ago left for the military training camp, has returned to Invercargill, and will ."esume his -duties in tho local office next week. Mr M'Gavock's return is due to an accident met with while undergoing training, which will incapacitate him lront further service. The recent spell of fine weather in Southland has been very favourable for harvesting'; operations, and this work is being puskedl forward as fast as possible. Many crops are already in etook, and thrashing mills 'are commencing operations, wiih a good run to look forward to. In practically every district harvesting is in an advanced stage, and it is to be hoped the weather conditions will remain, good until all crops have been safely gathered in. The Thirty-ninth Reinforcements will be farowelled at the railway . station, to-day at 12.45 p.m. -Shorty addresses will ba delivered by his Worship tjie' Mayor and the Rev. Papakura. The Rev. Papakura will also sing a, solo to the troops before' they entrain for camp. Mr R. T. Dalzell, accountant of the Union. 'Steam Ship Company at Invercargill, baabegn transferred temporarily as chief- clerk at Suva, Fiji. The following volunteers—that is, lads who have just turned 19 or 20, have been accepted for service:—C. O. Clapp (Orepuki), A. S. Middle-miss V. W. Lows (Invercargill), W. A. Gil bee (Forest Vale), Frank Che'yne (Riverton), H. C. Bardaid (Birchwood), and W. Feaver (Invercargill'). The oyster season at Bluff commenced on Friday, and oysters were obtainable in Invercargill early in the morning. The weather was good for the opening, and the trawlers were on the beds long before daylight. At the annual meeting of the Invercargill Golf Club, held during the weak, the president (Mr R. A. Anderson) toofey'lho opportunity of presenting to Mr R. C Tennant, who is leaving Invercargill, a handsome silver-mounted oak tray, suitably inscribed, as a parting gift and tangible expression' of the club's regard, and expressed the hopa that Mr Tennant would enjoy liia wellearned leisure. Messrs A. F. Hawke, B. Russell, and G. Craickskank heartily endorsed the" president's remarks, and wished Mr Tennant good health. Mr Tennant, in thanking the club for the gift and the feeling which "prompted tha presentation, said' that he regretted that family reasons prevented him from stilj making his home in Invercargill, but hoped he would be able to pay an occasional visit to the town in which he had made so many«friendships. The residents of Bluff will" shortly be having several changes in the heads of tha schools and churches. Mr W. G. Blaekie, head master of the Bluff School, has removed to Gore this week to take up new duties there, and he will be followed by Canon Swinburn , (Anglican Church), Rev, E. W. Walker (Presbyterian), and Rev. A. H. Fowles (Methodist), who have also new charges. Canon Swinburx's successor at Bluff will be Eev. M.. Roberte, of Milton, who was for several years vicar of NorthEast Valley, and has seen active service as chaplain. Mr H. P. Butts, manager of ,ihe Bank of Australasia, Gore, has been trann('crred to Rotorua, and left for the latter town during the week. Prior to his departure ha was met by a representative gathering of citizens of Gore and m'ade the recipient ot a present with which to purchase additional literature for his library. The Mayor (Mr M'Dougall), in making the presentation, spokp of the interest Mr Butts had taken in the patriotic and other affairs of tha

township, and their regTet at losing a good citizen. Mr Butts, in making a euitable' 1 acknowledgment of the gift, said that what ho had done had been because ho waa interested in the work, and it waa a pleasure to him to give as much of hia time to it as he possibly could, •At Thursday's meeting of the -Lown, Council a letter waa read from the New Zealand Federated Employees-' Industrial Association of Workers, Auckland, stating that the Invercargill tramway employees were suffering an injustice inasmuch as the bonus of 6d por day had been withdrawn eince the award of the Arbitration Court giving an increase of 8d per day. lhis, the letter asserted, made the men s earnings less than a recognised living wage, and that the Government paid'to married public servants a minimum of £3 per week. Ihe association also notified that a resolution had boen passed that the council be cal}ed upon to rectify the injustice, failing which the matter would be placed j,<sfore the tramway workers throughout Jifew Zealand, with a view to a stop-work meeting being held to discuss it. After discussion as to whether notice should be taken of any communication on the subject outside the tramway employees themselves, it was decided to advise the association that the men had demanded a flat rate, which tLsy had obtained, and that the wages were similar to those paid in Christchurch.