SOUTHLAND NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3526, 11 October 1921, Page 23

SOUTHLAND NEWS.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) INVERCARGILL. October 8. On Wednesday Invercargill citizens wore given an opportunity of hearing- the Kaikorai Band, on its way to the Australian Band Contest at Ballarat. This fine musical combination played the test pieces from the Rotunda before a large and appreciative crowd. The band was entertained at lunch by the Hibernian Band, when Conductor A. It. Wills voiced Southland’s desire when be expressed the hope that soon we should be enthusiastically welcoming back the premier band of Australasia. The Woodlands community is to be congratulated on the general activity noticeable in that thriving country township. The up-to-date dairy factory, which lias made a very satisfactory forward sale for its output for 1921, is assured of a wide : supply area, and already the directors have i evidence of an exceptionally busy season. The local school, under Air J. A. (..‘ashen, hohls a. very fine record in the sporting field this year, and in contests with Invercargill school teams has emerged with very , creditable success. T his country school, ; with its limited roll number, won the Girls’ j Hockey ( up, a senior primary school ■ trophy, which for the past five years lias 1 been in the possession of the Invercargill j Midd e School. The Woodlands boys’ foot- ‘ ball team, too, proved to be a very good | side, and in all their games reflected very | great credit on their teacher. Woodlands | is to be congratulated, too. on the enI deavours made by some of its people to ; establish a literary and donating society on ! progressive lines. They have just concluded a most succosful winter session, during winch a varied and interesting programme has realised the fullest hopes of the promoters of this important scheme. iob young and oid have become fully intere 'ed in tnis important part of civic life. During the year the Woodlands Society has Keen in close touch with the Invercargill branch of the W.F.A. movement, and on several occa.-ions representatives : from Invercargill have given lectures to appro-' iativo audiences in this centre. The zeal wirh which the whole scheme has been carried through so successfully should not only augur well lor next year’s operations, bur ‘-hoidd he an object-lesson to other : country districts in Southland, where there :is '.vailing for the enthusiast fine material I to be moulded into just such a creditable ! 1 ty as is achieving success in Wood--1 lamK ! E- G. Blake s caustic criticism I levelled at the Southland Powc-v Board’s i ( 1 minisiration of the electric scheme lias been closely followed in Southland oerj tamly with mixed feelings, and at first it seemed that . the hoard would with a haughty disdain completely ignore tho imimputation of “sejuandermania,” an i’. G. Blake inspired term; but it is with general satisfaction that we have heard that tne Rower Board is about to issue a detain'd report of its past operations, which Hint body declare-, will completely demolish th !\ hterary batteries of their persistent critic*. '■''ho exceptionally mild spring, which continues to give Ihe lie to those who constancy malign the province of .Southland, is already causing some concern lest we he faced with a mild drought—a condi,|nrn °* affail a - unusual as it would ho uni or runate. The visitor to the conutrv s--cs m the unused fields of winter feed t.ie jo oof Ob rm.dness of Hie early spring i vhir ‘h ]u!S provided for tl,o stock moie ten piling a ?ul succulent herbage. litimf-i's in Soufhlaiiil, in common vifh i:"i>o imii.ji-tant producer? farther afield, itro by r io moans reassured as t n ; i a ;ps°fl grmvinjr stability of our tvinlii ioraUv sound markets, despite the a-auj-iin-e of onr lately relumed chief stnie.mm'i. The I’iie collapse of the sheep marker, and B !f > instability facin'' them in dairying are mnknjy the lot. cn our nrio-t imporittnl in Netv Zealand a very difficult one. of the soutid.imt Girls’ lii-di Scho ; landv been itiiiininied IO a Emil:,,-' j Xirjnn m Dunedin. While Mis s idina’s fnvere,i r;; ii 1 herds v.ould cone rr, i nlafe her or mi l •’•'WVC.I promotion to ;i larger -’'‘l'b ?!| l rcxlisp that- her departure f*om ■ nvi i'ca: © :|| will he a dinirief loss to the iii^mct lv ]..opular with her staff “ pupils. Mis s Ring has cert.ainlv siamred her personality upon the v-i./i, 1 h h’,.|, sl u , has oi-ganised'so capably. Tf. j s no t. hoivconly in ilia iltgli School e lie re this luttod l.ulv v ill he missed, for d ll rirg the !”-<r few veil,- M-'-s (Citia- has cojah-fcd with increasing populartv and success a class tn Kntrlish literature under the auspices of th,-- U .K.A. inovemeitt. The success which has attended this local branch of extra mural univer.-itv work is in no small measure dec to the fine work done by Miss .TCin.g. Xo doubt in this direction invercu.rgiJl s loss will be Dunedin’s gatin. A very fine concert was given <at UlufT last week, v-dc-n the 1 iiverc-aruill Competii:ons Society arranged a programme bv some of the prize winners at the recent Invercargill festival. Unfortunately a picture attraction of unusual drawing power diverted the Bluff pleasure seekers in the direction of the lighter amusement; but the audience that listened to the Inveicargill party made up for lack of numbers by enthusiastic appreciation. The concert, which was a varied one, was voted bv iho Bluff patrons to be one cf the best concert's ever given in the port. A very enthusiastic gathering at Makarewa recently conferred upon Mr E. F. Kelly the very high appreciation of the Blanks of the district for that gentleman’s fine- work -is chairman of the milk suppliers of the l ride; wood (. AJ r Ivollv’s work. whi< h lias been difficult, lias been so efib’-onlly carried out that the residents felt (hat- it was neooss.U'v to ('xpie-s their th.aiiks in a very practical way.