SOUTHLAND NEWS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3595, 6 February 1923, Page 27

SOUTHLAND NEWS.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) INVERCARGILL, February 3. After keeping the management in suspense for a week the Ocean Beach slaughtermen stopped work last Saturday evening and have not returned. The works are now making provision to carry on with free labour, and already a fair number of hands have been signed on. This makes the second Southland works to commence free labour on account of the slaughtermen refusing to take tlie boards. Makarewa has employed free labour since the opening of the season, and there is just a possibility that trouble might develop at Mataura On Friday afternoon the public along Dee street were astonished to see a man driving a goat in a sulky and handling the animal in a skilful manner. He had not gone far, however, before the police gathered him in and charged him with driving a goat hitched to a conveyance in a public place. The man, Tony Ilesse, said that the practice was common in Australia, but the police pointed oiit that it was against the law in New Zealand. It had been Tony’s ambition to start, goat races, but his scheme was cut short by the intervention of the authorities. He was convicted and ordered to pay costs. A pigeon flying record from East Cape to Invercargill has been established by a red checker ccck of Mr D. Strang’s, which covered the distance, 820 miles, in 291 hours. Twenty-six birds were liberated, and three homed about the same time, the others being a couple of blue checker hens. The birds got a good start after being delayed by weather, and made good time on/the journey. The previous record was eight, and a-nalf days, while the Australian record w-as eleven days. Mr Strang is greatly pleased with the way in which the birds covered the journey, as he spent, a great amount of time and patience in their preparation. The wool sale held last Saturday afternoon and evening was the best auction sale ever held in Invercargill. The average price per bale should work out about £ls 10s, and the gross proceeds of the sale about £255,750, the 'total offering being 16,500 bales. Compared with 1914 prices the increase runs up to as much as lid for some lines. The sale fluctuated considerably, and in some instances the prices obtained for pieces was almost as much as that paid for the main clips. Great satisfaction ia felt in amateur athletic circles over the success of the Invercargill Club at the Dunedin championshpis. The Invercargill dub has been working under difficulties for some time, and the recent success should give the club a }>oost aloncf which it is hazily in need of. A good career -s prophesied for H. D. Morgan, who will probably be running for the Otago ’Varsity team during (he coming season. On Thursday afternoon the Invercargill stock and station agents met Mr J. T. I’. Mitchell at an informal afternoon tea to wish him a pleasant trip to England. Mr Mitchell is visiting England on business, and his many friends took the opportunity of wishing him a successful trip and ... safe return. Mr Mitchell will leave Hr England’ during the month. The proposed increase in the telephone rates was discussed at. a Chamber of Commerce meeting, when Mr R. Veitch, telegraph engineer, was present and placed the Department’s case before the Chamber. The object of the Department, was to make the system pay, and it was striving to get an intermediate rate between the low capital cost, of the ritv with its high service cost, and the high capital cost of the country with its low service cost. Many questions wore satisfactorily answered by IVIr Veitch, and the meeting succeeded in clearing up o lot of things which the members of the Chamber were uncertain about. With the recent drowining accident in the Waihopai the tepid bath movement has again been revived, and meetings will be held early next week to push the matter ahead. For a while it, has been forgotten, but, the movement is gaining ground again. A seamen’s squabble which lead to blows resulted in two seamen. John Giles and IT. Columbus, appearing in the Magistrates Court charged with creating a breach of the peace. Both were fined £4 for their little exercise, and they then departed on their way after shaking hands. The success of the stock demonstrations held by the Southland A. and P. Association last, year has resulted in that body further extending its work in this direction. On Tuesday, a successful demonstration, the first of the season, was held on Mr A. Weir's farm at Edendale. (he demonstration being on dairy cattle. Messrs Weir a.nd Brash lectured on Avrsbires and Friesians respectively, while Mr W. Alexander gave a short address on feeding. demonstration will be held at Kauana in a fortnight. The tenders for the new stand at, Bugby Park were opened by the Union on Tuesday. and a tender of £5748 was accepted for the work. The Union hopes to have the stand finished before the representative matohes start this season, and the accommodation at Rughv Park with the new stand should be second to none in the Dominion. For a time the “breezes” in the South Invercargill Borough Council had abated somewhat, but thev broke o-'f afresh at the last, meeting of the Council on Monday. Tlie trouble arose over the action of the Town Clerk in selling £IOOO worth of debentures without referring the matter to the Council After a heated argument, the Town Clerk was exonerated is. under a previous resolution of the council, he was given power to sell debentures without consulting the moml-m-c of the Council. Ranger Evans r>•wed during the week with his photographs of the moose taken on Dnskv Sound. This evidence establishes bevond question the acclimatisation of these animals in the Fiord country. Tt is over 13 years since th°v were liberated, and the investigations of Mr Evans have been welcomed on all sides bv sportsmen who have been looking for We '■! ’ o definite word of the acclimatisation of the moose. The report regarding the notomis was somewhat mutilated in transit. No photographs of this bird "-ere secured but a h ,T *d corresponding to the description of the notornis was seen. The bird was about the size of a goose and similar to a swamp hen. For sometime those in connection with tho Convent have been working toward* the erection of a bigger building in Invercargill, and last Sunday the foundation stone of the new building was laid b T Bishop Whyte, of Dunedin.

The following appeared in our Second Edition last week