SOUTHLAND NEWS

Otago Witness, Issue 3619, 24 July 1923, Page 27

SOUTHLAND NEWS

(From On a Own Correspondent.: INVERCARGILL, July 21. Influenza, of what the authorities describe as a mild type, has been very prevalent here during the week, but seems to be abating, although things are by no means normal All school rolls are seriously depleted, but no schools are at present closed. I'he Education Board has received several deputation., to have schools closed, but has declined to take action, stating the Health Department is empowered to close schools li it is considered necessary. The St. John Ambulance Association met on Thursday to consider ways and means of assisting those families in which both parents were down. The police force is very seriously depleted, and lias had to get reinforcements from other centres. So far there have been tea pneumonic cases and one death. The Rugby match against the Maori team was in many ways a great disappointment to the public, as the Southland team appeared to have the game in their hands at half time with the score at eight to nil in their favour. But they threw away the game by resorting to the old fashioned spoiling type of football, while the Maoris came out and threw the ball about even more recklessly than before, with the result that towards the end of the game they had matters all to themselves. It is feared that owing to injuries sustained by players in this match the strength of the Southland touring team will be considerably depleted. Boroman, the full-back, will definitely be unable to play in the Wellington match, while both the Oughtcns are injured in some degree. Staunton, the look, is also incapacitated. An unfortunate feature of the Maori match was that Barclay, the crack wing three-quarter of the Maori side, sustained a fractured leg and will be confined to the Southland Hospital for a month or more. He is a great loss to Ids side. Mr K. W. Gorringe, of the Department of Agriculture, has been in Invercargill during the last week. On Saturday afternoon he delivered a lecture on pig rearing, under the auspices of the Invercargill branch of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union, but despite the excellent nature of the address, the attendance was very poor, only about twenty farmers being there. Mr Gorringe expressed deep regret at the general apathy showed by the farming community in this most important matter. The speaker also delivered similar addresses at Gorge Road, Oteramika and Lumsden. A local land agent, named Wilson Hodges appeared before the Magistrate’s Court on Friday on a charge of theft of £96, the property of the Provident Life Insurance Company. The principal witness in the case was William John Williams, Dunedin manager of the Provident Insurance Company. who deposed that he had come to Invercargill on Hodges failing to render bank slips for certain amounts paid to him as agent of the company. Accused reserved his defence and was committed for trial at the next,, sitting of the Supreme Court on August 1. An inquiry into the circumstances of the death of Christopher Cooper, a waterside worker at Bluff, who died in the Southland Hospital on June 26 as the result of injuries received from a fall down the hold of the s.s. Wanaka, was held at Bluff on Monday before Mr G. Cruickshank. Some interest was taken in the case as it is understood that there may be an action for damages as a result. A verdict was returned .that death was due to a fall caused by a cope sling unshipping an unbolted hatch beam upon which the deceased was sitting. The opinion exists throughout the district that the constitution of the Main Highways Board, to sit in the North Island and deal with the road problem, is likeiy to result in places such as Southland being almost entirely neglected. The Motor Association and the Southland League have both taken the matter up, and the various members for Southland have been communicated with. During last week the weather has been generally fine, but very cold. Some districts are experiencing the severest frosts they bavo had for some years past. At

Otautau 22deg of frost were recorded the other day, and everywhere the usual trouble is being experienced with bursting water pipes and taps. There has been an unusual amount of activity at the Invercargill wharf lately owing to the arrival of three vessels engaged in timber-carrying in Foven.ux Strait. Hie Ivotare and Waterlily have brought in shipments of timber for local firms from Waikawa and Stewart Island; while the old Kekino, which has been recommissioned lor the Maori Beach Timber Company, is also in port. I’or some time past there has been considerable agitation by the shipping companies of Invercargill to have the telegraph hours between Bluff and Invercargill extended, as business was being seriously handicapped by the fact that the telegraph office at Bluff closed at 5 p.m. and opened at 9 in the morning. Tlie Southland League was induced to take the. matter up, and as a result the chief postmaster has written to that body stating that the Bluff Telegraph Office will open every evening between 7 and 8 o’clock, excent on Sundays. The sport of coursing, after a long interval, has been revived in Southland by the Woodlands Coursing Club, which, after a lengthy and energetic campaign to raise funds, has decided to hold a coursing meeting on the grounds of the Southland Kacirig Club on a date that will coincide with the annual football match between Otago and Southland. About 35 hares have been secured, and as the movement has been extensively taken up by tlie farming community a successful day’s sport is practically assured.