SOUTHLAND TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3743, 8 December 1925, Page 59

SOUTHLAND TOPICS.

IFbom Ou» Own Cokbkspondent.) INVERCARGILL, December 4. A good deal of rain has fallen of lute, the warm rains of the past two weeks having helped on lato crops considerably. Thj weather continues unsettled, rain and strong wind being experienced, with one or two days on which the sun shone but half-heartedly. Our summer weather has not yet arrived. The oat market shows a slightly brisker trade being carried on, and should improve considerably this month. B grade Gartons are very difficult to procure, shipping quotations for A grade Gartons being ss. A keen demand from the North Island for ryegrass has set in, and supplies of 271 b to 281 b seed are rare. The demand for crested dogstail is fair, while although chaff is scarce the demand is slow. Despite the backward season Southland is looking very well at the present time. The broken weather which ushered in the spring retarded work on the farms considerably, but during the last few weeks conditions have improved a great deal, and prospects are good, crops having made satisfactory growth. Probably the narvest will be delayed a month or so, but this should not matter greatly. Most of the turnip crops for winter fodder have now been sown, and the main winter crops of chou-moellier are going in daily. A considerable number of acres of oats have been sown, and also tares and peas, to be used for hay or ensilage to use in conjunction with the other winter feed. Shearing ia now general, and results have been satisfactory to date, the clip in most cases being a good one. It is always a matter of comment amongst visitors to Southland from the north that farmers here do not grow more shelter belts about their properties. Especially on dairy farms, a good shelter belt for the bad weather would avoid much of the trouble at present experienced locally. This is the decreased returns of butter-fat which many of the dairy factories show, and which is accounted for by the cold and wintry weather. Many farmers depend on their monthly milk cheques as practically the only ready cash received, and it is estimated that for October and November many thousands of pounds sterling has been paid out than for the same period last year. One important factory shows a decrease of about 200 cans per week, in October 96£ per cent, of last year’s butterfat being received, and in November only 75 per cent, of that for the same period in 192*. . . , , A particularly heavy criminal session ot the Supreme Court marked this quarter. The cases, as so often occurs in the higher court, were of a most unsavoury nature, with the exception of charges of theft against two men, being concerned with sexual matters of one sort or another. A case was also heard in which a Gore police constable was charged with negligent driving and causing actual bodily harm to a young lady. The man, Dusting by name, was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment. For having carnal knowledge of » K lrl under 16 a Wyildham man named Henery received three years’ imprisonment and for all unnatural offence against a small boy a man named Collett, who recently went through the Bankruptcy Court, was senfenced to 10 years. Crofts and Lewer, on charges of breaking and entering, received four years’ imprisonment and two years probation’ B respectively, and a man named Hughes, charged with aggravated a~ W ForTco’fple of weeks a certain amount of overcrowding. this, SMom l arv remedied by the removal of tl» seco ™“ y _ liipitc to some other building, -i I e * h b t, funds was not very successful, dded exhibits in the court. The arrangement of certain exhibits will be altered to see if more space cannot th The b Gore a Agricultural and Pastoral eition’s forty-fourth summer show, held on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, was a very successful one in every wav, the takings at the gate being £24 in of year’s and the weather satisfactory. The entries were not quite as large as last yeai, but good competition in all classes was as- | The dairy produce section entries bowed a good increase. Side-shows were well patronised, while the show ring competitors caused considerable interest, and provided some excellent displays On Friday the Wvndham’s Society s tfhmial show was held in fine, weather, the public turning up in a gratifying manner and all classes* of exhibits being well filled. Here, t«> the jumping and other competitions ' ar ?he d biggest ’southland Show, and one of the biggest fixtures in New Zealand, opens on Tuesday next, when his Excellency the Governor-General. Sir Charles Fergusson, while on a visit to Southland, will he present The entries this year are well up to last' year’s standard, except in the horse sections where a decrease of 101 is shown. In cattle classes there are 378 entries, an increase of 25 on last year; in sheep an increase of 80 is to he noted, this year 385 entries having been received. Pigs show an increase of 33 1-3 per cent,, but as last, year onlv six were entered this does not make the figure a large one. The total entries nro 1155 (over 1136 last vear)—* gratifying increase all round ot 19. Given good wonther, the fixture promises to he as siireessful ns any Southland A. and T. Association’s show in the past. The entries in the numerous events at. the Otaiitnu Athletic Society's nnnitnl sports on Wednesday were not so numerous as plight have been exneeted. but some > spflieientlv intonating competition was seen. The weather wns fairly good, and the nubile turned nut. in largo numbers for the day’s events. 1 lie finishes in the shorter events provided some excitement, but. in the larger track events the fields were very scattered nt the tape, and no sensational limes were recorded. Tho track wns good. There was some disappointment shown over the judge s decision in tho Sheffield Handicap, awarded to C. Bone, n consistent performer, but, lik* the poHcerrvm’s, the indie’s lot is not a happy ono. Tli bu shorn ft events showed lie* W entries. and provided excitement, G. VVhipp,

ex-Pahia champion, winning tho 15-in 'i v.h. Chop Handicap.