SOUTHLAND TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3801, 18 January 1927, Page 35

SOUTHLAND TOPICS.

(Fbom Oub Own Corresf indent.) ’ INVERCARGILL, January 15. The weather experienced throughout Southland recently has been very favourable for growing, and there is plenty of feed in all parts of the province. Haymaking has been carried on very extensively during the past few weeks, the weather conditions during’ the holidays being ideal for that work. A great deal of hay is being saved for the winter feeding. All the crops are doing particularly well, although the lamb feed and turnip crops are later than usual. The crops of ryegrass which may be seen in all parts of Southland are very fine, and the somewhat slow growing . season followed by good weather for ripening crops leads farmers to expect to harvest heavy yields of good seed. Although shearing is still being carried on, most of the stations are cut out. The wool is coming off in very good order, being bright and clean, and showing no signs of weakness; and it is expected that the Southland clip "will, on the whole, be in better order thamJor some years past. Several clips have been sold privately this season, although it is considered that the farmers would do better to patronise the auction sales. The freezing works have now started operating without any of the troubles which are affecting the northern works, and lambs are coining forward freely. They are drafting out much better than was anticipated some few weeks ago, and have done better since the weather has become warmer. The dairy farmers have experienced a good season, and many of them have seed to spare, which is being used by stocking up with a few sheep, which invariably show a good return for the initial outlay. . The stock market is very quiet. I Southland’s live stock statistics give I some interesting information. They show • that at January 1, 1927, there were in ! Southland 25,558 horses, 73,128 dairy cows, 158,875 cattle (including dairy cows) ; 1,398,862 sheep shorn; 821,571 lambs tailed, and 11,191 pigs. The second annual tournament of the Southland Croquet Association was concluded on Saturday, January 8. As the Pesult of rain in the morniug the greens were rather slow, and the play on the whole was rather below championship standard. The singles championship was won by Mrs M’Creath, of. Gore, who throughout the tournament played consistently and showed skill and judgment in her games. She had no difficulty in winning straight out in the best of three games. Mrs M’Crorie, former Otago champion, was her _■ opponent, and after a strenuous morning was obviously tired when she commenced the final. The doubles final was .very evenly contested, Mrs Telfer and A. 11. Aitken (Gore) winning by four points from Mrs M’Creath and Miss Durham (Gore). From information received, by wireless from the C. A. Larsen, the mother-ship of the Norwegian whaling fleet engaged in the Ross Sea. the whalers are having a comparatively good season. Since the bi-weekly service to Stewart Island began on December 18 no less than--1800 passengers have been taken over there by the Bluff Harbour Board’s tug, the Theresa Ward, this number being 300 in excess of the number for the same period in 1925. The 'greatest number visited the Island over Christmas and the New Year, and now more are.coming away than are going. Ou the other hand, fairly large numbers are visiting Queenstown.

On Tuesday a poll was taken for the purpose of electing seven members of the Waihopai River Board, for which 14 candidates had been nominated. The following candidates were elected:—Messrs J. J. Gilfedder (117), H. H. Dawson (116), J. R. Brown (115), C. Sauuders (103), T. A. Barker (102), Robert Grieve (102), F. Holmes (102). The former chairman of the board, Mr J. M’Neill, topped the list of unsuccessful candidates with 92 votes. The death occurred at Dunedin on January 7 of Mr James Fleming, one of the early pioneers of Southland, who was an active member of many of the public bodies of the province from the earliest days of settlement to the day of his death. The iate Mr Fleming was born in Lanarkshire, Scotland, in 1851, and landed'at Bluff with his father and mother in December. 1862. having come out to New Zealand in the ship Storm Cloud. His father settled at Rakahouka, where he took up some land, which he developed along progressive lines. On his death - n 1893 his-sons divided the property, James taking the homestead block, and his brother William the northern portion. Both farms were successfully developed, and were recognised throughout the province as being model farms. From his youngest days the late Mr Fleming took a deep interest in the public affairs of the province, being associated at an early age with the Southland Ploughing Association. He was for many years a member of the Southland Agricultural and Pastoral Association, of which he became a director and later president, an office which he held for some years. It was during his term, of' office that a change was effected m the location of the show grounds, and the society to-day owes much to his business and administrative ability. Mr Fleming was also a most energetic member of the Southland County Council, and while representing the Awarua riding, he "was instrumental in having many progressive steps taken, not the least important of which was the readjustment of the boundaries between the Awarua, Waihopai, and Wallacetown ridings, which resulted in these ridings sharing equally the cost of the upkeep of the main north and east roads, which had hitherto been borne by the Awarua riding alone. He was twice chairman -of the County Council, once in 1905, and again in 1913. Sir Fleming also rendered-valuable service to Southland as a-member of’the Southland Land Board,' his- expert knowledge of land proving very valuable, -especially during the boom period of - soldier settlement, when his firm stand against the excessive ivalues then, ruling saved not .a- few pros-? pective settlers . from .suffering heavy losses. Mr Fleming was a valued member of the Southland Hospital Board, of which

he , was for- a time chairman. He served on the’board for a quarter of a century; and always took a keen interest in the farm work at various institutions governed by the board.. Recently he gave further evidence of his interest in hospitals and his public spirit by giving to the Southland Hospital Board some acres of land at Hew valued at £5OO to complete the site for the new hospital which it is proposed to erect there. Mr Fleming was a keen bowler, and was president of the Southland Bowling Club. He was a man of the highest personal honour, of strict probity in his business dealings, and so conducted his life that he won the respect of all who were associated with him.

There also passed away during the week a gentleman whose name was closely associated with the early history of Invercargill. The late Mr Lavington George Roope, who died on Wednesday after a lingering illness, "was born in Hobart, Tasmania, in 1844, and came to Invercargill in 1878 as manager of the first branch of the Bank of Australia to be opened in that town. He occupied that position for three or four years, and retired to go into business as a general merchant in partnership with the late Mr Joseph Stock. This partnership was dissolved about 1887, when Mr Rome purchased the Southland Brewery from Mr Thomas Surman. This business Mr Roope carried on until local no-license was carried, when he built a brewery just over the border of the no-license area, a.he was actively engaged in the conduct of this business at the time of his death <He was popular, open-handed, and generous to a fault, giving largely to help any struggling cause. He distributed a great deal of private charity, and did uot seek publicity for his good actions.