SOUTHLAND TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3889, 25 September 1928, Page 35

SOUTHLAND TOPICS.

(Fnou Oub Own Cobrkspondemt.) INVERCARGILL, September 22. There has been plenty of rain this week x to make the grass sprout and the spring flowers droop in the mud. In addition high winds have raged. Outdoor operations on the farm have been hindered, and sheepmen will view a continuation of such conditions with alarm, as lambing is becoming general now. Alost of the dairy factories have reopened, and the intake in many cases is ahead of that at the beginning of last season. I hear that large numbers of factories have sold their output to the end of the year at 9£d per lb. In this case dairy farmers should have little to complain of for 1928-29. A moi ement that should have farreaching effects in the agricultural de--1 elopment of Southland is the formation of boys and girls’ clubs. These will be under the aegis of the Department of Agriculture, and will aim at teaching the future -farmer and his wife how to employ science as an aid in securing the best results from the land. A modest commence*' ment will be made with a potato-growrfia-competition. Twenty-one schools representing 160 competitors will participate, and good seed and manures have been supplied by the department. ni °st beautiful spring flowers in th® ■/, district were to be seen in „ ® Radio Theatre on Friday, when the Winton Horticultural Society held its annual spring show. Although it is somewhat early in the season for Invercargill blooms to be at their best, it did not seem to be so at Winton, for the judges expressed warm gratification at the hi-di standard of the exhibits.

The Southland Agricultural and Pas< toral Association, like many other organisations, is in need of shekels, and at present a queen carnival is in progress throughout the province with the object of raising funds, and at the same time giving beautiful country girls the opportunity of coming out from under the bushels into the glare of the footlights. Concerts and dances are being held in honour of the different princesses, the lucky one of whom will blossom forth ultimately as a full-blown queen. _ lliis is Bluffs jubilee year, and the residents of the port are making great preparations for worthily celebrating the occasion. The big day will be Wednesday, October 3, when a gala will be held. A monster procession will parade through the town, and halt at Argyle Park, where Captain Cook and his party will arrive and be accorded a Native welcome. An axemen’s carnival, races for young and old, and a band concert will make the afternoon replete with entertainment. Lumsden is another town that is holding a gala day. The Northern District capital will be en fete this coming- Wednesday, when processions, pageants, tableaux, and a fancy dress ball will keep everyone in carnival mood. The fact that Lumsden possesses such a beautiful domain should add to the success of the function. <Just how much enthusiasm can achieve was made manifest at Riversdale this week, when the bazaar organised in aid of the Catholic Church was crowned with success. An ever-increasing congregation has made it imperative that the church be enlarged, while the wish has long* been expressed that the grounds should be made more beautiful. As the result of the bazaar the fund for these purposes will be greatly augmented. That Stewart Island is gradually coming into its own is- evident from the way accommodation is being booked up for the summer holidays. Never before has there been such a rush, particularly during Christmas and New Year. The great service that Air D. Gilchrist has rendered the farming community of the Eastern District by his intelligent interest and scientific knowledge as a member of the Farmers’ Union was acknowledged publicly by a presentation of an illuminated address to him by the Waikaka Valley branch of the Farmers’ Union. At the same time the opportunity was taken to congratulate Air Gilchrist on the honour recently conferred upon him of being elected an honorary life member of t-he New Zealand Farmers’ Union.

The football season is rapidly drawing to a close, and as far as Southland is concerned the end is proving not a climax, but an anti-climax. Prior to this week the Alaroons had won six out of the seven representative games played. On Wednesday a strong Wellington team, including Porter and M’Kenzie, who came to Invercargill after participating in the test, won by 19 points to 15. On Saturday came the debacle. A thousand Southlanders travelled to Dunedin to see the Dark Blues go down. Even Otago supporters confidently expected the Alaroons to win. punters giving points in. But alas for the prophets, Otago gave Southland an unmerciful hiding, and the Alaroons end the season with six wins and three losses. It looked as if South-\ land’s pack was stale. The selector here here should have taken a line out of Otago s book and played some country men.

Another surprise in the football world was created at Gore on Wednesdav. when the Sports Cup was wrested from Eastern by the Northern District representatives. The latter never made the issue look doubtful, and by lifting the cup did much -good for the game, as the trophy has been too long in Gore. Northern will have to sustain a challenge from Western before the season ends. Summer sports will be in full swing in a week or so. The annual meetings of practically all the clubs have been held. Tennis has commenced in earnest on some of the courts, and as soon as the grass permits, cricket and bowls will begin.