The Southern Cross. PUBLISHED WEEKLY. INVERCARGILL, SATURDAY, APRIL 27 General News.

Southern Cross, Volume 9, Issue 4, 27 April 1901, Page 8

The Southern Cross. PUBLISHED WEEKLY. INVERCARGILL, SATURDAY, APRIL 27 General News.

drain (writes our Otautau correspondsn.) is pouring steadily into Tothill, Watson, and Co.’s store, and also into the railway goods shed, but the big rush is not yet on. Were oats a better price I hare no doubt it would be different. At the end of 1900 there were 603 solici tors in the colony, or one to every 336 male adults. There are three members of the legal profession in the Invercargill Borough Council —namely, Messrs Longuet (mayor) , Lillierap, and Macalister (councillors). Messrs J. Bennie and Sons, the well-known nurserymen, call attention to their stock of bulbs, roots, and tubers. One of Invercargill’s old identity boot makers, Mr J. Kirwan, intimates that he has left his former premises in Dee-street, and may now be found in premises in Esk street, where he has a first-class stock to choose from. As heretofore, sewn work will be a speciality. It is notified by the Education Board who hare taken charge of the local Technical Classes, that students will be enrolled on Thursday and Friday next, and that work will begin on Monday evening, 6th May.

Mr W. B. Scandrett publishes particulars and prices of several desirable properties which he has for disposal.

A sitting of the Assessment Court to hear objections to the revised district valuation rolls for Awarua Riding, Outlying Invercargill Road District (merged), and Oteramika District wils be held at Invercargill on Monday, 6th May.

Having safeguarded the ratepayers so far as the inspection of meat is concerned, the mnnicipal authorities of Invercargill have gone a step further, and intimate that after Tuesday next all pork intended to be sold for human consumption must be slaughtered and inspected at tho local abattoirs.

Mr W. G. Gilchrist, whose songs and accompaniments are welcome features at some of our social gatherings, had a pleasant surprise the other morning, when Mr E. Wright and several other members of the Southland Rifles waited on him and asked his acceptance of a set of handsomely mounted carvers as a recognition of his services at the entertainments given by the corps. Mr Gilchrist warmly thanked the donors for their unlooked-for gift.

According to Mr W. B. Scandrett, who is in a position to speak with authority, the owners of the Crescent block, from the National Bank to J. G. Ward and Co.’s offices, pay on the whole, for ordinary and special rates, 2s 2d in the £ on the annual value to let, which equals £426 13s 2d per a»num, whereas under the proposed system of rating on unimproved value, they will pay £Bl ss.

At the last meeting of the directors of the Caledonian Society of Southland, Mr W. Martin presiding, a substantial donation was voted to one of the directors who has been laid aside by illness for some months. This kind and thoughtful action was supplemented by a resolution to the effect that the officers of the Volunteer corps and the Pipe Band be asked to co-operate in arranging an entertainment to enable the member in question to visit the Hot Springs. The cause is a most worthy one, and we feel sure th-' movement initiated by the Society will be heartily supported.

A young man Rockstrow, undergoing a sentence of one month’s imprisonment for killing trout by means of dynamite, attempted to escape from gaol on Thursday. He scaled the wall while in the yard, but on reaching the outer wall found the gaoler (Mr Brat’oy) and Warder Hawkins quietly waiting for his descent, and beat a hasty retreat. He pleaded guilty when charged before Mr McCarthy S. M, yesterday, and added that the wall was so low that it was a temptation to ptisoners. The magistrate said that he would impose a sentence (six months) that would enable the authorities to transfer the prisoner to another gaol if they wished, and so place him beyond the reach of temptation.

The principal portion of the vocal section of the Dunedin Orchestral Society’s Concert, given a few evenings ago, was entrusted to a former resident of Invercargill, Miss Nellie Black, who is thus referred to in the Otago Daily Times Miss Black’s songs were ‘O Divine Bedeemer,’ and ‘ The long avenue.’ The young lady made her debut as a vocalist, and it may be said at once that the audience were quite taken by surprise at not only the rare natural quality of her voice, but also by her very excellent methods of vocalisation. She acheived a success such as is very seldom attained at any concert, and this under disadvantageous circumstances. The voung lady has been suffering from a severe cold, and is not yet out of the doctor’s bands, and the disability she was thus labouring under accounted for her inability to give utterance to one note in the Gounod number. However, she sang both songs with rare taste and skill, and some idea of the impression her singing created may be gained from the fact that after her second song she was recalled no less than three times.