LOCAL AND GENERAL

Western Star, 31 March 1911, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Treasurer of the Wallace and Fiord Hospital .desires to acknowledge, with thanks tire receipt of 20s .7d from Mr D’Arcy, Orepuki, being amount collected per hospital box

On two or throe evenings lately there have been magnificent displays of the Aurora Australis, or Southern lights. The streamers shot up an immense distance into life sky, and occasionally were sq bright a» make the sea glisten like a mass of sliver,.

The Government subsidy to the Riv criun Athenaeum is without any con ditions or restrictions. The President has been advised that as soon as tile new building is up the] £250 will bo paid

The .Waiau River is lower to-day than it has ever been within the mem ory of Europeans. It is four feet lower than • its normal level. As a result the punt instead of taking three minutes to do the trip, averages fifteen, and some journeys take an hour or more. To help the traliic, sawmillcrs had to put in approaches, and to use the western one, vehicles have Ho drive along a shingly beach which, under ordinary circumstances, is never visible. The trailic has grown.! so enormously that the punt cannot ready cope with it. and us there ds no snow on the mountains to act us feeder,, it is probable thajt during the frosty weather the river will be no better than it, is now. This will be a most serious drawback to the sawmills, which give employment to sixty men, and will prevent the establishment pi others,.

it is expected .(.says the O.D« Times that during the next few week's, [owners of sheep and lambs? will be

forced into the market) ow.ing to the gradual disappearance of fodder, and it is predicted that if such is the case stock will thereafter commence to harden in price very perceptibly. At the Burnside sales on Tuesday there wore 130 head of cattle yarded and prices showed .an advance'of ,10 s per head on those ruling during the previous week. The quality on the whole was only medium. The jqu a lity of the sheep was indifferent many of the animals penned being in a,very inferior condition tod plainly .showing the effects of the drought and absence of feed..

V ' An old identity of Southland passed away at Invercargill on Wednesday .last in the person of William John Moffett, aged 71 years. The deceased gentleman was a native of Belfast, Ireland, and in 1860, when only twenty-four years of age, he sailed for Australia and tried ;h.is luck in the Victorian diggings. A year afterwards he came to New Zealand by the s.s Oscar being atltracted by the Gabriel’s Gully rush and eventually settled in Invercargill. The late Mr Moffett carried out a good cleat o! contracting work in the early days of Invercargill and erect od a number of buildings there- He speculated largely in gold mining' and spent large sums of money in prosper tins- in the Long wood ranges for a reef in which 1 place he had unbounded faith* He leaves seven sons and three daughters to mourn their loss. His wife predeceased him some four years ago.

A meeting of shareholders of the Riverton Public Hall Company was held on Thursday evening, the Mayor (Mr Mills) presiding, when!, in accordance with notice of motion, Mr Akhurst moved vthat jn the event of Mr T. More erecting a hall- in brick concrete, or iron, within eighteen months from 31st March, 1911, tho Company will close the present halll, for entertainments, reserving the right to let it to the Salvation Army.” The motion* was seconded byj Mr Armstead and supported by Messrs Price, C. E Johnstone and L. W PetcheH_ On being put to thra meeting the proposal was carried unanimously The Supplementary roll of the Borough Council closes on April 12th, and the election will take place on the 26th.

Messrs J H Mills and Son submitted 1 to auction the privileges in connection with the liivcrton Racing Club’s Faster meeting, as follows: Licensed booth, £145, Mr A. Webster confectioner’s stall. Cl 15s, Mr -las. Aitkeii; cards of races £6B H H. Rodger*. Mr Jas. Aitken’s tender of £25 was accepted for the catering.

The Nightcaps Sheep Dog Trials Association hold their annual fixture on Tuesday and Wednesday, 4th and sth April, on Mr J- Ritchie’s properly. An excellent, programme fins been arranged, and large entries are expected.

In connection with Gabriel’s Gully celebrations, tickets at holiday excursion rates will be issued from any station on the South Island Main liinc ami branches ( () Lawrence from 15th to 201 h May. available for return until 31 si Mav-

Mi‘ F. Akbui'M, who takes the liveliest interest in the Riverton Beautifying Association, during the course of a few remarks at a public function the other evening, sate! he regretted that there were many citizens who diid n o t subscribe to the funds of the Association. Considering the object of the Association, all who could afford it should subscribe something. They had done good work so far. but more funds were re ,wired to keep tho thing going. lie hoped subscriptions would roll in.

'!'o-'diftV is tlio last day for Ihe re glistrMlion of Factories. The fees art tb ‘He paid to Constable Matbe-um who is the Inspector appointed fo: this district.

Aft the social to Mr Cavell on Tuesday evening, Mr McKinnon, the new postmaster, was introduced to the company, Mr Cavell said he was

President af the Post and Telegraph Association of New Zealand, and they could understand from that that he was a gentleman of ability.

He was a good musician, and in ■that particular a rt hd 'should bo a decided acquisition to the town. Mr McKinnon said from that time henceforward he would take it that be had been introduced individually, and would not stand upjou ceremony. When coming down he lmd__ heard glowing accounts 0 f Riverton from Mr Owens, a former P.M., who asked to be remembered to quite a large number of people. Mr Owens said he ■ i-i d him .(the Speaking vl' River ton-trained boys he said he had heard the work of Mr Fetched, now at Tauruugu, criticised, and the opin ion was than, he could be trusted any

where to do any kind of work. Me was pleased to bo with them that night, and would just mention that! Mr Cavell had been chosen. out of forty others for the position to which he was going.

A meeting of those interested in t/hc lio-Spiituil ’Saturday collections will be held in the Town Hall , on Monday next at 3.130 p.m The usefulness of this valuable institution in our midst is known, to all, and the collection will be spent on it to the best advantage-