INVERCARGILL.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XV, Issue 41, 3 February 1888, Page 7

INVERCARGILL.

January 31. Now that the festive season is over, the stir and excitement so inseparable from holiday times have subsided, and the " merry men " of a month ago have gone back calmly and contentedly to their various vocations to bear the brunt and trials of another year. The very moist weather we have experienced here for some time past haa produced a good effect oi tbe growing crop 9in the surrounding agr.culturai districts, but our farmers now desire a turn of sunshiae to ripen the verdant grain.— l hear there has been a slight revival in the timber trade since the opening of the New Year. This in itself, if true, is a source of encouragement to Southlanders, who regard sawmilling as one of their principal industries. — Coal mining is also carried on to a large extent in some of the outlying localities, bat the researches lately undertaken in quest of the " precious metal " have all proved fruitless. The Mokotua section of the much-talked-of Seaward Bush railway has been recently opened with great ecl&t, but none except the promoters of the line can see what benefits its construction will confer on the district. The line starts from Invercargill and literally ends nowhere, or, in other words, it emerges from the Seaward Forest in the sparsely-populated and inhospitable Oteramika district, where, it is said, the more the land is improved the less productive it becomes. Perhaps the most important feature in connection with the " opening " ceremony was the draining of the numerous whisky bottles supplied on the occasion. Our church choir will sustain a severe loss in the departure from our midst of Miss M. Smith, who is about to leave for the north. During the many years Miss Smith has been amongst us she haa taken a deep interest in church matters, and the choir, under her leadership, has attained almost incredible efficiency. " Visitor," a short time ago, gave a glowing account of the manner in which the sturdy sons of Erin distinguished themselves at the Southland athletic sports, but " Visitor's " remarks on the decorations, etc., of the national hotels here caused some animated discussion. But, doubtless, the " barley bree " was taking effect on your correspondent by the time he reached the last " pub," prompting him to express in such high-sounding language the praises of the generous hostesses. The Catholic schools have re-opened and it is to be hope:! that the pupils will muster in even stronger force than in previous years. A few specimens of the new paper published in Wellington have reached Invercargill. I believe the local agent here gets half a dozen copie3 with a strict injunction to return all he cannot dispose of But, of course, as the manager of the " new publication " is an old Invercargillite, he knows that the Irish Catholics of this town are altogether antagonistic to any newspap r whose aim is to chill their private zeal and crush out their national spirit. Our Irishmen here are aware of the many devices the Saxon has adopted to accomplish that end in the Home countries, at Rome, and in the Australian colonies. But if the sons of Erin at Home refuse to be driven by force and oppression to concede that patriotic fervour — that bulwark of Catholicity— so dear to their predecessors, I may safely say that our loyal Irishmen here will as stoutly refuse to ba led by any artifice to withhold their sympathies from Ireland in her endeavours to obtain her freedom, nor will they be induced to support an anti-Irish newspaper in. opposition to thsir own Irish Catholic organ. A Colonial.