LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1643, 9 January 1913, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

When he waa at Invercargill on Monday, the Hon. A. L. Hefdman made a careful inspection of tho reformatory prison in that town. He informed a reporter last evening that he was very highly pleased with what he' had seen of the management of the gaol. Th<i methods adopted' by the police ituthoritits in carrying out the various works connected with tho institution also' met with his approval. In with tho decision of tho Australian Minister for Defence to permit members of the citizen forces to smoke while in camp, the regulation (166), framed for the, purpose of prohibiting such practices, has been cancelled, 60 far as it relates to adult members of the defence forces, but it is still to be enforced in regard to the senior cadets. Preliminary stops having been taken in the direction of forming a branch of tho Political Reform League at Waihi, tho scct Tetary pro tem of the new organisation (Mr. V. H. Potter) has communicated with the party organiser (Mr. C. P. Lindegreen), asking him to visit Waihi and explain the objects of the league to intending members and supply any, iftfortnation that may bs desired.' Mr. Lindegroen will be making a tour extending north of Wliangaroi at about the end of the month, and ho.will include Waihi in his itinerary. Mr. James Craigie, member'or Tiniaru, has been, advised by tho Prime Minister that a cable message lias been rtfieived from tho High Commissioner 6lat|ng that the captains of the -respective vr.rshins prefer that' New Zealand's gifts to the first battleship H.M.S. New Zealand (now known as H.M.S.' Zealandia) should remain in that ship, and not bs transferred to the latest gift from tho llominion, H.M.S. New Zealand. Mr. ClraiKio has replied to tho .-Prime Minister thnt the Presentation Committee is of opinion that the gifts should bo transferred when tiio present commission of tho Zealandia expires. At tho meeting of the City Council on January 23 next, Councillor L. M'Kenzio will move: "That, n report be obtained from Messrs. Stuart Richardson and G. J.auchlnn oil the advisability of iiitroducing a new tariff which would cheapen tho present cost of electricity and popularise its daylight consumption." • j

''The Auditor-General should bo classified as a humorist of the first water," says tbol'cilding "Star," "Ho signs the folI(lying note at tho end of the Waiigauui Girls' College balance-sheet: 'There is no authority at law for the payment of ,£3l 55,9 d. expnses in connection with "The Addstriati ' (the College journal). Ho'altogether omits to* notice the receipts (.£4l) oil the other side of tho account for 'Tho Adastrian,' Tho Presbytery of Wnirarapa met pro r« nattt ■in tho church, Grey town, on Tuesday afternoon. The Rev. G. K. Stowell, Moderator, presiding. An elder's commission was sustained in favour of Mr, li. I-'eist, A call was'laid on tho table fl'diu the Pahiatua congregation in favour of the Rev. Michael Bowden Harris. Mr. Stowell,' on, behalf of the congregation, supported tho call. lir doing so, he stated that the call was hearty and unanimous. Tho call was then sustained, and being placed in the hands of Mr. Harris, lie signified his acceptance' thereof. The induction was fixed to take place at Pahiatua on January 16, at 8 p.m., tho Rev. CI. K. Stowell to preside and induct, the )m YoM P preach, tlie Rev, L. l.honipson to address the minister, and the Rev. J. M'Caw to address the congregation. _ ... An exchange of New Zealand for Aus-' trahan birds was. suggested in ii letter from a Sydney resident, which was considered at the meeting of the Acclimatisation. Society, last evening. The writer of tho letter asked for half a dozen tuis and three pairs of Californian quail, and offored to send in exchange two cages of hardy insectivorous birds, including the follow>ng varieties:—Shepherd's companion, white fronted wren, yellow robin, pied robin, wood swallow, black-capped honeyoater, and caterpillar bird. As the society has no, means of procuring the .New Zealand birds asked for, it was decided to recommend the applicant to communicate with th<)'manager of the Wellington Zoo or with tho Now Zealand Tourist Department. '. • Permission to capture a couple of kiwis and; send them to an institution at Chicago, U.S.A., is sought by a Marton resident, formerly a schoolmaster, iu the, United States. His request was advanced in a. letter which ' came before the Acclimatisation Society last evening. Tho referred tho applicant to the .Minister for Internal Affairs. The exportation of the kiwi, which grows rarer year by year, is' not readily permitted by tho authorities. , Not': long ago a person who had obtained a number of kiwis,' 1 at a cost of jCSO, was successful in cunveying them as far as Sydney, but there the birds were seized, on tl® ground that no permit had been obtained for their exportation, . Tho birds themselves ;<ro probably a|most_as difficult to obtain as permits authorising; their, removal .from the Dominion, but they aro reported to be still fairly, numerous in dark, sunless gullies round about the . upper waters of tho Wanganui River. : A motion against-the introduction of the Bible , into State schools was carried J at tho monthly meeting Of the Brooklyn School Committee on Tuesday night, Dr. Cotizeng was in the eliair. It has been decided by the Mount Hector, Tourists' Track Committee, to arrange with tho Public Works Department, to send up .an engineer to grade ft certain part of the' track. • Messrs. Maxton and Shanby will accompany him, to show .where the' grading is.required. A serious , mishap in connection with the rearing of young rainbow trout has occurred at PalmerstoiV North* Some time ago a'big "holding pond" was put down by the Palmerston Committee of'the Wellington Acclimatisation Society, 1 at a cost of ifilOO, half of which ,was contributed by tile'parent body. The, WeUing'lou Society ; lately supplied; twenty-five . 1 thousand rainbow;' trout fry, With which to : , stock tho pond. The enterprise' was. looked upon as a great success, and tho .iish. were, reported to be doing A very' well until the. main through Which water'was obtained from the town supply burst; one night. The . pond was refilled next morning, but overy hsh .wae' found to be dead. The, fry haa •been in tho pond for,- about;' five weeks, when tho mishap occurred. These'facts were set out in a letter from the Pal- ! merstoii/Cpmmittce. - which came, ; before tho'council di the' Wellington Society at its meeting last ovening. It was; decided to rccominend tho Palmerston Committee to send down a sample of : water from tho pond to the Government -laboratory for' analysis.. It was mentioned that the ourator of 'tho fish hatchery ai .Masterton advised tho Phlmorston. people four or five years ago, that they, would never bo successful in rearing trout whilfl they depended on the town water supply, which was liable to interruption. The' holding pond" at Palmerston. will now liavo to stand empty" of fry for . tho, next ten months. Two thousand trout fry deposited in tho'pond in the'Squar<i at Palmerston North are reported to bo'doirig well,