LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1766, 3 June 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The postal authorities adviso that tho Makura, which sailwl from Suva for Auckland on May 110, has on board mails from America ami the United Kingdom, via Vancouver. Tho Wellington portion should arrive per Main Trunk _ express to-morrow. The Manuka will arrive from Sydney direct to-morrow, with nil Australian mail.

All the Government offices will bo closed to-day.

A Guctto extraordinary, issued yesterday, further prorogues Parliament to Thursday, Juno 2G. Tho Prima Minister announced recently that this was tho dato upon which Parliament would meet.

It is tho custom in a police court for a solicitor wlien examining a witness to open by asking: him his name and his occupation. Yesterday morning, at tho Magistrate's Court, a solicitor having obtained a witness's namo in full, said:

"What are you?" Tho witness did not quite grasp tho solicitor's meaning, and replied, "A Scotchman." Broad smiles immediately lit up tli-9 old groy court r room.

It is intended, tho Public Service Commissioner stated yesterday, to find positions in tho Public Service for nil the telephone exchange girls displaced by tho introduction of automatic telephones. Some of the girls aro being trained in the uso of the calculating machines, which are henceforth to boemployed in various Departments, and will bo provided with positions as operators. In ono way or another, all the girls who olect to remain in the Service will bo provided for. It is reported from some places that -the girls have taken the matter in hand themselves in another way, and that since tlio prospective alterations in tho exchanges were announced there has been a remarkable boom in engagements.

"Tho intention'of the Legislature is a very uncertain thing to found a judgment on/' remarked Mr. M. Wilford in tho Supreme Court yesterday; "for it lias been proved over and ovor again that the Legislature lias dono just exactly tho opposite of what it intended to do—for instance, the Motor Regulations Act,"

"Our young lads go into camp with tlio idea that they will bo bullied and browbeaten; but such is not the and I cm pleased to state that on talking with th-a boys after their return from camp I find this erroneous impression is generally lyinishcd from ttair minds."—Captain Uvatt, in ■,replying to tho toast, "Tho Army, the Navy, and tho Territorials," at tlio reunion of fho Gth New Zealand Mounted Rifles last night.

A two-horsa wagon caused some little excitcment in Tory Street yesterday morning. Tho animals attached were standing outsida tho Cricketers' Arms Ilotei. when by some means tliey wore startled, and set out on a very energetic swoop down Tory Street. The driver (E. liiucs) was unable to stop tliem, and as a result of a collision with an approaehn;g cart one of the animals sustained injuries which necessitated its being destroyed. The driver received' a cut on ono'of his arms. Tho liorses nnd wagon belonged to the Phoanix Aerated Water Company.

A recent incident in tho city demonstrates that theatregoers would . do well cither to leave their coats in tho cloakrooms or else take them with them should tliey have occasion to leave their 6ents, especially during an interval. One evening last week a gentleman returning to his seat was dismayed to find his overcoat had vanished. On making inquiries he was told by a lady sitting near that shortly after fio had vacated_ "his scat a man casually dropped in to it and after a whilo inquired if tho seat was already engaged. Upon being informed that this was tho case the man withdrew, taking with him tho overcoat which was on, the sc-at.

An amusing incident happened in 'the Oriental Bay tea rooms on Sunday afternoon. A oouplo sat down at one of the tables having with them a small pup ; on a lead. Tho lady at the piano noticing the pup, stopped playing, and loudly declared that she was "not going to play to dogs." Tho difficulty was solved by the dog's owner getting up and going out in disgust.

Tho members of tho Technical Education Board are to make an inspection of the school's cookery department on Thursday next. Tliey will bo entertained at luncheon at 12.30 p.m.

On Saturday evening next Miss Mary Proctor, who has done so much to forward the study of astronomy in Now Zealand, will deliver her'interesting lecture, "Other Worlds Than Ours" at tho Wellington College in aid of the College observatory fund. Tho Collego telescope, a 5 1-8 inch equatorial, by Zeiss, is now in regular use, and is said to be giving groat satisfaction, but several accessories aro urgently required to complete the equipment.

To-day, being the King's Birthday, the Wellington. Hospital will be closed to outpatients. Urgent, cases will be treated at the General Hospital.

Tho majority of avocations have tlic-ir particular slang expressions. Evidence given at the Quarter Sessions in Sydney last week showed that in the insurance world there are terms which are moro expressive than elegant. It appears that insurance agents who may bo temporarily embarrassed financially havo been known "to float" into their society a "winger" or a "hooker." 'Whilst a "winger" is looked upon with disapproval bv the management, tlvo recoipt of a "hooker" is said to bo the depth of professional degradation. A "winger," it was explained, is a proposal for insuranco which is sighed by a friend of the agent, just to enable the agent to draw a commission. A "hooker is a proposal with precisely the same baaeficent finanoial aspect to tho agent, but the signature is either a forgery or at least that of some non-existent person. In insuranoe parlance, to call a man a "weevil" or a "twister," which ! are hero synonymous terms, is to impugn his loyalty. 'It is when an agent is in tlvo employ of ono society, and takes a lot of his business to a rival compiny that ho is spoken of as a "weevil" or a "twister."

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals held its fortnightly meeting yesterday. The inspector's report dealt with several eases of alleged cruelty to ahimals. In one case of alleged cruelty to poultry in Aro Street the society decided to prosecute if a second witness could bo procured.

In tho report of tho Public Trust Commission, delivered recently, it was recommended that ndditions should be niado to tho staff. The Public Service Commissioner told a reporter yesterday that tho recommondation was lxmig given effect to, but that tho strengthening of tho staiF would bo a gradual process.

The now Government workshops regula- ! tions will probably not bo issued for n. weok .or two yet. Mr. D. Robertson (Public Service Commissioner) is_ at picGent busily engaged in completing the classification of tho Public Scrvice. It is not intended, the Commissioner told a ro]>orter yesterday, to make any change ill the special regulations governing the Government Printing Office.

A coiifcrenco was held in the Mayor's room yesterday butweon representatives of (ho Wellington City Council, t'etono Borough Council, and tho llult Borough Council, with respect to lire formation of tlint part of tho road leading across the llult l'ark to the eastern approach to the new llutt pipe and traffic bri<lge. Tho question of tho allocation of th« cost of constructing this scction of road was considered, but it was decided to make 110 public mention of the matter until it was definitely fixed up. The position respecting tho eastern approaches to tho bridge is a simplo one. Between the eastern approach to tlio bridge and tlio Lowry 13ay lioad tlicl'o arc two sections of road to bo made, 0110 across tho llutt l'ark (Which road has to 1)0 constructed by the local bodies coniern-d), and ono by the Gracefield Estate, wboso plan lias already boon approved by the city cngiucor (Mr. W, If. Morton). At present, it is stated, tho new bridges over tlio llutt River and Waiwetu Stream aro not of much use to Lower Waiwetu residents, as a detour has to bo made right up to the llutt after crossing the big bridgo, to gain tho Luivry Bay lioad. When the new roads aro made a (lt-tour of between two and three -miles will be paved.

llerr Carl Sauer ia to meet tho members of tho Wellingtuh Musical Union at St. Andrew's Schoolroom on Monday evening noxt.

Mr. P. C. Webb, president of tlio Federation of Labour, and Mr. It. Semple, tho federation's organiser, were in Christchurch yesterday, says a Press Association. telegram, but declined to state what was tho object of their visit. Mr. Webb, in reply to a question, statod that thci« were no developments to report In connection with tlio proposed agreements !«- tween tho shipping companies and tho waterside workers,

Tho judges appointed by tho New Zealand Academy of Fino Arts to judge tho pictures submitted in tho competition promoted by tho Wellington. Zoological Society, under tho auspioes of the Academy, havo mado their awards as follow:—Section 1—Oil: Miss Hilda Chapman (kangaroos), 1; Miss B. 12. Chappie (ring-tailod lemurs), 2. Section 3-Watui-colour: Miss Gytlia Chapman (camel), 1. ,Section 3—Drawing "or Monocliromo: Lionel Doilo (camel), 1; Norman Hart (parrot), 2; special- mention, Ken. .M'Konzio (cubs).

A fish-filleting business, which has becomo an enormous industry in Aberdeen ciud other Scottish fishing ports, lias been ftstablislied in Wellington. The process of filletfng fish, and smoking it, is only a development of recent years at Homo, but with the thorough exploitation _ of tho Iceland waters by trawlers, it is an industry that has gone ahead . Mr, W. Ritchie, of Molesworth Street, who was lor over thirty years connected with the fishing industry in Scotland, has been smoking fillets of fish in Wellington for pome time post. He states that there is plenty of demand for what he producos, und, if the supply of fish in Wellington wos steadier, that branch of the business could easily be extended. On his authority it is pointed out that most of the fiilfted fish sold as English hake are nothing more than New Zealand king-fish, which, by the way, lie considers every bit as good as hake.

"What should New Zealand's Naval Policy Be?" a subject that has given rise already to considerable thought on the part of writers and politicians in the Dominion, is to be 'debated at Victoria College to-morrow evening. The speakers will inthyje Sir John Findlay, Coionel Chavtor, 0.C.D., and Professor Laby. The debate will hinge on the point as to whether New Zealand should contribute her mite to the British Admiralty to dispose of a 4 that body may think fit, or whether she should contribute towards the establishmsnt <>f a fleet for service in the Pacific.