LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1841, 29 August 1913, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The postal autliorit.ias advise that tlio s.s. Victoria, which sailed from Sydney on August 27 for Auckland, lias oh board Australian mails only. The ■Wellington portion is due per Main Trunk express on Monday next. The Civil Servants' Association Conforence will bo held in Wellington on Soptember 15, and will bo mainly occupied with .the Public Service classification scheme. The annual conference of the Overseas Clubs of New Zealand will be opened- at the Town Hall this morning by the Mayor. The Clerk of tlie Magistrate's Court (calling the cases): "Brown v. Moses. Brown'v. Moses." The lawyer-: "That case is defended." The Magistrate: "I thought the dofendant was dead." r In view of recent happenings at the Macquarie Islands, a question by Sir. E. W. Clark in the House yesterday may be regarded as pertinent. The terms of the query were: "Will the Prime Minister' communicate with the Tasmanian Government, ; and, if possible, arrange that steps be taken to place the oil industry of the 'Macquaric Islands on a sound footing, and thus prevent men being misled and practically .isolated, as under the existing conditions the result can eventually end only in a serious disaster?" In a note to ■ this question Mr. Clark read l a newspaper extract describing the experiences of ■■the men 'recently resoued. This urged that a thorough inquiry should be mado into the position, and steps taken to place the industry on a satisfactory footing, so that moil could not be taken dowii there under false pretences and left without proper food or medical comforts. Some interesting relics of the South Antarctic, expedition are on view in the shop of Mr. Roulstoni, -near the Central Hotel in Lambtou.Quay. The principal item is the copy of "David Copperficlcl," which, with one of 11. L. Stevenson's books, formed the whole reading for the party of six who were out off from 'tins base and .spent the 'winter in a snow igloo. 'Hie book, which _is now the property of Seaman C. Williams, late of tlio Terra Nova, is saturated.in seal oil, and just hanging together. The Dickeiisian Society of London are ijn treaty for its purchase as an addition to their museum. It is probably one of the bestread copies of Dickens extant.. Two ponds, to hold from 4000 to 5000 yearling trout, are shortly to be l constructed at the now 'fish hatcheries in Masterton. The curator of the fishponds has been busy 'dispatching fry during the last few weeks. He has sent 30,000 rainbow trout to Marton and 10,000 to Taihape, while 15,000 brown trout havo been sent to.Taihape and 9000 to Levin. ■ A further consignment of 15,000 rainbow trout wcro dispatched to Marton on Tuesday. Orders for supplios havo been received from Pahiatua, Eketahuna, Feilding, Palmerston North, and Hutt. The Riverina took a largo shipment of automatic telephones from Wellington yesterday to bo used in the new installations at Auckland and Hamilton.