NOTES FROM THE CAPITAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 April 1916, Page 8

NOTES FROM THE CAPITAL.

THE ELEVENTHS. (From Our Own Correspondent.)' Wellington, March 31. The Defence authorities are trying an experiment in connection with the 11th Reinforcement?, who arc to march through the streets of Wellington tomorrow on their way to the wharf. The men will complete their march about 4.30 p.m., and then, instead of having si brief interview with their next-of-kin en the wharf, they will he given general leave until 10 p.m. The officer commanding puts them on their honor to parade again at full strength promptly at the hour. One reinforcement- draft from New Zealand lost thirty men between the hour of its departure from Treritham camp and its arrival at the New Zealand ba-;e in Egypt. One or two of the men mav have deserted deliberately, lint the great majority of the absentees were betrayed by the final glass of beer, either in New Zealand or at some port of call on the way to the front. They had the humiliating experience of coming back to camp under arrest, as men who had shamed themselves and dishonored their corps. But the Staff believes that the 11 Hi Reinforcements, the best trained draft yet produced in New Zealand, can he trusted with the last hours of liberty in the city.

FISH. The Minister for Internal Affair? lias returned to Wellington from Rotoma with a firm intention of pressing the distribution nnd sale of trout throughout the North Inland. His Department controls the inland fisheries and experience has shown that the trout in the bij; lakes must he netted if they are not to increase so rapidly in numbers as to outrun their food supplies. Trout from Rotorua and Tanpo have been coming to Wellington for some time past and now the Minister has arranged for supplies to go to Auckland. He believes that the Department can net ten or twelve tons, of trout per day in the two lakes during the season without exhausting them, the fishing being actually improved in the process. The trout are sold wholesale, in Wellington at 4d a. round and are procurable retail at the municipal fish market- at fid a pound, cleaned weight. They arrive in prim'e condition and the demand is growing steadily. The local retailers, by the way, charge from M to Is per lb and people pay the price cheerfully enough. The public is strangely slowto realise that the municipal market has cut fish prices from 25 to 50 per cent.

THE CYCLISTS' CORPS. The Cyclists' Company, which is being formed as a branch of the New Zealand Division, will consist of S officers and IBS other ranks. Its personnel is being completed largely from the mounted rifles who volunteered, as announced by the chief of the General Staff yesterday, to serve wherever thy might be required. Referring to this company yesterday, the Minister for Defence said that the New Zealand Government had undertaken to provide the company and reinforcements. The equipment' would be found by the. Imperial authorities. The force would contain many different sections, such as artificers, signallers, drivers, and medical officers. The new company, which is to come into being at onee, will be given a certain amount of training here. Most of the men forming it have received some training in other branches already, and it is expected that th company will leave for the front witli an early draft.