DUNEDIN.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 145, 13 March 1908, Page 4

DUNEDIN.

/ . March 10. . By a ruling of Mr. C. A. St. G. Hickson, Secretary of tho Lands, and Deeds Department, the Civil Service Classification Act, which was supposed;to bo intended to secure tho appointment to the staff of-all temporary clerks who had been in Government employ continually for five, years and over, has been decided not to apply to' deeds-recording clerks.; Two Dunedin men who have' been temporarily employed for- over twonty years are affected' by this decision, and .thero are altogother forty throughout the Dominion in tho samo predicament. , Scarlet Fever. i i Scarlot fover is still pursuing a devious path through tho Otago Health District. Already fourteen cases luivo'been reported this month. A Legacy.; . Tho legacy of Miss Brown, of Paisley, Scotland, to tho Dunedin Hospital amounted to close on £1000, 'and' £100 ha 3 been givon by a Dunodin lady. Grapes. Tho Malieno arrived to-dny from Melbourne with about 560 cases of grapes of the samo varieties ail last week. All that were packed in cork dust arrived in first-class; order. One shipment of fifty boxes packed in 41b. punnets arrived almost Worthless, and will barely pay duty, let alone ; freight. Generally speaking, tho flavour of tho grapes is much moro satisfactory than that of previous shipments. . Football. Attho 'meeting of a football club, last night, a member raised the point that tho llugby/Union should pay for tho digging of touch-lines. Coal Supply. Tho temporary cessation of work at _ the Blackball Colliery, which means a considerable decreaso in the Dominion coal'supply, is Ukaly to detrimentally affect tho Dunedinj

market. In Dunedin, however, it is expected that another supplier, the State, will be at the sernco of the public' for the winter. Tho innovation is interesting the established coal merchants, who hold tho belief that a Stato Coal Depot will find competition much keener in Dunedin than in the other centres, whero the supply of lignite is not soplentiful. '

Tho Hospital. Tho new wing of tho Dunedin Hospital, opened to-day by tho Governor, provides accommodation for sixty-four patients. In his address, Lord Plunket said he thought he could tell, the people of the Dominion with confidence that there was' no hospital under tho Southern Cross better prepared to fight tho battle against weakness, suffering, and death. Ho thought Dunedin' v .was not alone to bo congratulated, but tho people of Now. Zealand wero benefited by it. No man who wished to adopt the profession of a medical man need suffer anything from being a New Zealamlor. If want of means prevented him from going Home, be could obtain a degree hero which gained him respect in any part of the globe. It was thirty years ago since those far-seoing men, who ruled the Otago University, decided that there must be a medical school here.. To-day thoso of them who' wore,living saw tho completion of tho up-to-date hospital, which ill .turn bad assisted and had heo liassistcd by the medical school. The citizens thanked those who were alive, and on the tombstones of those who wore dead they laid a laurel leaf. ■ 1 March 12. Public Baths. / Tho Town Clerk and City Engineer havo prepared a report which shows, that the probablo. cost of a modified scheme for tho erection of public baths oh the Moray Place site will be about £7000. ■ . Crapes. ; ' '

Tlio regular shipments, of Adelaido grapes aro filling a long-felt want, and that tho' public aro availing thenisolves freely of tho choapor article is shown by tho fact that the local growers have to accept 3d. per lb. less for their fruit than in former years. Local grapes are now being retailed at 9d. and 1(M per lb. This time last year they were brings ing Is. to Is. 3d. per lb. V