The Feilding Star, Oroua & Kiwitea Counties Gazette. Published Daily. TUESDAY, JUNE 30, 1896. NOXIOUS WEEDS.

Feilding Star, Volume XVII, Issue 304, 30 June 1896, Page 2

The Feilding Star, Oroua & Kiwitea Counties Gazette. Published Daily. TUESDAY, JUNE 30, 1896. NOXIOUS WEEDS.

be an offence for any person to sell or sow infected grass seeds. Every person who owns a combine threshing machine and omits to thoroughly clean it after threshing at each farm will commit an offence. Inspectors may enter on land to ascertain if weeds exist, and, if they do, notice will be , served on the occupier of the infected land, and if the latter will not undertake to do the work of clearing the local authority may do so at his expense. As to native lands where the title has not been individualised, the local authority may clear the land, and the money will be refunded by the Native Minister out ot moneys avail--1 able for native purposes. Local bodies are to keep their own roads, river-beds, l reserves, or other lands, clear at their own expense. Any person who comS rnits any offence under the Act may be fined not less than twenty shillings nor more than fifty pounds. All proceedings shall be heard and deter- > mined before a Stipendiary Magistrate alone. Altogether this is a most f useful Act, and one which should prove specially advantageous to newlyi opened-up country.

.._ .» The Act to prevent the spread of noxious weeds, and to enforce the trimming of hedges, prepared and introduced to the House by the Hon. J. McKenzie, possesses many useful clauses. It is intended that the local authorities, which means Borough Councils, Town and Road Boards, and County Councils, shall administer the Act within their several jurisdictions, and in cases of Native lands the Minister will do so. The following are the weeds mentioned as noxious in the First Schedule of the Act : — Bathurst burr, blackberry, broom gorse, sweetbriar, Canadian or Californian thistle, giant burdock, star thistles; in the Second Schedule : Burdock, thistles, Bathurst burr, blackberry, sweetbriar, gorse, ox-eye daisy, white goosefoot, dock, broom, burr clovers, wild turnip, ergot, and clover dodder. Special dates may be fixed upon which the work of clearing weeds shall be commenced. As to trimming hedges or live fences when it can be shown that trimming or cutting would act injuri- j ously on any particular fence the local j authority may extend the period, but in no cases shall such extension be granted for two consecutive years. Briar, gorse, broom, or blackberry must be cleared along the entire length of every boundary fence or line on each side for the first year at least half a chain. The local authority may reduce the width to be cleared, but in no case to less than half a chain. Gorse may be grown for forage under certain' restrictions. All noxious weeds must be grubbed out. It will