LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5336, 8 October 1928, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Reform capdidato; ifor the Hau- . raki electorate ha’s add.ressfed small meeti.nigsi of electors on the Hauraki Plains during the past week, and at. each meeting has! been given an attenive heading and has ariswered questions satisfactorily. Disappointing result's have come from the Government’s offer of a bonhsi of £lO,OOO tor. air effective method of eradicating the blackberry pest in New Zealajnd, according to; a statement made by the Minister of Agriculture, the. Hon. O. J'. Hawkin. “The death statistics for 1927, principally c.n ac,count of. the entire absence of any nc)tic,eable epidemic, show a decrease of 206 in the total number of deaths registerejd. as compared with that fo,r the previous year, the. figures being 11,613 .tor 1927 and 11,819. for 19.6. The death-rate tor 1927 of. 8.45 per 1000 of mean population continued the: 'succession of extremely low rates that hah bqen in evidence since 1920. The rate for 1926 was 8.74, the 1927 figure thus recording a de-, create of 0.29 per 1000 off population. In 1927 the most death's occurred during the months of Junie, July, and August, with totals cif 10'71, 1166, and 1171 respectively. “The mqtorists ha,ve no royal right toithe road at all,” said Mr E. D. Miosley, S'. M., in the Christchuurc.h Police Court on Tuesd.ajy, in delivering a. judgment in a dangerous driving case. '“There is too. much of that /feeling amongst the motorists in Ohr.istc.hurch. Pedestrians have t'he same right to the road as have the motorists. Especially at recognised inter 1 -, sections, we would all wisiu that pedestrian traffic were controlled like motor traffic.” The magistrate’s remarks followed no the; hearing of a case in, which William Alexander Welsh was charged with driving a mqtor-ear over the Bank of New Zealand intersection in a manner dangerous to the public. The defendant was fined 20s and costs. Mr E. L- Walton mentioned at Tlhur.iday’s meeting of the Hauraki Plains 'West Drainage Board that he ha,d noticed in the Press that the Min- ; is-ter qf Lands had taken power tq levy a ratq to recqup the State; for the money spent on land! drainage, etc. He did not know the exact position, not having 'seen the Act, but it. appeared that it was the first move in, tjhe idea of making the land bea,]- a proportion of the capital c.ost qf draining or protecting, as, mentioned by Ihq Minister some months ago.