PROGRESSIVE HAMILTON.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 5, 7 January 1922, Page 10

PROGRESSIVE HAMILTON.

■ m feIG POPULATION INCREASE. HIGH BTTTUDING STATISTICS. RECOBD COCBT FJGUBEF. By Telegraph.—Own Otwreepondeni.i HAMILTON, this day. The population of Ha.tnih.on has grown 'ri>m a little over 3.000 teu years ago. to 13.798. according to the latest " Gazette " notice, males being in excetf <■'. femalee by 227. Not only has the 'ore e'howed progress in this direction, ■'j; ha* also created records :n other respect*. The building figures for the past twelve months are a very healthy ind-i----'•ation of the progress and prosperity of the town, for no less 'than £186,150 was spent en the erectiun of dwellings and iiasiiKxi pretense;-, despite the restric'ions ■which were placed on the building :r«d-r. and the difficulty oi obtaining supplies. Altogether 218 dwellings were erwte.d -in the borough during the period, at a total cost of £130,840. wuile 72 .permiu. were issued for business pretnisee. at a cost of £!Jti,T(»B, the additions working out at £12,597. Very iieaj-y returns are shown for the Hamilton Court district, which has iieoome one of the most important in ; the Dominion, ranking higher even than 1 Dunedin and Cbristebun-b in the vedume' of business transacted. Last year'sligure.-- were regarded as a record, but: this year the totals are well in excess of those of 1920. < 'onsidering the congested nature of the Court buildingstbe general, {laclc vf office stud court iu:v.ominoda'__ipn and conveniences, and the very Mnfited rtafl" of four officials only, the marvel is that so great a volume of bjtfeiness hae been got through' with such Expedition and accuracy, as,' according to our observations, it has I>een. In the Magistrate's Court there were no less than 11137 plaints dealt with, which is over 400 more tliaii last year, the total amount claimed 'being Altogether 1129 cases were tried, the amount claimed being £36,794, of -which £24,236 was recovered. There were 333 judgment sjmmonMt issued as against 262 the previous year, 80 orders being made, while 1 111 warrants of distress and committal were issued, a* against 46 for last year. The amount collected in eivil-feee-wa* £241.5. in fines £1146, and <^oi__ ;! £.22.ti. Durißg==Kie year there were 302 arresti, and about 1000 *ummonse6 were issued ior breaches of by-laws and the ■Institute 'Of the Peace Act. In the Supreme Court, there were 21 iudictmentßf wilto nine convictions and *ix a<;quil&»J*. In all 176 writs were itssued; anjjjitbere were eleven trials by jury, -and" 21 before the judge alone. The fiTorce petitions numbered 29. in 23 ot£ which decrees nisi -were granted, while' 17 decree* absolute were made.The jjants of probate numbered 9_, and letter^' of administration were given in 3.5 cases, (securities totalling 824. ThereJ were,, altogether, ,50 petition* in bankstrjrtc.v, 37 of which were by debtoT* themlfeveß, while 38 application* were madejto tie registrar to cowhiet Mies undeifthe Property Law Act. The total fees in the Supreme Court for the year «nounted to £2719 2/6, ac againtt £1735 la«t year. TheT .offijee of the Deputy PubHc Trustee at Hamilton, is ahray« a very buty Jeentre, and in addition to tbe large {amount of work in the way of administering estates, and wills, ' and attending to the general business which •ordinarily teomee in the war „ the offlce,*i64 mew estate* have, during tbe past twelve months, been given him to adioi&ster,'while 257 new will* have! been Jkposited On top of this he ha* been J given 38 partially administered e«iatsß under the policy of decentralisation, ."adopted by the bead office, while no l*s than 220 local body sinking funds, are being dealt with by the Hamilton office. During the year part time have been opened at Te -Aroh4; and- Te Awamutu, while new agencies have been established at Maiamata,.f Morrinsville, and Cambridge. The Depuw and Vi* staff have, in fact, had an exceedingly- busy year. j!