NELSON NEWS

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 78, 2 April 1931, Page 5

NELSON NEWS

LIGHT MARCH RAINFALL

I (From Our Own Correspondent.) NELSON, Ist April. March was practically a month of sunshine, only .74in of rain being recorded, against an average over the past 48 y-ears of about 3in. For the first- three months of. the present year the monthly records were: January 2.77 in, February 2.27 in, March .74in— a total of 5.78 in, compared with 6.81 for the corresponding period of 1930— January 5.76 in, February .62in, and March .43in. ■ March is a busy month in the country districts, hop and apple picking and,the tobacco harvest being in full swing. This year the hop crop was picked practically without- stoppage so far as weather conditions were concerned. A number of business firms in the City have reported being taxed by the Post Office for letters which have been enclosed in packets or parcels addressed to them. Interviewed this morning, the Chief Postmaster, Mr. H. G. Davis, said that whenever the postage was increased there were all kinds of evasions and the placing of letters in packets was one of them. The Post Office set about to cheek it and found the practice fairly extensive in Nelson. _ During March, 29 births, 16 marriages, aiid 10 deaths were registered at Nelson. ■• .For the quarter ended 31st March the figures were 98, 28, and 37 respectively. The Customs duties collected at Nelsou for the year ended 31st March showed a decrease on last year's figures of £4992 13s lid. A total of fi5.3,904 14s: lO'd-'was collected this year, as against £53,507 8s 9d in 1930.