FIRE BLIGHT.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 15639, 5 October 1921, Page 5

FIRE BLIGHT.

DECLARING -HAWTHORN At NOXIOUS WEED. i t The position with regard? to declaring hawthorn a. noxious weed was investigated by our representative -toiday. As ' well known hawtliprn is considered to account for about 90 -per ' cent, .of the spread of fireblight. At. , present the Poverty Bay Fruitgrowers' Association is endeavoring to get, local bodies to de- " clare’ hawthorn a noxious Weed. A survey of the legislation touching on this subject is interesting, at’this juncture. This commences with (he Noxious. Weeds. < Act, 1908, in > which hawthorn is not mentioned. On. March 22, this year, an • amendment was enacted concerning hawthorn, the amendment, to be read together and deemed part of the Noxious Weeds Act, 1908. The amendment states, inter alia (2) The third schedule of the principal Act. ■ (the Noxious Weeds Act), is hereby amended by inserting therein, after the reference to Halcea, the word hawthorn. (3) Notwithstanding the provisions’ of paragraph (c) of section 5 of- the principal Act-,' a. special order under section 4 of that Act, made by any local authority with respect to hawthorn, shall, according to the tenor of the order, be.jn force throughout the district of thg local authority, or within such part, or parts only of the district •. as may be defined in that behalf .of (lie . order; (4) the planting of hawthorn is hereby prohibited, and every person commits an offence, against the principal Act who propagates hawthorn in any manner, or who docs any act with intent to "propagate hawthorn, or who sells any seeds, plants, or cuttings of haw- ' thorn. ’. . ■ . 'Now section 1 (c) of the principal Act . reads with respect to such portions of New Zealand as are-within the jurisdic- • tion of any local authority other than the Alinister, sueh declaration shall be by special order, and shall in every case extend to all of New Zealand within .the jurisdiction of the local an- ■- thority making a special order. Another section states that a. local authority may ■ at any time declare that all or any one or more of the plants nientioned in the third schedule (which under the amendment has hawthorn-, added to it.) are noxious weeds within .its jurisdiction, whereupon all the plants to ‘which the declaration relates shall be deemed to be noxious weeds within, the'jurisdiction of such local authority accordingly. Section 9 states: Every occifpier of land shall' in every year commence and continuously thereafter do all. things necessary to effectually clear, the same, and for that purpose shall-carry out the following works on bis land to the satisfaction of the inspector, This section, then goes on to mention different hedges or live fences, and noxiotJfe weeds, to' which name hawthorn has to be added.