LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Waikato Times, Volume 99, Issue 16654, 20 November 1925, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

.— * ■ A public meeting was held at Cambridge to make arrangements for a complimentary social to the district’s late member of Parliament, Mr F. Lye. The Ashhurst railway station was entered at a late hour on Saturday evening or early on Sunday morning and £4 was stolen. The 16, fireman from the steamer Baradine, who were arrested upon arrival at Adelaide for refusing duty at sea, were each sentenced to 14 days’ imprisonment. A notice in the Gazette gives authority to set apart 29 acres in the Rotorua forest conservation region as a permanent State forest. Traffic returns show that the Palmerston North Municipal ’buses carried 3792 more passengers in October than they did during the same month in 1924. The increased revenue was £37 19s 2d.

A Sydney cable message states that splendid rains have soaked the whole State, greatly benefiting the wheat crop, but it was too heavy in the south, where flood warnings have been issued.

At the High School sports at Palmerston North R. McDonald, in the high jump, cleared sft G|in, possibly a secondary schools’ record. It is interesting to note that at the Dominion championships the high has been won at a less height for several years.

The Ngaruawahia Horticultural Society’s fourth annual show was opened yesterday, and was a great success. There were over 400 entries, and the display of roses was especially fine. Mrs Powell exhibited the champion bloom. The entries in the cookery classes were also good. Wool from the bill country on both sides of the Waikato River is now coining into the railway at Tuakau in large quantities daily. One carrying firm has brought in over 400 bales from the southern side and it is estimated that there is yet another 400 hales to come from that district.

About twenty members of the Auckland Electric Power Board, City Council and Chamber of Commerce arrived at Hamilton last night, and left this morning on a visit of inspection to the hydro-electric construction works at Arapuni. The party is expected to return to Hamilton to-night, and will join the Limited on Saturday morning for Auckland. A special train containing a number of officials of the Railway Department and members of the Railway Board reached Hamilton from Auckland at about 1 p.m. to-day, proceeding to Paeroa and Thames on a visit of general inspection. The party includes Mr F. J. Jones, chairman of fhe Railway Board; Mr W. If. Holes, divisional superintendent; and Mr A. K. Lowe, district inspector. The action of the Cambridge District High School Committee in adopting navy blue and white as the school's registered colours is received with distinct disfavour by a considerable number of Leamington residents, who contend that these colours have been recognised as belonging to the Leamington district for over 25 years. It is undestood action is being taken to have these colours retained for Leamington.

A source of danger through the almost simultaneous departure from Palmerston North of two trains, one of a slow train and the other an express, has been made apparent since the inception on Monday of the new time-table. A train leaves for Dannevirke at 5.5 p.m., and is followed four minutes later by the express to Auckland. As the first train is a slow -one, there is a likelihood of the express following very closely, and until the public become aware of this there is risk of an accident at crossings. It is stated that an elderly lady, not noticing the second train on Monday, was on the point of stepping on to the line when she was warned of the danger. Although the birthrate in New Zealand is low, compared with those of other countries, so low is the death-rate that the Dominion ranks high among the nations in respect of the rate of natural increase. The birth-rate in 1924 was 21.57 per thousand of mean population, the lowest ever recorded, except that of 1919, when the rate of 21.42 was due to abnormal conditions. On the other hand, a new low record of mortality was established, the ratio being 8.29 per thousand; the previous lowest rales were 8.73 in 1921, 8.77 in 1922 and 8.57 in 1912. The rate of natural increase was therefore 13.28 per thousand, compared with 12.91 in 1923.