NEWS BY CABLE

Waikato Times, Volume 105, Issue 17704, 7 May 1929, Page 7

NEWS BY CABLE

DEATHTRAPS FOR (VJOTORSSTS. DUKE OF YORK IN COLLISION. <py T^yraph—Press Assn. —Copyrlgrn:.) (Australian Press Association.) LONDON, May 6. Steady rain felt in England at the week-end. This broke the long period of dry weather and relieved the anxiety of the farmers. However, the rain transformed many of the roads into veritable deathtraps for motorists. At least 14 people were killed owing to cars skidding in the mixture of water and thick deposits of grease left on the roads in the dry weather. Many a new driver received his first warning of a skid when he found himself in a ditch. The Duke of York was motoring to London when" his car collided with a motor cycle and side-car. The impact was slight and neither vehicle was badly damaged. The Duke w r as able to continue his journey.

AL SMITH DECORATED. AN ECCLESIASTICAL HONOUR. NEW YORK, May 5The former Governor of New York, Mr A 1 Smith, to-day received a medal from the University of Notre Dame as an American lay Roman Catholic whose achievements in some special field have brought glory to the Roman Catholic faith. There was a brilliant assembly of prominent persons. Cardinal Hayes presented the medal at the Notre Dame Club. A letter from the President, Mr Hoover, was read in which ho called Mr Smith a distinguished American and a great public servant. ROYAL ACADEMY EXHIBITION. RUGBY, May 5. This year’s exhibition at the Royal Academy, which is to be opened to the public next week, was thrown open to private view yesterday. The exhibition comprises 1600 works. The critics generally declare their inability to discover any outstanding picture'’ of the year, hut they agree that the general level of achievement is higher than usual. BRITISH PENSIONS. RUGBY, May 5. Figures compiled by the Ministry of Health show that 1,500,000 people in England and Wales are in receipt of pensions under the Contributory Pensions Act. These include recipients of old age pensions, widows’ pensions,., additional allowances for children as part of widows’ pensions and orphans’ pensions. More than £37,000,000 has been paid from the pensions fund. Figures showing the growth of the national health insurance scheme in the last five years. At the end of last year the accumulated funds of the scheme amounted to £113,000,000, an increase of £9,000,000. In that period the number of insured pensions increased from £1,000,000 to nearly £16,000,000. The total expenditure on benefits amounted last year to £29,000,000, as compared with £23,000,000 in 1924. The maternity and child welfare services also have been steadily extended in recent years. More than 2500 centres are now in existence.