ASHBURTON NEWS

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 714, 18 March 1933, Page 28 (Supplement)

ASHBURTON NEWS

Settler Has Ninetieth Birthday.

(Special to the “ Star.”) ASHBURTON, March 17. ‘Mr Benjamin Evans, of Saunders Road, Ashburton, reached his ninetieth birthday, to-day and a family reunion will be held on Sunday to celebrate the occasion. Mr Saunders was born in Gloucestershire in 1843 and came out to New Zealand in the immigrant ship Crusader about forty years later. His wife died about thirteen years ago. He has five sons and five daughters ana there are twenty-eight grandchildren and twenty-nine great-grandchildren. Railway Servants Meet. A meeting of the Ashburton branch of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants was held last evening. Mr J. Brady presided. Mr M. Connolly (Wellington), a vice-president of the society and a member of the Superannuation Fund Board, was the principal speaker, and dealt with several matters of interest to branch members Menace of Rabbits. Rabbits are rapidly increasing in the Ashburton County and members at today’s meeting of the Mid-Canterbury executive of the Farmers’ Union expressed the opinion that the pest was becoming serious. It was decided to recommend to the County Council that poison be laid systematically throughout the county and that the stock inspector be asked to assist. Children’s Court. On account of the frequent offences committed by boys in riding bicycles on the borough footpaths it was announced by the presiding justice, Mr R. Clark, at a sitting of the Children’s Court this morning, that it had been decided to impose a fine in all future cases. This decision was made known when a boy charged with the offence was admonished and discharged. Girl Guides’ Stall. The Ashburton Girl Guides conducted a stall in aid of the companies’ funds in East Street to-day. A generous response was made to the appeal for cakes and produce and practically everything was disposed of. As a result of the effort the funds will benefit to the extent of between £9 and £lO. Cricket. A cricket match between the Ashburton Technical School and the Methven District High School was played at Ashburton to-day. In their first innings Methven compiled 87 (Aitken 21, Reid 21). Ashburton replied with 143 for the loss of five wickets before declaring (A. M’Call 27, V. Crequer 51, Gaff not out 29). In their second innings Methven made 109 (Reid 39, Walker 24) and Ashburton 115 for the loss of four wickets (Gaff retired 20, Crequer retired 40, Bradley not out 20). For the visitors Reid took two wickets for 33 runs and M’Cartney two for 11. For Ashburton Crequer took three wickets for 18 runs, M'Call four for 11, Still four for 15 and M’Connell two for 14. Personal. A motion of sympathy with Mr W. Letham (president of the Ashburton A. and P. Association) in the death of his daughter was passed at to-day’s meeting of the Mid-Canterbury Provincial Executive of the Farmers’ Union.