ASHBURTON.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14886, 28 January 1914, Page 12

ASHBURTON.

■ The health of the town is reported : to be good at the present time. With | the exception of a mild case of chickenpox, not a single infectious case has been notified for the last five weeks. ! Harvesters arrive in Ashburton every day and by almost every train. Yester- | day about twenty more were waiting ! for work, of which there is plenty, and, 1 notwithstanding the daily influx, it is]

expected that all available labour will b<? absorbed by the week-end. An elderly harvester was charged with drunkenness, convicted.. and ordered to pay '2s cab hire, by Mr W. H. Hundle. J. P., at the Police Court on Monday. Another stranger appeared before Mr H. Davis, J. P., yesterday, and was similarly dealt with. A social gathering of teachers and officials of the Baring square Sunday School, held on Monday night, was made the occasion of a "reception" to Mr G. W. Andrews, who has been on an extended visit to Australia. Rev. \V. J. Elliott presided, and, in an appropriate address, made mention of the active interest that Mr Andrews took in public matters, in social reform, and in Church and Sunday school affairs. Speeches were also made by Messrs A. Ii Steel. W. D. Beaumont, M. Priert and C. .Dixon, and Mr Andrews, who was "presented with a travelling rug, replied in appropriate terms. During the past fow good seasons weeds havft made great headway in parts of Ashburton County, the farmers not having sufficient time to properly eradicate them. In the Wakanui district, it is said, a farmer burned a large paddock of grass because the docks were so intermingled with the pastures that tho latter were practically valueless. In other paddocks good crops of thistles, docks, and other weeds still flourish. Frogs are very plentiful in the Ashburton County at present, and nightly a many-throated, croaking chorus may he heard emanating from tho riverbed (says the At dusk an inspection of water-raoe.d in the Wakanui distinct will reveal the presence of dozens of these tailless amphibians.