Ashurst Notes

Feilding Star, Volume XII, Issue 145, 30 May 1891, Page 2

Ashurst Notes

(from our own correspondent.) There was a special meeting of the school committee to consider certain tenders, on Wednesday night. The successful tenderer for school cleaning was Mrs Charles. Two were also received for erecting the. shelter shed. Mr Maunders tender was accepted. The members present were E. Sanders (chairman), T. Rimmer G. Searle, J. Crayen, E. Potts, J. S. Freeman. The Education Board gives £1 towards erecting this shed — not a very large donation towards a building to cover 213 children. A good shed in the winter months has a marked effect on the attendance of those children living at a distance. Mr D. H. Macarthur visited Ashurst on Monday, and brought a plan of the Government Reserve with him, so that we could point out a suitable spot for our recreation ground. "A' good site was chosen and our Member will get it fixed up for us. He has taken considerable interest in this little matter. Om' tradesmen,' who are all located on the Pohangina road, wish tp obtain assistance from tbe Road Board to enable them to get. their footpaths formed. It's wanted badly enough, but there is a something the Road Board should have done before this, and that is to form and metal Barnfield street. This is a horrid road in the winter, and that will soon be here. Water lays on it nearly always in the wet 1 season as there is no outlet for it. A petition has been sent in long ago requesting attention .to this. There are signs of another gathering of the Awahou-hous on the other side of Pohangina (commonly known as Foxton Block) to consider their road question. Mr Lucas, the member of the Kiwitea Road Board, was here lately. In course, of time we hope to get a separation from the Kiwitea Road Board. That Board is altogether too Brobdignagian in its size, and now that settlement is going on comparatively fast at this end, we feel that we are getting strong enough to run alone. The interests of the settled part are so divergent' from those of the newly opened part, that it. would be better for all parties to divide the country. Mr Cornford informs me' that all the young grass is very baokward up the Pohangina way, quite a month before it can be even lightly stocked. Mr Richards, -who has bought Axup's run, has- a small store near Diggers' creek. The first threshing machine eyer seen at work. in the .Pohangina' Valley is now puffing away at Mr A. Grammer's. Although his bush has' only been down about 10 years, he has stumped 30 acres of it, on part of which he grew a very fine crop of oats. Quite a row of stacks, sin number, were to be seen. Mr A. Gower has a good crop of mangolds, now being eaten off by sheep m gates, they appear to do yery well on them, and eat tbe roots down to the ground. The instances you gave of those Jacksin office, the Crown Rangers, come at a very opportune moment, and give us a foretaste of what it would be if those now in power could introduce their scheme of holding the lands of the Colony in' their bands. We could never call the land our own, and would be continually harassed by inspections, and impertinent questions as to whose stock is giv zing, on your—or -i rather tbe State's, grass. By all means let us go shoulder to shoulder and stand ap for that system which gives manpower J bo call his farmhiii own.