HEATHCOTE VALLEY SCHOOL.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1823, 24 December 1879, Page 3

HEATHCOTE VALLEY SCHOOL.

On Saturday lost this usually quiet valley was quite gay, it being _ the occasion of the annual treat and aistribntion of prizes to the children attending the district school. Through the exerlions of several members of the school committee, a sufficient sum of money had been collected to purchase a number of handsomely boond books, and quite a largo collection of toys, besides providing a very bountiful tea. Early in the afternoon the children began to meet in the school ground, and until tea was ready amused themselves with various games under the direction of the chairman and other members of the committee. About four o’clock tea was served out. When the tables had been cleared, and the whole party were assembled in the schoolroom, Mr W. Perkins, chairman of committee, said it gave him great pleasure to see the way in which all had evidently enjoyed themselves, and referred to the very successful examination passed by the scholars at the last inspection conducted by Mr Edge a few months since. He then called upon Mr Wollatein to distribute the prizes, after which all those children who had not received a prize in the shape of a book had a toy of some sort given to them. One pleasing part of the proceedings was the presentation of four first-class good attendance certificates to children who had attended school every time it had been opened during the year, and three second class certificates to those who had not been absent more than five half-days during the same period. The following are the names of the first prize takers in each standard Standard V. —Robert Martin and Jane Menzies; Standard IV.—Walter Carries end Annie McDowell; Standard lll.—Victor Huddleston and Mary Lncas; Standard 11. Peter Menziee and Ellen Lucas ; Standard I. —Peter Connelly and Annie Martin. The master’s prize for good conduct was carried off by Mary Lucas.

A SUSSEX FARMER ON NEW ZEALAND. The '"Southern Weekly News” has received the following letter from an East Sussex farmer (Mr John Baker, lateof ffartefield), who went out to New Zealand last year:— Rose Cottage, Fielding, Manawatu, New Zealand, August, 1879. Sir, —Having now been in New Zealand twelve months, I will redeem my longdelayed promise of writing to you, and trust that my letter will be none the less interesting to the readers of the "Southern Weekly News ” than if written at an earlier date, when first impressions might have misled me.

After a long and dreary passage of just 100 days from port to port, we were all highly pleased to set foot on the quay at Wellington, which is a nice clean city, and contains some good shops and factories, and reminded me very much of Tunbridge Wells. The harbour and town of Wellington are surrounded by precipitous bills covered by low scrub in many places and interspersed with patches of pasture, where cattle and sheep are turned out to graze; and what strikes the eye of the Englishman in walking round the outskirts of the town is the precipitous places up with post and rail fences have been made to divide the properties. ##*##*

I will now proceed to give you a fair statement of the prospects of any one meditating settling here. The town of Feilding, in which I am living, is rapidly rising in importance, and where five years ago there was scarcely a hut built on it, we have now a town containing 700 or 800 houses, and nearly 3000 inhabitants, three large hotels, eight or ten general stores, Church of England, Roman Catholic, Primitive Methodist, Wesleyan, Presbyterian, and Christian Brethren places of worship, a good public school, Court House, and Railway Station, with a Public Hall ia course of erection, and a Temperance Club and Refreshment Company in course of formation, A Volunteer Rifle Corps has just been enrolled, and we shall soon have all the concomitonts of an English town about us. Labour is very dear hero now, much dearer than in other parts of New Zealand, but I think this will not continue long, as settlers cannot afford to pay the price, and are consequently not employing many hands. Farm labourers are receiving 25s per week and rations, day labourers 7s to 8s per day, bushmen earn from 7s to 16s per day, according to capacity and experience. Carpenters and painters receive 10a to 12a per day, and are in constant employment. Store-keepers are doing a good trade at larger profits than those realised in England, but their trade has been much injured lately by the forced sale of a glutted import market, brought into the town by itinerantimerchants, who stay a few weeks, make a great fuss about their “wonderful bargains,” and selling goods at “less than cost price,” and after tailing all the ready money they can obtain, move on to another town.

Farmers are in a much better position hero than in England, as they nearly all own their farms and land. Bought four or five years since at 25s or 30a per acre, it is now worth £5 to £8 per acre, according to the amount of improvements made upon it, but unimproved land haa doubled in value during the last five years. Most of the land between Hoxton and Halcombe ia uncleared forest, but many steam aaw-milla are now at work, and heavy train loads of sawn timber are daily leaving here for shipment, either at Foxton or Wanganui. Many settlers cut down the forest indiscriminately, and after letting it lie to dry for one summer, set it on fire iu the autumn, and burn up as much as possible of it. Grass seed is immediately sown la the ashes, and in three months they have a fine growth of young grass in which to turn their cattle. This land will keep one yearling bullock per acre. The large timber is rolled together and burnt afterwards, at the settler’s leisure, and this operation is termed “logging up.” Bush-felling costs frjm £2 to £2 10s per acre, logging up £3 to £3 10s, grass seed and sowing 15s to 20a per acre, and fencing 20s to 25a per chain, so that a fifty-acre paddock requires ninety chains of fencing, and coats about £IOO, or £2 per acre. Of course, if smaller paddocks are made, the coat of fencing is doubled or trebled, according to tho size of the paddock. And now, before closing, allow me to cantion your readers about receiving as truth the statements made iu the “New Zealand Handbook.” Iu that book not one word is said about mosquitos, which are so troublesome here as to prevent men working in tho bush during the summer months. 1 have known men place a piece of netting over their hats and tie it down round their necks, then tie strings round the bottom of their trouser legs, and sew up the opening below their shirt wristbands, when the mosquitos would settle so thickly on the netting as to prevent their being able to see how to use their tools. This is only in the bush, miud. Bush laud is stated to cost from £3 to £3 10s to clear, and bring under grass, whereas it coats £8 or more if done properly. Wheat is worth 3s 9d to 4s per bushel, yet flour is worth 12s per 1001 b, and bread 8d per 4lb loaf, so you perceive that millers and bakers make large profits. Apples are 8d per lb, small sour oranges 4d each, salt butter Is Gd per lb, fresh ditto la 9d, eggs la Gd per dozen, grocery 20 per cent, higher than in England, and the only thing that is cheap is meat. Beef is 4 id per lb, and mutton 3Jd to 4d. House rent is very high also. I was asked £25 per annum (or a small four-roomed cottage, hnilt of wood, lined, papered, and painted, and an acre of uufenced, uncleared land attached.

Two-rcomed cottages being 6s or 7s per ■week. All drinks are 6d at the hotels, so that if you require a glass of ale you have to pay 6d for it. This does not effect ua temperance men, and Good Templars no doubt rejoice over it. Nevertheless, drunkenness is the prevailing vice here, and men who earn from £l2 to £ls per month go to an hotel and squander it in two or three days hard drinking. An industrious, thrifty labourer or mechanic can easily acquire a comfortable house and one acre of land, and live much better than in England, and I would advise any man who is not able to thrive in the old country, to come here as soon as possible. No doubt fruit and other produce will he much cheaper in three or four years time in this district, and it is much cheaper in the older settlements of the Southern Island, where apples and peaches are sometimes given to the pigs.