OTARIA.

Mataura Ensign, Volume 7, Issue 365, 13 June 1884, Page 5

OTARIA.

i . ( From 'olir own Correspondent.) ■JCing ros t holds firm 'jiosseg.sion of Hlip leind here at-prcsint, -vnd has done- ] fo for the past w eek. All oiU'clooi I',1 ', Jwurk has had to be suspeuded: during {his ieniporary reign. Plaughi ; i)g qppr-, jalions have ;been, .comn)en.Q< d jou iOiK j ' jOr two farms, but wjll no.t be general for a week or two' yet,' as 'the farnieis Slnue not • got all : their grain carted 'yet to .tkei, station. 1 ;.,,/! ; :; , , ,' .;,; !')' JyiCany thaulj^to the. County Council \sov being so considerate to us last 'sutnroer. in having the main road from

Pukerau to Otaria metalled on the w.orst. portions! The settlers lumm'_ had a good road to drive on during the busy season, when they nvo carting on I. their grain. It is an old saying, " dive a cockatoo an inch, and lio\vants a foot." Well, that is what" tho Otaria farmers want now. Thoy t arc deeply thankful for what the Council has done, but there is another portion of this road from Scully's house to tho school, about 12 or 15 chains, which urgently requires attention. It is in a' deplorable state at present — in fact, almost impassable. Were this part done I am sure the farmers \vould shower blessings on the Southland County Councillors. It is to .1)0 hoped this,, above all other works, will b" attended to in the early spring. Threshing \.< siiil going on. There was a. large amount of grain grown in this district this season, and it is expected it will take eight or ten days yei, to finish threshing. There have !» i v some good yields on several f.irni.s. Tl.e Slopedown school was opened, on the. 2nd instant under 1 lie master-' ship oil Mr Milliard. There have been 27 children at the school every day. This augurs well -for the new institution. It is to be hoped tii itparents will keep their children regularly at school. li : this is dune the teacher is bound to take. an. int-re-t in his. work, and the.ehildreii an: sure 1o succeed. It is almost a certainty . that if the.number of children, already; mentioned are kept regularly at ,-elioo . ■ 'the ! iK'-peelor will condemn ihe ]>iv'-eiif, sirii'ei iir.-. :is it. is by t\v "100 si.v'd! mJ| imildr/ig'for a .school and i,hero ;iiv. not,! the same conveniences for teaching ;is; exist in a proper .school building. If this is the view, taken by the authorities the Slopedown folk may exp9cb. to have a new school in. their midst ere long. The present building was, erected about eight years ago by the; first settlers that came to Otaria, when it was intended ; to have two half time, schools, this one and the other where, the present Otaria school is situated.: However, this, was not. done, as it was: found the half time system would, not '■ suit. The Mopedo.wn settlers are to, be congratulated, as they have had a; long up-hill struggle over this school,! and it is pleasing to see their efforts; crowned with success. Where is the Otaria school I Oh ! it's ►still in the old place, but it's a dummy,' and has been for the last three months. Whose fault, is that/?- ' 'Well, I don't know. Tho School Committee doesn't know either,unless it 'ls'tifdir secretary. , When that poor scribe is 'Spoken tot— j and he gets hauled over the coals veVy often. — about ...it, of course- he jery'j naturally puts the- b,lauie on sonjeone ; else : the Education, Board, for instance, \ and, there the matter rests. isknv, i between the ficluc-iUoii 'Board and 'the School Committee the fault lies, arid is it not a shame-- a'n'd lJ '"a' 'disgrace- to modevii l eivi'liga'£ibn'-Uia > L li chilclren in a welUsettled disbried'. should be allowed to run abotiit.^tbe, . .country. ;i'_ori /.thl-ee months and perhaps, more, as .there is nor^.ord -of a teacljijjr^et, throjugji ( the gross carelessness — it is nothing else — of either ,tbp Schpol Committee or tho Education 4Boarcl'.-v It is indeed time something.. >ya« done .in, the matter, as tins is just' too much of a good thing.! T f wo JaiTikifts, .wh.ose names. -are.kno.w : ii tc^the'^onmiifctee, trrliirig- advantage o : f ; no one living near" the school, brokeseveral' pane's 'oi ;j -gUibS 'by throwingj stones through.;. them/: ', : Thoe youths; will perhaps Had- it— to their advantage tb:'replacei them '■ as- sdonn ."as :pbssib|b, ] olihovwise, they, .may get a iree trip 'toj luvercargill much against tb.eir, will. | [ft will have be ( eu obsoryed tint ,th.ej Board appointed, a teacher for Otaria j at its last meeting. Ed.] ' j A public meeting wag held at Mr, James' Elliott's house on Friday even-; ing last to consider whether it would beil advisable to postpone building a church or to proceed with: tho work at ioucp. Mr- R. Coupertliwaite occupied iho cKair, and having put the -matter; before the meeting <i motion. was ..moved ''.That. .the church.be not g.ono on \v : ilh at present." This was met _.;.\- ,:»j \ ajn ointment, which was cir:i d, 'TiuU < the Church l)e built ;d. one." T.hei subscription list n mains'' inuVies of I p-i'ri ies'who h.ive proinist d Lj i: to'lhtM building. This, <>n being .sub^idi-<ed \ liy the.iSynqd, will m.ike .the amount] LLI-8. Other Miljscrip'i'in's are still toj come in, so' that it is expected 1/200 ' will he raised. This .sum shoir.'d build a nice iitt-U; ciiurcii, which is to be erected at the crp.ss ronds kiwwu a« j Qiiprlicr's iiiil. Mr A. Lindells, of ' the Ciutha, has yery irenerousjy gi \en an acre or land for tin; ciiurcii. ' A public nKH-dinj; is to !<<■> I, eld here 1 oa Friiiay evening next f',»i- tho pur-' pose of fixing a dly fir laying |)oi>oa \ tor rabbits, which are becoming very numerous. Where are the Southland liaiibit Inspectors.? I hope they, have iioj; sw;]llo>ved any phosphor.UM ; . that would.be. a pily, as t.b r e,y ; a.r.e.indippens able oilicers. They have not it.ccii seen li(!re far quite an a^e '; " however^ we can j^ct on , without; them. ' '" \ It is aliso 'to form a j Parnioi-s' ■Club '-at the same- 1 meeting. 1 It is to bo hoped the far-m'et-3 will j t'omvsueh a club, as by so doing they confer a great boon on themselves. •As, the maxim say l6i — 'fTJnited we stand, idi.vid -Ml we fill." I 'Olai-ia, June 0, 1S\ C >4: