NOTES FROM SHAFTESBURY.

Te Aroha News, Volume I, Issue 2, 16 June 1883, Page 3

NOTES FROM SHAFTESBURY.

Thb contractors, Wiseman and party, considering the unpleasant state of the weather, since taking their contract^ have made good progress with the road formation between here and Waiorongomai. The- waut of a properly formed road has Bine© the formation of this settlement been a great drawback to traffic, and even should the new road be constructed before the fine waather again arrives we will not bft able to use it until then, as from present appearances, and experiences on other highways, newly formed roads in winter are considerably worse than no •roadß at all. Anyhow, it is to be hoped that should the road be finished before the rainy season has passed away that the ■council will not allow .heavy traffic to pass over it. Should this be done we will then have a good, hard, and well formed road when spring arrives. > Mr Grant still continues to run the boat across the river free of cost to settlers. This enables us to go to Te Aroha by the road on the left bank of the river, which notwithstanding the rain is in capital condition and is considerably shorter. The settlers are much indebted to Mr Grant for this convenience, he having to pay for the necessary labour in running the boat. Notwithstanding the amount of talk •bout the building of a church here, which wts heard whenever the settlement was first formed, and for some time after, nothing practical has as yet been done in the matter, and from present appearances a long time is likely to lapse before we ■will have a church erected in our midst. However, when the new school, which the Government propose to erect is completed the building will serve the purpose of divine service as well as education. Mr O'Sullivan, the Government school inspector, was here on Monday last, his mission being to investigate the educational requirements of this district. No less than three sites were offered for the Hew school, two by Mr Grant on the west $ide of the river, consisting of five acres «ach, and another on the east side of the jiver, consisting of three acres. The choice has been left entirely with the inMpector. There are at present about 70 children on the roll, but the room in the Temperance Hotel only affords accommodation for about forty children. The parents are naturally of opinion that it is a great injustice they should have to pay for their children's schooling in a country where the State is supposed to defray all such expenses. One of the conditions of our settlement was that the Government would provide us with a school after the first three months. Many of our settlers are looking forward with the happy anticipation to the com- , pfetion of the Te Aroha railway and traffic bridge, as we have been promised the Te Aroha bridge whenever it falls into disuse. I would, however, impress upon your readers heie the necessity of making provision for themselves in this respect, as it is aot likely the bridge will be completed for the next ejglit months at least. It is us little as the county council could do to assist us in procuring a punt for this place. Work is now pretty plentiful here, and has been for many months past. Indeed, all who have ever been willing to work have never experienced any difficulty in finding suitable employment. It is a pity, however, that the settlers do not pay tnore attention to the cultivating of their three-acre holdings. Indeed, some of them have never put a spade in their holdings. The land is good and would be excellent for vegetable growing. The latest is that the hotel is again abaut to change hands. Since the present landlady entered into possession she has kept the hotel in a very creditable way, and no one has ever had reason to complain ; in fact, on the other hand, we are all sorry to hear of the change. Your new paper, which I must say is a very creditable production for an outlandish place like Te Aroha, has already met with great favour here, and if I surmise correctly will meet with a largo amount of support at the hands of the settlers. If the subsequent issues will be kept up to the standard of the first we will have little reason to complain of how the district is represented in the journalistic world.