TUHIKARAMEA.

Waikato Times, Volume XIII, Issue 1109, 2 August 1879, Page 2

TUHIKARAMEA.

July 30. At a meeting of the members of our new Highway Board on Saturday, the 2Gth inst., it was decided to at once take steps to erect a pound. This action is being taken solely with a view to prevent the young grass on the road being destroyed by sheop. Unfortunately tbo greater portions of the roads wore sown rather too lote, and an insufficient quantity of seed having been used, the grass is not at present looking quite so verdant as we could wish, and some of the knowing onjfefrom other districts are beginning to say, " I told you so, it's only throwing away money to sow grass there." But there are some places . where the seed has been put on more plentifully, and the consequence is very evident. In short if the Trustees can succeed in keeping of the shoop, I think ii won' tbe long before some people begin to talk in a different strain of Tuhikaramea. Any way the work which has been done on the roads this sido of the County during tlie past 12 or 18 months will enable people asking for land to come round the Waipa instead of talcing the hearsay evidence of those who know about as much of tho geography of this district as they do of Kamtschatka. There is one point on which residents in this district are feeling very sore, namely, the treatment wc have received at the hands of tlie Auckland Board of Educa tion ; perhaps it would be more correct to say at the hands of the Secretary to that body. Some throe years since, a landowner in the district gave a piece of laud aj a site for a building to be used as a school and place of Worship. Some £60 or .£7O Avas raised by the residents, and a suitable building put up, and for a period of two years a school" was open. The young lady, who had been teaching for some eighteen months or so, gave up her engagement at Christmas preparatory to entering into a far more interesting one with one of our most respectable settlers. An application was at once made to the Board of Education, thufc another teacher might be appointed, to which a reply was received, recommending a young ludy who had just arrived from England for the vacancy, enclosing, at same time, testimonials dated only a few months before, gating that the said young lady had been in the same situation in a school in a town in England for seveu years. The testimonial was most flattering, specially dwelling on the amiable and aflectionate disposition of the lady in question. The school committee lost no time in securing the services of so desirable an individual, and as we havo a fair number of eligible batchelors, considerable interest was manifested in her expected arrival. She wrote the Chairman of the school committee, stating that she would bs at Hamilton on the Tuesday evening, but would remain at one of ths hotels till Wednesday morning, and desired that some one might meet her there. Accordingly one of the members of the committee went to Hamilton, taking his daughter with him, on purpose to meet her ; but she neither put in an appearance herself nor sent any explanation of her nonarrival, and we heard no more of her till the Friday evening, when she arrived, having engaged a horse and guide at Hamilton, who had taken her all round by Whatawhata. She considered herself very badly used in not being met at Hamilton, but did not appear to thiuk the trouble of the gentleman and his daughter who had had tt e fruitless jfiurnoy, worth a thought. On tho arrival not being known only found three children were there, so she sent them home. On the Tuesday there Avere onlyten there, she gave them a sum and then dismissed thorn. On Wednesday she took her departure, expressing her oontempt of the district and all in it in no very measured teliiis, she said sho Avas not going to AA-aste her time teaching a lot of babies. I haA-e said her testimonial stated she had been 7 years in one school in England. She said she had only been in England a month or two before leaving for NeAv Zealand, having just returned from Africa. I have gone to this length to give an idea of what the young lady Avas like. She told ws plainly that Avhen sho Avcnt back she would take care to represent tho thing to, Mr o' Sullivan ancl Mr Rice, tl*at the school should be closed. We thought little of Avhat sho said, never for a moment supposing 'that auy thing a person like her who had (only been a low months in the colony, .oxmlcf say, 'would outAveigh tlie ri'pros.outations mado to tho Board of Education by the school committee. But Ave have found our mistake ; it was in March she loft. A letter was forwarded the same day to the Board of Edmvition, asking that another teacher- might oe ap.-. pointed at onco, to Avhich no. reply was vouchsafed. Another letter Avas sent tho following Avcelc, hut still no reply. After Avaiting a month or five wooks longer, another letter Avas sent, hut all to no purpose; in short, the existence of the district scl'QCii committee appeared to be ignorurf, At length, in the middle of June, one of the school committee being iu Auckland, called at tho Board of Education and saw the Secretary, and in .venlv to his question, as to A\ r hy no answer luit\ been returned to eithov letter, Avas tolc( that one had just been sent, and thef olloAvingi Saturday the Chairman rccei.Ycdi the folloAviug highly satisfactory communication j—

"Auckland, Juno 17, 187?. " Sir, — Iu reply to yony letter,, dated 30th April, Ayhioh I regret has been so long tmansAvered, I am directed to state that, until the committee oan, provide suitable means ofy lodging, it. will he impossible for the Board to appoint a teacher.,— -X I am, &c, Vincent Rice, Sleovecary."

"The Chairman, District School Committee, Ngaliinapouri." It seems the lady gave a vory poor aceount of the accomodation provided for her, but | k-noofv< x from personal ob-* seiTs-jticjiij, that everything was done to. promote her comfort that could: be, by tho lady in whose house sho lodged And one AvouldhaAye fancied from hcr-OAvn statement of the Avay in Avhich sho had roughed it in. A|rlufi, ;i that sha should not have been ip hard to please. We have applied for a teacher's residence, but can got no reply. Therejis a site for a house, three acres having been granted by tJ.e \Vasto Lands Board for that jAitrposc, somo eighteen months s<nc-A. We haA'o about* tAA r enty ch^luven in, tho district, of- Avhora fifteen or. sixteen avouM attend school,, am-d! avc think wc havo a *t*lght to some consideration aftor-. putting up a sohool l!>v nublio. sr^hsci.Tj.ttion, Surely the duties of the Education Board should not consist in making largo grants for fine schools in the suburbs of Auckland, and other centres of Avoath and population, while the scantily populated out districts arc simply ignore*.! Ono thingis very certain, if such is to beth*^ case, no man avlio has any seif -respect. J* places any value on hi» time, 'will, consent to play a pai*t in such a farce, as 'being, elected a member of- a country schoo" 1 ' committee,— Corbespokder^ ' *