NGAPARA.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 822, 30 November 1878, Page 2

NGAPARA.

(FIIOM OUK OWN COKKKSPON'DENT.)

lii our prosperous little township the necessity of a law and order oflicer is much felt. For some time past we have been favored by the attentions of a number of roughs, who have no visible means of sup2)ort except their legs, and these sometimes give way. This state of terrorism is all the more grievous when we consider the taxation wc are subjected to directly and indirectly to the Government of the Colony to keep up the police force, from whom we r - eceive visits "few and far between," and from which w& get no benefit whatever. Only the othernight one of this predatory class of vagabonds took advantage of the temporary absence of one of our townsmen to break into his house for the purpose of securing a bed for himself, clearing out, however, at too early an hour to allow the hospitable proprietor to invite him to breakfast. In another instance, one of these customers entered the storehouse of a respectable resident of this town, and took therefrom .2 hzen and a sack of wheat. Not content with this demonstration of .tquisitiveness, he mischievously emptied another sack of wheat on the floor. Nor is this all ; life and limb stands a poor chance at the hands of these ruffians, who attack and mercilessly beat anyone against whom they conceive they have a grudge, using their boots and even (be it believed) their teeth in such encounters. No doubt the Commissioner of Police will see this letter, and it is to be hoped that he will introduce a system of reform which will give us that protection which we very much require. R. AV. Davis and .Co. are putting up an oven ami bakery, and effecting other extensive alterations. The bakery will be a great boon to the district. Mr. Breen, one of our local butchers, has erected a very comfortable dwelling house, and has started a butchery in this township. Mr. Ryan has also erected a nice private house. Mr o'R.ourke's felmongery business is progressing. He has just sent down 10 bales of wool to Oamaru. Our school and schoolmaster are getting along nicely, the latter, Mr. Y sheep,-, is much liked and respected. •"- '^nt Messrs. Roxburgh and Aitken have put up a most commodious and handsome house on their fine farm, on the Tables. Mr. Conlin also is putting up a capital house on his farm. At the Tapui Downs shearing is being rapidly proceeded with. Before taking leave of you for a short interval, I must give you a short sketch of our Ngapara colliery, which is being worked by the lessee, Mr. James Nimmo. Some time ago, Mr. Nimmo obtained boring rods, and went to work to look for coal deposits. He accordingly bored over a broad range of country, and found that coal deposits had existed to a very large extent in that area, but that they had been destroyed by fire long before the advent of civilisation, much in the same way as the extensive deposits of lignite are now being destroyed in the neighborhood of the Pomahaka river, called the burning plains. The combustion lias been going on for the last fifty years or more. Mr. Nimmo, on finding this to be the case, worked in towards Ngapara, and discovered that the gases had evaporated along the edges of a basin, through which one of the district roads passes, and situate about 300 yards from the railway-station. Here he again bored, and found the coal as he had anticipated. Having obtained a lease from Mr. Menlove, he at once set to work to obtain a main level, from which he has taken a considerable quantity of coal. The level now extends >nto the deposit some 300 feet, and is closely timbered throughout, each prop and cup costing two shillings, and oh. tained from the "Waimate bush. A new heading is now opened, and the quality of the coal is improving. Good fire clay is obfaiurd in quanticicj, so that we hj" to get up a trade with Milton when Bianop Nevill returns. "When the pit is in full working order Mr. Nimmo intends running a double tramway from the headings down to the railway siding, where trucks can be loaded from shoots, and coal delivered in Oamaru at His. Gd. per ton. There is one other item which I should not forget, in reference to the Railway Department. The engine used on this line is not sufficiently powerful, and gets awfully "knocked up" at times. Only the other day the passengers ■were badly scared by theSn-ako or one of the springs getting out of order, causing the engines to jerkin a most remarkable manner. My informant was on the train at the time, and, in common with other voyagers, got out to look on. He says that the engineer and his assistant had to lift the body of tho engine with screw-jacks, and then wedge up the loose iron work with bits of wood. If such is the case, the authorities should look into the matter for tho sake of the preservation of human lifo and security to public property. The engine has certainly enough to do, with an average load, to get up the gradient at the Teaneraki railway bridge, on the Cave Valley side.