SHAG POINT.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 953, 8 May 1879, Page 2

SHAG POINT.

(from our owk corkesponbknt.) 1 . May 11. My first item must be about the unaccountable ways of the Central Board of Education in Dunedin, ancl the way in which we at the mine are treated.' In the beginning of the year we sent in a requisition signed by householders having a total of about forty children of the required age to attend school, asking fora school district within certain boundaries to be declared" . To "this no answer his been accorded, or any reason for not declaring the district given ; but in spilt of the efforts of a special deputation asking for a school and master's residence at tie Point, where at present we can muster from fifty to sixty children, the Boaid have decided to erect a school and residence about two miles distant, to ac» modate about twelve children, so our sixty children walk two miles to avcif making twelve walk four miles ; and A' is worse, the sixty have to walk through mile and a half of unformed or clayw and the others have a good metalled ti We also put to the Board that in a time we shall have at least one hunts children within a mile* radius from to mine ; but they, in their wisdom, <4 provide for |l>*> present, and say, cient far the clay is the ev.il thereof;" I® I we hope, through the means of (paper, knowing as you do the BP : growth of this place, to get some j®''® accorded to us, and to be provided wt" l proper school and master's residence. The woi'ks at the mine are liovr*™ advanced. The line will be laid into"* I shoots in about a week, and the Cool®'? will be able to load ooal into the w'S® on or about the 23th inst., when 100'®' per day can be drawn from the mine, aM in a very- short time from 150 to '™ , tons, ■ The mine is now drained by means of a ; Tangye special pump, the second <® e i worked in the Colony, as I am inf wined by j Mr. Williams, the manager, who worked j the first one successfully at Ka,\vaKaw> Auckland, the steam beiiig carried in I® pipes for a distance of 220 yards fromtlw boiler, ancl forcing a 2in stream of up the same distance, or to a perpeudicu; ilar height of 140 feet. It is capable ot : lifting 3000 gallons per ho.ur to a heigM of 240 feet. .. The coal production has been stoaduj increasing, foom last June, when was about 200 tons per month, for ™ | last two months has been over 1000toj : per month.. The company are nwbt ample provision for a good and cM supply, and you in Oamaru will put down for 20s per ton, by the tij£ load, which ought to induce a large , mand, and drive the imported coal out the, market. The place is fast the : appearance of a township, and' j railway communication is compl c, i imagine we shall have a busy place, post office at Pukeiwitai is a S re venience, and your paper is eagerly siftcr 6y; the residents.