LIVINGSTONE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1319, 21 December 1880, Page 2

LIVINGSTONE.

(from our own correspondent. ) December 20.

I advised you in my last letter that the School Committee were soliciting subscriptions in aid of p. fund with which to purchase prizes and presents for the school children at the breaking up for the holidays. I am pleased to be able to report that the appeal met with even more success than was anticipated, the sum raised exceeding the amount the Commitr tee aimed to raise as being necessary. X believe nearly every individual asked contributed,

The school broke up on Monday last. | The prizes were presented by Mr. R. W. Botting, the Chairman of Committee, and, I believe, gave very general satisfaction to the recipients. The Committee adopted the plan of awarding books of equal value to all in each: standard who had gained about the same number of marks. These amounted in some instancies to five in a class, whilst to all other scholars was pre? sented a book of a little less value.

The school broke up for the holidays on the 15th. The' teacher wishing to visit Victoria during the recess, it will not be re-opened till the first week in January. The Committee, in accordance with a very general wish of the parents, are applying to the Education Board to create the Livingstone school a full time, in lieu of half time, school. If this be granted, and there can be no just reason why it should not (unless the Education Department follows the example of other de» paj-tments, and say that nothing the Maerewhenua people desire is to Le con-

ceded, as they are not supporters of the present wool - and - land administration) then may we reasonably expect the children of Livingstone to make good progress, since, though hitherto taught only half time, they have, by the Inspector's report, done very creditably. At last there seems a prospect of the Maerewhenua Bridge being available some time during the coming year, as I see some men are now engaged at it. It is quite time the County Council in such matters should abandon their imitation of the redtapeism of the General Government, and entrust the letting of such works to a committee of, say, the Chairman, local and Engineer, instead of, in the case of a lapsed contract, wasting three months to get another sent in and accepted. I was told the other day of an incident reflecting on the honesty of one of the Oamaru auctioneers rather than his shrewdness, "always provided" he was •not acting in ignorance. One of our miners purchased some bottles of scent, probably designed as a present to his ladylove, when,'what was his surprise on his arrival home to find that the bottles had been filled from the crystal spring instead ;of from the laboratory of the perfumer. There is evidently Yankeeisin in other places than America, and the States are not the only place where wooden nutmegs are vended, if not made.