TAHAKOPA VALLEY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2883, 23 June 1909, Page 39

TAHAKOPA VALLEY.

June 15. — We are within a few days- ot the shortest day. Yet with the exception of two days last week of South Pole "leather wo have had, and are havinc. a. wonderfully' fine winter. The only thing that mare our rural life is the unmetalled roads here. A few chains that -were formerly impassable were attended to, and metalled, and are now like the oasis to the travellers in the desert. Notwithstanding this drawback to winter travelling settlers by the roadside were startled a few -days ago at the sound and sight of a traveling traction engine having in tow a chaffcutter and a. loaded truck. The residents shook their heads, and declared it impossible for it to proceed from Catiins station to Mr Fea's homestead, some 16 miles away iii this valley. Ero half a mile had been traversed Mr Fea received a hurried message from the county engineer warning him that he would be held responsible lor iamage done to bridge, culverts, or road. Nothing daunted those in charge pushed slowly but resolutely forward, stopping here and there to ohop and gather fuel by the wayside and take in water, and here and there to corduroy a bad plaos and lay planks over culverts. Thus the enterprising owner pushed his heavy train through tho bush track, now a very Slough oi Despond in places, to the sea beach without material damage. The the owner had to face another situation, where if damage were done it would fall very heavy on him alone, for between him and the foivl lay two and a-quartsr miles of sea baaeh that had to be negotiated at. full speed throughout, for should steam give out or any little mishap cause a brief delay his ponderous machine would soon sink through the yielding sand and disappear. But *' Fortune favours the brave.'' and he finally ran it alongside his ample barn, and though it was well on in the day master and men soon set tha parts in position, and cut upwards of a hundred bags of chaff, and as the sun was sinking behind the hills he cast the engine from the cutter, ran it into' a clearing and tried it on stump-lift-ing, which proved highly satisfactory. Such is the enterprise an<l grit of a man, who eurely deserves to get on. The School.— The Education Board placed a school in the lower part of the valley, but found that the earlier settlers' children bad- been^^ared; for, arud were taking their places in cbe world, eb they made it a Hftlf-time .school. \Ybe» one settle with a

numerous family had removed up tho valley to the Rirnu Block it left 'but a very few children, and some of them about to leave school, and as the later settlers at- Rinri had to send their children from four to six miles to the school the board consented to shift the sehoolhouse four miles up the valley, where it was most urgently needed. It is" now a very neat and complete school, with a separate residence for the respected master (Mr Williamson) and his family. There are one or two caces where the guardians ara a little perplexed about the education of a charge, but such cas-ss are inevitable. Doubtless in a couple of years or so, when the railway reaches us, the industries of the va'le.y will attract new settlers to our waiting seaside township, which would necessitate the buikung of a school, thereby meeting these isolated cases.