TAPANUI.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VI, Issue 275, 8 May 1873, Page 6

TAPANUI.

(From a Correspondent.) May 3rd. This district has been neglected since v iur '' own " ceased to bring our little (.roubles, &c., before the public— which ! duty he did manfully. " Tooney " made a spasmodic effort to rescue us , from our unenviable position of being without a correspondent, but, after one effort, he appears to have collapsed. As it would be an unpardonable sin to leave the world in ignorance of the doings of this important district, I purpose — with your consent — jotting you a Jew items of local news occasionall) . Of course you have heard of the jjreat improvements being effected by ur indefatigable Progress Committee. 'hat august body, after enjoying a state f blissful repose for a length of time, -.re, after awakening to a sense of their .uties, going in with renewed vigor; ;nd decent streets for the winter are the result. One contract fur forming .Aid gravelling has been completed, and • wo others are drawing near completion. His Honor has kept his promise of -■applying the cash for these works, and the hearts of anxious contractors have rejoiced accordingly. The timber trade generally appears . o be flourishing. Messrs. Ho vat and \lo,\ 1 0, are resuming operations after being -ibout a month laid up for repairs. The jther mills, three in number, are all ousily engaged. Tapanui bush can't ■ .st for ever at this rate. I Tbe school is still under Miss Aitkin's •„ -arge. whose duties must he severely ..■duous. That forty urchins can be '. ept under control by one lady aud make . mrked progress is matter for wonder, .-•ml says a great deal for the children _nd their instructress too. It is now j :wo months since a Mr. South was elected, out of 13 applicants; for the appointment of teacher for this school, i)ut he has uot yet put in an appearance. < believe he is to bf» here by the end ;*f this month, A public meeting was jailed (by order of the School Committee) on Friday evening, 2nd inst., to consider the correspondence that had massed with Mr. South relative to the ppointment. Mr. A. Alien, after a ittle persuasion, consented to take the ■hair, and explained the object of the meeting as far as he was aware of (not '>eing onceacommitteeman). Mr. J. C. Yallaince then rose, and said that at .cist meeting of Committee he proposed •:hat a public meeting be called to con sider the correspondence; this was seconded by Mr. Youngson (Secretary : School Committee), and carried, and the present meeting was the result. He had taken this course as he considered, after so much delay, the. public ought t-o be put in possession of the facts of the case as affecting that delay. He now called upjn Mr. Youngson to read the corresjKmdenee. Mr. Youngson — to the undisguised amazement of the meeting— refused to do anything of the sort, saying he had no authority to do so. Seeing the meeting was called by the School Committee, this was rather a singular statement to make. This opinion having been expressed, in which the meeting heartily concurred, it then dispersed, after the usual vote to the chair. I have not the slightest idea what turn this very peculiar affair will take next. However, you must not imagine that this is a fair example of j the way we do business in this en- , lightened locality. "We are going to have a church one of these days — as soon as the Building Committee agree about the style, &c. A handsome amount has been subscribed for the purpose, and having secured plans from Dunedin, which are to be improved upon by local genius, I believe something startling in the way of architectural grandeur and n.agnincence will surely be the result. Mr. Beaumont, of Lawrence, preached to a large and appreciative congregation in the schoolroom on Sunday last, 27th April, and after service baptized several infants. I shall be glad to chronicle many visits from this gentlevnan. The withdrawal from sale of the 4,000 acres of land on Capt. M'Kenzie's run appears to be matter for congratulation, as we are hugging ourselves with the idea of getting it thrown open under the deferred payments system. I don't know much about the system myself, but there is something pleasant in the title — if it> could be applied to tailoi-'s bill's, &c, it would be a real boon. If a petition was got up and signed by those who really wanted land under that system, and the number of j acre" stated that ftach person required, and even the amount of the first payment lodged in our member's handvS. there would surely be a good chance of getting the land. I heard a gentleman once offer to lay a wager that if he got a petition praying for the- separation of Otago from Timhucktoo he would get twothirds of the population of this district to sitrn it. I would not like to go that i ieiitjth myself, but F cannot see much t/oorJ in petitions without some tangible wai'iht oan be given to them. There is a threshing machine at present in the district, and the settlers are ; n'-Uing their oats threshed at LI per 100 bushels, which price appears to pjtv both pa> ti«s well. Oats are rising in prioe rapidly, aud the cockatoos are j r joicing. j The bridge over the Pomahaka is being proceeded with. jPaper done — inntter exhausted, Good night. ,