The Akaroa Mail TUESDAY, MAY 15, 1877.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume I, Issue 86, 15 May 1877, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail TUESDAY, MAY 15, 1877.

This speech of the Premier at the late banquet afc Taranaki has afforded some insight into the ministerial programme for the coming session of Parliament. Although Major Atkinson dealt in generalities, yet, he said sufficient, to use his own words, "to indicate the broad lines by which the Government proposed to travel." "The policy of "the Goreniment" said lie, would be— " first to complete the establishment of " local self-government throughout the " Colony ; to complete the establtsh- " ment ot a system of primary education ; " to promote the settlement of our waste " lands by a yeoman population ; to " cultivate and maintain the good under- " standing with the Native race ; to re- " duce considerably the expenditure on " public works and continue the con- " struction of the main lines of railway " throughout the Colony until completed ; " to reduce the ordinary expenditure to " within the narrowest limits consistent " with efficiency ; and to simplify our " finances and place them on a sound " basis for the future."

We pass by the promised reductions with this remark, that we hope they may be carried out not in a spirit of cheeseparing, lopping off a, few pounds here and there from the salaries of tinpaid officials, nor in discontinuing a public work of comparatively little utility, but in the adoption of a broad scheme of departmental reform, and in the discontinuance of all public works not absolutely necessary to develope the resources of the country. As to the completion of local self-government, we do not apprehend that there will be much difficulty in effecting that. Despite its manifest defects, the Colony, as a whole, has pronounced most unmistake-

ably in favour of the Counties Act. It is true, that in Canterbury, the County Councils have, with one exception, decided not to adopt the Act in its entirety; but in the North Island the case is very different, and even in Otago,that hotbed of Provincialism, nearly all the County Councils have declined to avail themselves of the permissive clauses. Seeing, then, that the country has thus unmistakeably pronounced in favour of the Act, we do not apprehend that much difficulty will be experienced by the' Government from the country's representatives in remedying those defects which have been found to have arisen in its working. The question of establishing a system of primary education for the whole of New Zealand is a much more serious matter, and one, which, we foresee, is likely to lead to a lengthened and probably an acrimonious debate. We liave before urged upon the G-overnment the propriety of making the Education Bill public some time before the meeting of Parliament, and, we again reiterate our suggestion, for we know that this reticence on the part of the Minister of Justice, who, it is said, has charge of the Bill is producing anything but a friendly feeling towards the measure. Be this as it may, the religious difficulty is sure to crop up during the debate, and it will take all the skill of Ministers to throw " oil upon the troubled waters." The settlement of the Waste Lands of the Colony is another question which will lead to fierce discussion, for sooner or later the subject of what is to be done with the land fund of the South will turn up, and we may rest assured that the members of those parts of the Colony having no land fund, will not relinquish without a struggle, their design upon the land fund of the South. We believe that the Canterbury and Otago members will be true, to the principle that the land fund ought not to be common property, but should be expended in the districts where it is raised. The question of settling the finances of the Colony upon a sound and satisfactory basis, is one to which not only the Government but every member will have to bring the most serious consideration, and we can only hope that the result of their deliberations may be, that the pleasing anticipations indulged in by the Premier may be more than realised.

It is stated to be more than probable that the battle cry of the opposition will be " Separation. 1 ' We trust that for the sake of the public time, and the public finances, that this surmise is incorrect. The movement of a series of. separation resolutions would only end as lias been the case before in their rejection by a large majority ; but there would be a long and wearisome debate, it may be extending over three weeks, and the only result would be that so much valuable time will have been wasted and a large item added to the expenditure under the head of " Sessional Expenditure." We hope that this will not be the case, but if some lion member is foolish enough to raise the cuckoo cry, then we trust that the strong, good sense of the House will at once stamp out the motion.

The establishment of a " girls' high school" in Christchurch in connection with the Canterbury College, and under the control of the Board of Governors, is an event fraught with importance to the female portion of the community, It is somewhat singular, that until lately, whilst every incentive has been placed before the boys to induce them to attain a high standard of education, the interests of the girls have been very little thought of, or, if they were not forgotten, no action was taken to advance them. For years scholarships of considerable value have been open to competition by boys, but. it was not until the last year or two that girls were admitted to compete for them. The girls have proved themselves worthy of the privilege accorded them ; many of them having passed the ordeal of examination with a degree of exactness which showed much ability on their part, and was alike creditable to themselves and to their instructors! The scholarship once gained " Christ's College Grammar School,' , where a superior education is given, was open to the boy, but for the girl there was positively no school where she could receive a high class education, unless, indeed, one of those establishments set apart exclusively for the education of the daughters of gentlemen, and where certain superficial accomplishments termed "fashionable," mingled with a sort of pseudo-gentility are taught, ojjened its doors to her. If a young girl supposed not to belong to the haul ton did, as a favour, gain admission to one of these through having won a Government scholarship, no matter , how amiable or talented she might be, the difference between her and the daughters of gentlemen would be so marked as to render her young life miserable. In making these remarks, we have no wish to cast the slightest reflection on those establishments for the education of young females—and there are many such scattered over the country—the lady principals of which work with earnest consciousness to promote the welfare of the young girls entrusted to their charge, but to draw attention in the most pointed manner, to the necessity which exists for the establishment of such an institution as the " girls' high school," where a girl of promise and good moral character, no matter what her position in life may be, would have a chance of her latent talents being developed, and thus be , fitted for rendering herself more useful than she would be if only possessing primary knowledge. The great end to be attained by the" education of both boys and girls is to fit them for the faithful discharge of

those duties which must devolve upon them in after life. The boys and girls of the present day will be the fathers and mothers of the next generation ; it is therefore of importance that they should be so trained as to fit them for the deeply-responsible task which they will have to perform. As regards the girls, this remark applies with peculiar force. A good mother, a woman who really loves her offspring, will commence to train them from the cradle. Of necessity, the child for the first few years of'its existence is chiefly in the mother's care, and spends the greatest portion of its time in her society. Of how great moment then is it that she should, by education as well as natural ability, be capable of impressing upon the mind of her infant'boy or girl those lessons which, in all probability, will materially influence the conduct of the future man or woman ; for, be it remembered, a mother's early lessons are never forgotten. Again, where can be found a more delightful companion than an amiable, highly educated woman? By the term " highly educated," we do not refer to those would-be literary ladies yclept " blue stockings," who are fond of parading -what learning they may possess, and which is often very superficial in its character, but to a woman over whose heart and intellect education has exercised its reiining and elevating influences. A true lady, in every sense of the word,—such a woman has a marked influence not only iv the circle in which she immediately moves, but upon society at large. She is equally at home in the drawingroom as in the cottage ; her presence causes sunshine wherever she goes, and .at home she is her husband's true helpmate, and " her children rise up and call her blessed.' . It is because we believe that the girls' high .school will be one of the means for j attaining the desirable end we have J pointed out, and, will play no unimportant partj" in the development of the future women of Canterbury, that we rejoice in its establishment, and fervently wish it every success.