The Clutha Leader. BALCLUTHA: FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 1877.

Clutha Leader, Volume IV, Issue 160, 3 August 1877, Page 5

The Clutha Leader. BALCLUTHA: FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 1877.

Few, save among extreme denominalists and secularists, will be other than ■■ satisfied generally with the Education , Bill as drafted by the Ministry. It is more moderate in the matter of the religious element than was expected from the statement made by the Premier. We think that in this matter ■"he Bill shows a wise discretion, and are of opinion that the mod Gum of recognition in the eduoation of the young which the Bill gives to the Sacred Scriptures ought not to be disputed, for the simple reason that neither should secularists nor Roman Catholics have a monopoly in determining the matter. To give them that monopoly would be an act of injustice to the great body of Ihe Protestant parentage, who regard the Bible as God's Word given for the education of both old and young*, the knowledge and influence of which is the greatest factor in the world for the fitting of both young nnd old for every good work. " The liberal provision which the Rill proposes to make, and the little burden which it lays upon parents, are features which cannot fail to recommend themselves to tbe community at large. Should tbe Bill become law, and these proposals have effect given to them, the old plea of paying for other people's children, which bas been made a cause of grumbling in connection with other education schemes, will have no place, ltis satisfactory that the compulsory element has been adopted in the Bill, as tbis will lead to the increase, we should say the considerable increase, in the attendance in school. To carry out compulsion max-- necessitate an increase of schools, especially in outlying and scattered districts, but better this than leave many children as at present without the means of school instruction. Judging from the information, very meagre as yet, tbat we have of the contents of the Bill, we fear that it will be defective in the matter of providing for secondary education. In the interests of the higher walks of life, which should be open to the rising hopes of this new country, and towards which their attention should be directed, provision should be made for their attaining the knowledge that will fir them for the varied lines of professional life, Without this, our universities will be out of place, and will soon become mere barren ornaments. We trust that the Bill may yet prove that the Government have not failed to see that every encouragement should be given for attaining a love for higher fducation, and for many of our youth being drafted into our universities, and that from not a few of our district as well as of our grammar or high schools Were this really cared for, and encouragement given to teachers to have this in view, by means of salary or premium? in proportion to the number of pupils passing from their bands into those of our university professors, we should secure a higher class of teachers in our schools, and the general cause of education would be greatly furthered Tbe proposed dealing with our educational reserves is the main, if not the only, blot in the Bill as presented to the House of Representative.*-*. We take decidpd objection to the making of these common property. These reserve* might have been soid as ordinary waste lands of the Crown, and the proceeds expended on roads, bridges, etc , as the proceeds of other lands have been expended. Instead of so utilising thptn, Otago and Canterbury have denied themselves these advantages for the purpose of securing to themselves the means of providing education within their borders. Other pav-ts of tbe Colony have been negligent in making such provision in connection with tbeir waste lands. These they have disposed of, and the funds accruing from them they have expended in other directioLs. It is unfair to Otago and Canterbury tbat they should be made to suffer a ' double loss for the benefiting of those who have not cared for education as those provinces have done. Ihey hive lost the roads and bridges, etc., they might have had if they had sold tbo lands the\ r have reserved for education, and now tbey are to be deprived of the educational advantages for the obtaining of wbicb they have denied themselves in other directions. This is a strange way whereby to reward Otago and Canterbury for their zeal in the matter of education. This is a poor return for their self-denial. On every principle, Otago and Canterbury are entitled to have the full control and the full benefit of the provision which, at* much cost to themselves, tbey have made for education. And all the more so, as from tbem comes m largest proportion tbe very revenue from which it is proposed to supply the common charges for education. There is, however, another ground on which Otago and Canterbury should have the revenue from their education reserves supplemental to the capitation grant common to all New Zealand, — the necessity, viz , of securing for them teachers of at least as higb standing and proficiency as the other portions of New Zealand will be able to obtain. Any one acquainted with the cost of living iv the northern and southern parts of New Zealand will at once understand what will be the effect of giving to the north the same capitation grant that is given to the

south, i.e., giving* them the same allowance from whicli to maintain their re- : spective schools. Money goes further in the. north than in the south ; consequently, in the north, a 'teacher will find that £150, 0r £200 per annum places him in a better position than tbe like sum would place him in the south In fact, he {-rets, though nominally the same, a hetter salary in the north than in the south. This will place us in Otago, and our friends in Canterbury, at considerable disadvantage. It will necessitate us to be content with an inferior class ol teachers, and those who have made the greatest sacrifices for education will be worse off than those who have virtually let education go to the dogs, spending* their means in other directions, as not a few parents are found to do, to the neglect of their children's education. To prevent so great a wrong as this, it is absolutely necessary that our education reserves should be locally utilised. By their help alone can we secure our being on a par with the nor.th in the status of our teachers, and in the proficiency of the education imparted in our schools. From them we could supplement the -£3 10s grant .of the Government, so as to make the salaries of our teachers at least the same in value as the salaries of the northern teachers. Surely we are entitled to be placed in this position, and all the more so, seeing we have voluntarily, and with much self-sacrifice, m--*de provision for this — provision which, if made available for this end, can in no degree affect others to their loss. We' trust there will be found on the part of the great body of our representatives such a recognition of our righteous claims to our own reserves, that the spoliation contemplated by the Bill will be prevented, and its chief blot removed. With this exception, so far as we ,'iave had the means of learning the proposals ot the Government, we heartily approve tbem. We would deeply regret that a Bill otherwise so commendable should be marred by the manifest injustice, that would punish the friends of education in Otago and Canterbury by robbing them of what is not only due to. them, but absolutely necessary that they should iiftve.