RURAL HIGH SCHOOL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 528, 8 June 1909, Page 9

RURAL HIGH SCHOOL.

4 AN■-!' ''AGRICULTURAL BIAS " SUC- : '■-v ■ :':,■'■■;;' : ; ■■■' : "- '■: -CO esT ed/; .■-:•■: -.. :., v; ■' ; .,.: :;^£n:CONFEEENCE-AT GREYTOWN. • f : '. : In '*. the opinion ■of .tho, Inspector-General of /.'SoKopls (iVir;;U."Hogueu)',-'tne. courbea-of in;"',Bfcr.iiciion..'at present atlorded by district high not harmouise ' ; .wit'h'.theVnecds of theft; environment,.and,ho ..Hs.V'Bugges'ted';:to .the 'education -boards that .:"the:'irisiiiuctiori... at these 'institutions should :haVe. irioro, :: 6f 'an ''.agricultural.bias.'.' ' His ■; BUgijestiona :Ayore .embodied in.a .letter'.'■re.'ceiyed;bj;:.the Wellington Education Board re'-. .cenfclyjv.'and.. fo.rme.d- • tho '• subject .of : 'an im- .-'. portanticdnforciiooj , which .was held at; Grby- -: towfl«y<istcrd.3j'V when thoro were present :— . ilr. llobert Lee' (chairman, of the Wellington i Eduoation' Board), Messrs. T: It. Kcmiiit; and Jj , . H: Bakowcll (the board's inspectors), and •Messrs. W.H. Jackson, A. N: Burns, and '■■'Ai'-B.' Charters (headmasters of the. Master-.ton,-:Cartorton; and Greytown District' High '•; Schobla brespeotively). ■-.-..,::'. , : ■ ' .:... \. .. . :. -',;-Mi;i'' 'Fleming • explained that the ; ; Depart.m4nt had- agreed to pay. a capitation grant .at / vthe:'ra'W of £5 10s..per pupil, if a; syllabus ■'of v work'i 'Abased ... principally, ' ■ on .; .adapted to :- the ♦needs of ,a ' farnjing com-. ' munity,; and' covering a period of not leE3 ,-th^n' : 2P"hours per^jveck)',were introduced in . ; the'.board's riiral district high'schools. The :, '-. subjects' , suggested in a tentative •syllabus., 'whtcia'had been drafted, by. ■llr.VHogueii iu; , ioliiiled,English,'arithmetic, and book-kepp- ■ ing| 'geography,-:and'■'.civicsi'and economics, "• piiysicsi;..-.agricultu^»l : .sciencej v ; and:■; rural economy; dairying, and. physical instruction; '■'■ for;-bofch boys .and girls; drawing, to scalo ■ Vandv; building construction, /.surveying ■. and : moasiiration, ■". elementary physiology, and' tho •physiology of. farm animals, V forboys only; L hygien6 ; and physiology, dress- -■ :Cookery, and. household.,' economy, ■ .for girl-s ; only., The matter., would come_be-:'-fofo the .board-at- its Hext meeting, said Mr. ■' Tlstriin"; ia-any case tho, new syllabus .would /■not .-become .operative- .until -the. following. — yearj' arid -the..conference .was primarily ar- ;; ranged,-> so' that ;tho ■ headmasters might. bear; '.■■ the/proposals read, und discuss the ques- ■■ tiohi-in the meantime. . He said there was v no: : doubt that it -'had: to; be. faced, and tliat '■',-. pnpils'vattendirig..the : rur'a|[.;■' .high 'schools t- should , bo givon a gentle hint that/Work, of > the'.nature.indieated by "Mr. ;Hogben;.would "•■ > bbi.oitppcted ;of thorn..: Ho judged that : the .'vcapjt'atibn , : proposed (£5 10s:> ;would bo;;in: l; i addTitiptt -to., the 'rogular-.grants now ; paid to 'V''U'v-' ' :-V.'i.-. ;'■'" "iMri, Jacksonii-was afraid that'.tho-'propoß-r.ials'r'would;not".be' -favourably..received so far ,'" as.ythe.ijllastortph .people were concerned.; It ■ .'y.wonld-'-beN.impbssible-'to 'prepare ; their ; sec-; ■//..onflary"'pupils ffor.the::junior".Civil•;Service WaiS ..matriculation:oxaminationa .if 20 hours

■'.:•'■/'aVwifek 'wore/devoted ■to a ; programme, of V: TOrk'-'df. tho natiiri sUggested.by' tbe Inspcc-;>-.tor-General.' i-.There..were ' 'left only '.four ■ :':,. hours .for such subjects-as Latin and; matho. V : '. niatics: which was quite ': :-..-. . ; .".-'": to' sp; Arrange'.the programme,, that pupils.not '■'.'■':; .desiring ;to": take, the ! agricultural -course"could ■'[•:;W.l^bl^to-.tako' : Latia'.ancl'inirtheii)atice,- ■'■:'<■• compulsory- i. subjects'';. in the \':. '-Junior Civil- V Service, and';vmatriculation : ;': •'■■■:;; 'A , : v ';,' ' '.J .-■;,''. . !-.-?'. '.'MrvFloming.pointed.'but that the'prppor- . -"'.'tiqttr/'of-.'.candidates'.' -who ;were successful in ~'y.;. :theso eliminations,was'smalljCompared with ; '.':.-. 'tHfe;,;number.: passing ..through .the. secondary. '■ ':/'. departmdnt-'arimially..,';.He ', thought .that: so ';-..;: far 'as tte.'rural highischools were concerned, ~ ;TGryi little '.benefit ■• accrued' from a. study of : :they'Bub]ec^ev , :';:\ theso^xaminations.i , ', : V ; : - ■'•' \: ■ :.. '■ there was s feeiing' :.-. ■•that.,tho. : :passinK,bf -the- matriculation exami:;.:nation:.;indicated>a. 'standard.'of.'.culture. 'ii\ /;.;^^;■.■:■M^'^Ba^Wβll/rid|ci^]e3 : "thβ"■.idea;. : ■: : ';y]aJibn"fLatin : .iwaß -not latin in the cultured .; ■_:sphap;;th'ejknowledge of..Latin. pocsessed bj' :; , vth'J.'iayerageiinatriculation candidate.was''.-ab-' : -solut(il,y ; .uscle'B3:vinleßs. : the. student intended K 'tofollow, a classical course at .the university. ';, ! ;:': : . ■':Aftef-|eom.e'.;forther'.discnssion,-:the'confer- . ■;ence terminated.y' The.question ivill, in the ; t / , vin!rtnrami»V;be--'tKorpnpWy\ i ß:one:int6 l '-in' all-it? '; .'bearings'byytheljbqard arid its inspectors.'

awtherVconstable

SIX EXPELLEiy IN : TWO 1 .VOf/;late/:th6. : :policemari:haß; been;, looming large in.jth'e ./of- everj'-day'. j affairs. Erom; Dunedin; came ; i' demand for ''a'- com- : mission Vof inquiry'.intbv the-Justice "Departjnent,..ahd;frbm;;happ,enihgs of late,it : would appear; that,'locally', '.it '"any- , ; rate',', ; there-is'need.for.;somo-inquiry, mora /.especially.:.into'the.'characters'• of men ''who" arexadmitted.fo'.'a..lowly-paid,' but hfglily--"reepbhsbilej braricb'of: the'.- public service. Ori,, : Saturday; night.;.a ;Wollington-constablo was'-repbrted' tO'Ais. 'chief'ifor insobriety'and, as..-\the;■ -.result'iof-van ■'inquiry "held into ■ the 'officer s-conduct,, 'he,.was 'yestefday dismissed ■frbni''the;force/f; ; ;V ; "^!'^v\v;' ; .,::' ■;-.'; -r\ : ;,

'■ '■' >P umou T s; da,Jtq . ; ,the; shortcomings .of ■' cer;'v *»>?■''.■'■■ men-Un Kthb ; ;,ranks . have 1 ;.',filled ythe" fails to ;Vthrow:any light'on some.of■ them;- What is"' '^certain,;'however, :,is that;>ithin the .past' .-_■;.;couple;of..months.-it-had.-been : found neces-,-v sary to ;oxpcl v no: fower'.tLuii' six ■constables ;■■;■.'from'^ the ;forco", in-'Wellington.: The polico , ■; are.a f fairly largo;body,:of:men,. but they are ;;' n^: r ut We il c l yV ; ana:Kthpii, regulations ''under ■ fif I J--% Eyw 9 r^a ™^P^', eno "gh : to'ensure /,:th&t a ; petty'olfonce. will .not Jose a his ■;. Position.'.: ■ Consequently:"'it 'imust be; assumed l;;:;W??'^ ,n l * ne ;. o Pin>oi>.-pf:.the:iauthqrities l the vV;'eixmen/who;hayobeon'"dismissed within the ■ I '.r.:'P* e *.-'',f e .five, out.-.oftbej;six'cases, it is ;:•. wleged, in , some quarters, no action 'outside ■■■■;•' P f police'inquiry would : haw been v: taken ,had ■'> it ; 'not'-: V-beeh.-'-'for' ■; tho '■ purely ' : \ ena ßi!o; publicity, iiveri: to .. r the' niattere im- .' mediately after.tnoy occurred./' '" " : ; :

STATEMENT BY COMMISibNEE DINNIE.

: Commissioner Dinnio, interviewed : by. a DouLnion v reporter,' .'said • 'that a'V constable was ; yesterday dismissed from the force. Cases .'of constables!'getting '.under the 'in-' : fluence;of: drink::were -very-lew, taking them : ; all:rouhd,;;aEd.were':Connned: to the younger ; ; ." members of the -force. "■ Such '.cases could• .scarcely ,be_ ; ayoided altogether^' as\the:'men 'mUst/'De tried befpro-it could ,be. that •; they.iwquld be.found wanting .in' this :.way. 1 •The. : Nbw Zealand Pqlico force compared very .fai/ourablywith others.in this matter.' He ;could' not' gi ve. figures,at the .he: could speak -with certainty:'fronr'-'iiis. own 1 ~knowledg'o of--'tlip--London police,- but '■ the '..newspapers did not take any'notice;of such .■incidents there.':. : y> ■■..•:■.■■'. , .•■;.■•;■■■:■■ v-""- ,i ;.'i\ir."J; E.'ArnoldjM.P., who recently said : , that,the state' of affairs in ' the police force .■.was-.such.as to. call for inquiry -by a Royal •..'Commission) was also'.seen by the ' reporter'v'.bui: ho.intimated that, 'though ho had much ;.. td:-say,;he;.would resorvo it until .ho' could -;say;.it:from : hi3:'place in '.Parliament.,•,-' ■■-'-.: