The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, JAN. 19 1906.

Gisborne Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1652, 19 January 1906, Page 2

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, JAN. 19 1906.

RURAL TECHNICAL EDUCATION. The efforts being made by the Farmers’ Union and the High Sohool Board of Gov?rnors in regard to rural technical education are deserving of the hearty ;suppo.t of all interested in the general -welfare. Complaint is often made, and ;not without reason, that all the ohief advantages in educational and soientiGo matters pertain to the centres of populas tioD, while 7 the man on tho land has to be eontsnt with plodding on a' good deal in the old groove- The day has gone past when any branch of technical education can be made light of. An important step has been taken in New South Wales by tbe opening of a summer school at the Hawkesbury Agricultural College. Tho school was opetod on the 2nd of this month, and it is ' pleasing to state that there was an attendance of ninety-six teachers and one inspector, tanging in age from twenty two to fiftysix. and representing forty-throe oountry and eleven suburban schools. The teachers were accommodated on the premises, and were bound by. the same rules and regulations as ordinary College students. The progtamine of work indicates iong and strenuous days in tho pursuit of knowledge. They were summoned from bed at six o’clock in tho inoruiDg, and from that hour until nine o’clock at night they were engaged almost continuously in attending lectures and demonstrations, and in practical outdoor work on the farm. This is too much to expect of teachers unlo-s ' done voluntarily, in which case it would probably rank as : a much hraltier means of ho'iday making by tfco3a ordinarily org,ged in sedtn'ary pursuits than the continuous hustle of travel that some tsacheisgo in for by way of relaxation fom the ordinary toil. In bis inaugural address tho Principal of the Ccl ege emphasised that a careful study of natural conditions and scientific effort was demanded from the rural populat'on of Austral'a to qualify it for the etivs3 of competition in the world’s open market. The estabPsbmeot of an intimate connection between school education and the in'e'ligent application of principles on the farm would foster the growth of the most permanent of the country’s industries. He argued in a convincing way that tbe allurements of city life and its artificial attractions were forces which could only be combatted by o rational system of education in the coun ry. Tho country school teacher who cams into olose personal relationship with tbe chTd had unrivalled opportunities of creating a taste for rural avocationp, which in themselves provided a funda mental basis for establishing a prosperous and bevlthy population cn the land.” Some farmers, of course, may say that this was all aoademical talk, and many points may bo raised to prove that there are difficulties in the way of turning things to practical account. But the greater experience a man haß the [more readily will be admit tbe forcefulness of some of tbe examples quoted by the Principel. He quoted the case of a teacher on the fringe of the Malice country in Victoria. Practically the sole industry was wheat-grow-ing, and this was carried on in a careless, haphazard way which naturally ensured small yields and povorty amoDg tho farmers,/ Tho teaohor was- enoomr*.

aged fay the lecturer, who passed through tho diitrio 1 , to do Boraethlng to arouse among tho scbo'nrs tho spirit of observation. Bo ho took up tho cultivationof vvhoat, as being tho only thing in which . the parents of bis pupils oonoirned themsolves. Ho oxporimouted with tho seed j ordinarily sown, showing how largo a percentage of it was of inferior quality. Thon ouch boy wqb givon a plot of laud in tho sshool ground. Tho first p'ot was sown and cultivated rx'otly as tho avorego local funner sowed and cultivated his paddocks. Tho next wns sown with poleetcd wheat, tho noxt wiih tho earns seed, put in moro dor ply, then camo somo phis showing tho result cf using various manures, and soino sown with now varieties of whout. “ Dad’s row "—tho fitft plot—was loft ts Nature, just as " Dad ” was in tho habit of having bis wheat orop. Tbo rott wore cultivated proporly, and wbon harvest time oamo round " Dad’s " camo out of tho comparison badly. Tho iminodiata result of tho demonstration was to msko every boy anxious to grow gord wheat and plenty of it, and to diiioourdgo hiß idea of rushing to tbo city in tbo Lope of obtaining an ill-puid cleiioai billet. In Now Zealand it might bo urged that tho syllabus is already too sovere, and tho toaobors’ leisure too soent, for scientific farming to bo taught in connco.ion with the ordinary schools, though, given tho skill acd enthusiasm On the port of tbo tcaohing stuff, a great deal could be dono. However, tho sohomo proposod seems to hove still moro to oommend it. .Tbo object is to get a highly qualified man to impart tuition, and to take dairying as tho first subjeot. That dcoision is a wieo one, and wo hope that tho efforts of thoso seeking to have a system of rural technical education established in the district will bo crowned with sucocss,

ASSISTED IMMIGRATION.

Tho suggestions made by Mr MoCutohan, through tho Farmers’ UnioD, should have earnest attention. He brings up der batable subjects in his desire to have anomalies removed from tho immigration scheme, but makes out a strong ease in regard to each section of the regulations* Tbo roal poiot at issue is whether a person otherwise eligible should bo debarred from the advantages of an assisted passage because bo or she doe 3 not possess the sum of £SO. Tho reason for having a money qualification is a good one, as io prevents new arrivals being thrown on the community for support. The real question it seems to us is to ensure the right class of iramigran's ooming out. Many might bo tempted, woro there no qualification, to come out to the colony, only to find that there is no soope for them here, and the same can be said in the oase of women. There ip, for instanoe, a strong demand for girls for domeetio servioe, but the probability is that the more gonteel occupations aro well supplied already. All that is needed really is that care should be taken that the immigrants are healthy and have sufficient prospects to prevent their being cast on the country on their arrival. In such a oase no professedly democratic community should require a money stipulation to be set up. dhe extension of tbo benefits of the Act to cominaled persons with or without tho £SO in their possession is an excellent idea, provided of course that in the case of nomination a certain amount of responsibility bo taken to secure their well-being on arrival in the colony.

Gas accounts unpaid by to-morrow will not be allowed tbo usual discount. “ We are seven.” —Mr J. Chamberlain’s sutnmiDg up of the British election. A meeting of the Horticultural Society will be held to-night. The Gisborne Rifles avo to go into camp for a week on February 10th. The Hon. Jas. Carroll, accompanied by his private secretary, Mr Gordon, left for Wairoa yesterday, via Morere, to attend the unveiling oeremony of the memorial to the late Mr T. Carroll.

A syrnicate of twelve on tho Treasury staff, Wellington, drew Marvel Loch, second in tbo A.J.C. Summer. Cup, in Tattersa'l’s sweep. The win will out up into a dividend of about £IOB per syndicator.

“ The Lincoln rams from Gisborne arrived safety ; they are a good lot, and our client is very pleased with them," is the report sent to Mr J. Tomblesoa in regard to a trial shipment of Lincoln rams whiph he sent to Australia. Messrs Bain Bros, will at noon tomorrow dispose of the following privileges for the Gisborne Racing Club’s forthcoming meeting ! Grandstand publioan’s booth, outside publican’s booth, and right of horses.

Tbe following team will represent Te Rau Club in the cricket match agaiost the County Club to-morrow afternoon: GormaD, Ilbert, Gibson, JeScies, E.ekana, Ferris, Williams, East, Foster, O’Hara, Hay, and Witty. The bicycles taken from the Pcst-Offioe on Wednesday night were subsequently found at the home of .the young people who had lost them. The affair has been termed a practical joke, but it might have developed into a very serious matter, A telegram from Duoedin states that at a meeting of the delegates of looal bodies the half-holiday was again fixed for Wednesday. Watchmakers and jewellers are divided as to whether to olese on Wednesday or Saturday. A Press Association message fiotn Wellington yesterday states The New Zealand footballers leave England for New York on Saturday. It is undecided whether they play matches in America. The team leaves ’Frisco on February 15, arriving in Auokland on Mproh 5. The bowlers who represented the Gisborne Club in the recent tournament, were welcomed back to the local green yesterday by the President, Mr J. A. Harding, who congratulated them on the splendid Btand they had made in WellmgloD. Mr Ponsford, tbe veteran skip, modestly roplied on behalf of the representative’. Mr W. Gaudin, who went as skip of one team, remained in Wellington for a few days, and returns to-morrow morning.

At a meeting of the North Island Poultry Association, held at Palmerston North, the tffi ia’ed societies represented were Pahiatua, Wcodville, Waihi, Auckland, Newton, Manawatu, New Plymouth, Dannevirke, Eketahu'na, Feilding,Hawera, and Wellington. After a long discussion, rule 9 was amended to read “■ Ist May,” instead of the last day cf July. The alterot on refers to the date of tho annual meeting of tbo Association.

At the Magistrate’s Couit yesterday, before Mr W. A. Barton, S M., judgment was given for p’aiotiH in tho following cases : Frank Harris (Mr Blair) v. E. Thompson, claim j£2 16s 6d and costs 11s ; Clayton and Niabett (Mr Blair) v. John Morris, c!a : m jEII 13s 81 and costs £1 5. 61, An order was made’ by consent for payment of 30’ monthly in the case of L. D. Nathan v. John Fcrnandiz, claim £5 16s 3d, and in the case of \V. J. Hennessy v. Pera Waaka, an order was mode for payment fo thwith of £2 17s 6d,