HORSE RACING.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 1975, 10 January 1907, Page 3

HORSE RACING.

WAIROA HACKS. Tho follow-ini' nominations wore received by tho AVairoa County Racing Club : FIRST DAY.

County Handicap. —.Park Rose AVhakamoana, Arai to Urn, Jack, Grey Goose, Silver Lead. Immolation. AVailioko, Banker.

Telophono Handicap. Ramoana Wliakiunoana,. Arai to Uru, To Wi wmi, Maharatanga, Mrs. Crawley, /acka, Te Raimi, Linkloss, Ruatamata, Hone, H inetapauriki, Titoki, Gladsmuir, Monsieur Beaucaire, Banker.

Tynron Handicap.—AYliite Squall, vim ’ i,-X ,uon ’ Banginaewa, AVater o’ Alilk, Silver Lead, Donald, Matiti, Lord Rosebery, Oakburuo, Ghulsinmr.

I'rastertown Handicap. Park Hose, Arai te Uru, Alluvial, Te Rami, Oakburuo.

District Handicap.—AVliakamoana, Taniwha, Casterton, Te AYiwini, 'Rangimaewa, Mina, Donald, Goldsnip, Banker. Stewards’ Handicap. White Squall, Arai to Uru, Te AVi win i, Water o’ Milk, Maliarataiiga, Grey Gooso, Silver Lead, Immolation, Alluvial,. Linkloss, Hinetapauriki, Gladsmuir.

Electric Handicap. Ramoana, Aral te Uru, . Maharatanga, Gre\’ Goose, airs. Crawley, New Club, Zacka, Te Raliui, Lord Rosebery, Linkless, Rua tamata, Eone,' Hinetapauriki, Tioki, Gladsmuir, Monsieur Beaucaire, Banker. Nuliaka Handicap.—Arai te Uru Maharatanga, Alluvial, Te Rahui’ Oakburne, McLean.

SECOND DAY. ‘\"’»tcre Handicap.—Park Rose, AVliite Squall, Rangimaewa, AA’ater o’ Milk, Donald, Alluvial, Lord Rosebery, Oakburne, Matapuna, Gladsmuir, Banker. Carroll Handicap.—Taniwha, Arai te Uru, Te AViwini, Jack, Grey Goose Silver Lead, Immolation', Avaihoke.

Second District Handicap.—AYliakamoana, Taniwha, Cnstasido, Te AAiwnu, Rangimaewa, Mina, Goldsnip, Donald, Banker. Plying Handicap. Ramoana, A\ Into Squall, Arai te Uru, Te AVijvmi, Silver Lead, Immolation, Linkless, Ttuatamata,' Eone, . Hinetapauriki, Gladsmuir.

Farewell Handicap.—Park Rose, A. ac i k> ail «‘ m aewa, Water o’ Milk, Maharatanga, Grey Goose, Matiti, Wailieke, Banker.

RURAL SCHOOLS. s g t A PLEA FOB CENTRALISATION. fi s In the course of liis address the l 1 President of the Educational Insti- *’ tnte, urging the centralisation of a rural schools, stateed:—“Now to deal with a most important matter, the " centralisation of rural schools. The I 1 Minister’s reply to our Executive 11 shows that he is fully alive to the a importance of the means of prevent- t ing the unnecessary multiplication of SI small schools. . According to the latest Education Beport, there were at " the end of 1905 in the colony 1306 Sl schools carried on each by a sole S! teacher—l3o6 out of the 1806 prim- t ary schools in New Zealand. In these e schools the total average attendance 1' is 31,166 out of 120,812 for the colony, or more than 25 per cent, of the whole. If the system of centralisation of country schools prevailed in the colony, we should be able to effect great changes. From the experience of other countries, we know liow much benefit results from the ' adoption of the system. It has been tried in parts of Canada, in several of the States of U.S.A., and in Victoria, and so far as reports show, in s not one instance has the system V been tried, and found wanting. In 1 1905, Mr. W. Gray, now head of the 1 Wellington Training College, saw the . system in operation in Canada, and P expressed himself strongly regarding 1 its merits. We may briefly summar- 1 ise the advantages of the system as * follows:—(1) Economy in cost of 1 buildings, since it cost less to erect, and maintain, one large central build- 1 ing than it costs to build and keep * five or six small schools; (2) better salaries can be paid to the teachers, and, therefore, better teachers can ' be obtained ; (3) children attend more . regularly, and are in time at both ’ ends of the day; (4) as a rule bet- ’ ter instruction is given in the larger ■ and more efficient school than in the smaller, poorly equipped one; (5) in s wet weatlier * children are kept dry, and their health does not suffer; (6) there is regular .supervision over the conversation and behaviour of children on the way to and from school, 1 clearly a lienefit to the morals of the pupils. Surely, if are the results of the system elsewhere, we may expect them to be equally good here. No doubt wo have the Roadless North and the Trackless West, but we have also many parts in every province where, rather than set up sevoral schools within a short distance of one another, it would be easy to establish one large school and convey children to it from miles around. In ono part of Canterbury an ideal district where in to make trial of the conveyance system, there are six or seven small schools within a circle of less than five miles radius. ■ Why should not one large central : school serve for all of them r Ut i course, Ido not yet advocate the closing of schools already In existence, but there is no reason why the Board in future should not try tlx; conveyance system rather than set lip a r IIOW school, at which the attendance r would be small. It is true that the Education Department has done 11 something to foster the system, but,

omething to foster tno system, out, inparently, the Department’s regulations arc not sufficiently elastic to •neonrage Boards or Committees to nake full trial of the system.’ The president of the Educational Institute referred to the grievance diat still existed, especially m the smaller schools, in regard to the connection between the salary of the teacher and the average attendance. “People all through the colony, lie saitl “recognised how absurd and how unjust it was to reduce a teacher’s pay for causes which he had no control, and frequently just when ho was in the hey-day of Ins teaching power. Another real diiticulty was in connection with stalling, in schools of Grade 11. and upwards, the difficulty becomes acute, he saitl. “Picture a female assisatnt with forty pupils in each of Standards 2 and 8, and the school so staffed, and the other classes so large that she can he given scarcely any assistance by other members of tbe staff. AVhal woman is strong enough to stand ■ strain like that? Or consider an as sistant in a city school with, say, i)! children in Standard 5. Can he pos Isibly do justice to all these pupils Mr. Gray tells us tlait in America! schools n class of rhffv children is re gardecl as quite enough for any on teacher.*' The president also mer tioned the fact that in the smalle education districts the percentage < i management expenses to the total e: ■ pencliture was very much larger tha ■ in the larger districts, and suggest', ;!the advisableness of decreasing tl > 1 number of education districts with 11 view to increased efficiency. Tli Y 1 change would set up a higher stall c > ard'of education, more vigor among . teachers, and less parochialism.

SERVANT PROBLEM

PROPOSED IMPORTATION 01' DANISH GIRLS.

I The Christchurch ladies lire watch ing with intorost the experiment ii Napier, where young women hnv< been imported frojn England as do mestic helps. It is that ii the experiment is successful th< scheme will he put into operation on a fairly largo scale, and will he made to apply to all the large centres of the colony. In Christchurch (says tlio Times) thero are many complaints in regard to the difficulty of obtaining helps, or inducing them to do their work satisfactorily, and to remain in their positions. The demand is very much greater than the supply. Good “generals” are offered from 12s a woolc to (£1 a week and their keep in Christchurch to-day, hut they wil not accept those conditions even ii the city. Hardly anything will induce them to go out into the country. Recently a resident of a Christchurch suburb has put forward a scheme which will be placed before a number of people who are interested in the solution of the problem. Her idea is that Danish girls should ho imported to Christchurch as domestic helps. Sho has ascertained that many girls would bo only too glad to come to Christchurch from Denmark. She has kept Danish servants of both sexes, and her experience has given them a very high place in her estination. To use her own words, they vre “careful. cheerful, faithful, trustworthy, and affectionate, infilitely superior to English girls. "Reides that,” she says, “the Danish ;irls make splendid wives, and if they lave not been trained in domestic fork already they can be trained ritli very little trouble. I like to. ee servants neatly and daintlv dressd, and I like them to have as much roodom as possible, but I cannot sco hat flying about from seven o’clock i the evening until eleven or twelve i a good home training. Danish iris are quite different, and I am uite sure that the importation of anish girls to Christchurch would } eminently successful.” A vanish larwoman, who was a very hard orker, charged lOd a day. The ovement has been pushed on so faint the Christchurch Labor Unreal is been asked to help. It is though! iwever, that the Government will it give the Christchurch ladies much couragement. The ladies win erofore try to carry out the scheme thout the Government’s assistance meeting will probably be held soon