CORRESPONDENCE

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2055, 16 April 1907, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE

MR W. L. REES’ SCHEME. To the Editor of the Gisborne Timeb. Sir,- —I regret to have hurt Mr. Rees’ feelings, but the questions would not have been asked if Mr. Rees had not invited the public to ask questions. Mr. Rees has placed a wrong construction on No. 6, and has, not answered the others to my satisfaction. Mr. Rees wants “Ratepayer” to come out in the open to fight; but “Ratepayer” does not want to fight, and is no more ashamed of his name than Mr. Rees is of his, besides I cannot see what difference it would make in replying to the questions, as all persons have been invited, and who has a better right to ask questions than one of those Mr. Rees wants to saddle with £250,000. —I am, etc. RATEPAYER. [We can vouch for the fact that “Ratepayer” is a ratepayer. —Ed. G.T.] BIBLE TEACHING IN SCHOOLS. To tho Editor of the Gisborne “Times.” Sir,. —I was much surprised to road your leading article of April sth, on the Nelson scheme of religious instruction in the State Schools. 1 should have replied to the articlo earlier, but was waiting for a communication from the headmaster of tho Nelson school and from tho Chairman of tho School Committee. You state that the Nelson scheme has had more than a fair trial and proved to be a complete failure. Tbs statement, made no doubt in all good faith, is nevertheless quite untrue. Instead of being a failure it is admitted by all who know anything of its working to be eminently successful, and as I happened to be one of those who taught under it from the commencement, ten years ago, up till the timo I came to Gisborne, and also made full enquiries into its present working when I was in Nelson last Christmas, I may be pardoned for venturing to assert, Sir, that your statement is not based upon accurate knowledge. In the first place you refer only to one school out of the five in the town, and hare se- ! locted the one which for accidental reasons had only a small proportion j out of its number of boys attending ! the classes at first, but now the i headmaster says in his wire received a day or two ago, “classes now well organised and system working quite satisfactorily.” This has been the case for some time past. With regard to the other four schools they have been satisfactory from the beginning, 90 per cent, of the children attending. At the close of last year prizes were given in the bilde classes, and these were presented at a public meeting presided over by the Chairman of the Education Board, who spoke in the highest terms of the success of the classes. They have been in existence now for ten years, and the parents have shown their appreciation of the efforts of the voluntary teachers .of these classes, by almost universally wishing their children to attend? If any further facts are required I shall be most happy to supply them, as I feel sure there are many parents who would hail such teaching with satisfaction in this town. No steps will be taken wthout consulting the parents’ wishes. I am, yours, etc., F. W. CHATTERTON. Te Ran College, 15th April, 1907.

[lt may be that fresh impetus has been added to the movement of bible teaching in Nelson, and if that is so it only shows the spasmodic nature of the efforts; for our information on the subject was quite authentic, having obtained it direct from the lips of the headmaster of the main school as stated in our article. If there is anything untrue in wbat we have said regarding the Nelson scheme it must rest with the head master who gave us the information in the school itself, and we are thoroughly convinced that Mr. Gibbs did not tell

us an untruth, and that at the time of tho interview his description ol it was quite accurate. H matters lmvo changed since then the ac does not in any way affect Mr. Gibbs’s statement. jWliat has Mr. Chattel-toil to say about curtailing tho time for tho syllabus? Surely that is a point worth discussing. Ed. G.T.] __

TRANSFERRING crown land. INTERPRETATION OF THE LAW WANTED. Some discussion as to whether a section of Crown land could be transferred if tho transferee had been in occupation for less than twelve months took place at the meeting of the Land Board yestciday morning. 'The transfer of section 3 block Iv . Urutawa East from J. Gilbert to L. Carron was objected to on the ground that the transfer was taking place before the holder of the section had been in possession for loss than twelve months. Mr. Sainsbury, who appeared for one of the parties, said that the same action had been approved on many previous occasions by tlio Board. He contended that the transferee was in the position if the original license. The Commissioner said he thought the intention of the Government was to get permanent settlers on tho land and the legislation was evidently to ensure that. ' Mr. Sainsbury said he did not wish to lay down the law, but the profession would like very much if some consistent course were followed in such applications. The Commissioner said the Board had never previously knowingly passed such an application. Mr. Sainsbury quoted a case of n similar nature in which a mortgage had been granted, and contended that a transfer and a mortgage were, in the eye of tho Act, on all fours.

Consideration of the point raised was defererd, and the application of C. F. Buscko to. transfer section 4, block IX., Motu, to W. and R. B. Baird, which was similar to the above quoted one, was also adjourned. Later Messrs. Blair and Sainsbury addressed the Board on the law point raised. When the Board gave their decision not to grant the transfers they asked that a case be stated for the Supreme Court.

The Commissioner refused to accede to this request. He said that all he felt called upon to do was to ask the Under-Secretary of Lands for an interpretation. Decision of the Board would be given when a reply was received from tho Undersecretary.