THE GLOBE. TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 1881. THE AUCKLAND GRAMMAR SCHOOL ENQUIRY.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2218, 5 April 1881, Page 2

THE GLOBE. TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 1881. THE AUCKLAND GRAMMAR SCHOOL ENQUIRY.

The charges made by a Dr. Purchas against Mr. Macrae, the head-master of the Auckland Grammar School, has resulted in an enquiry by the Board of Governors which has occupied a considerable time, and has attracted much attention. One thing is now very certain, that the accused has come out of the affair much more brilliantly than the accuser or the Board. Indeed the latter has acted throughout in a manner which has excited the deep disgust of those who wish to see fair play in matters of this sort. The gross partisUty it has displayed in favor of Dr. Purchas and those who side with him, has boon the theme of general comment. Mr. Macrae has, in point of fact, been practically dobirred from bringing forward evidence in his own behalf, or refuting the slanders which have been brought against him. For instance, one of the witnesses against him was a Mr. Lusk, who examined the school for the Board. Mr. Macrae was anxious to criticise the examination papers to prove that the incompotency lay with Mr. Lusk himself, but the Board, although Mr. Lusk was its own officer, held that the examination papers were his own private property and could not be dealt with! Again, Dr. Purchas said that his sons had not got on at the Grammar School, and these young hopo-

fuls gave evidence on the subject. Mr. Macrae wished to prove how much they know when they came to the school and

how much they know when they loft it, and further how they had got on at schools they had subsequently gone to. But the Board shirked this particular point by saying that the question was a general one, and not connected with these boys in particular. Mr. Macrae further wished to show that Dr. Purchas had, when the boys were at the Grammar School, commented most favorably on his influence over one of them, and he (Mr. Macrae) was proceeding to show up the failings of this particular boy when the Board stopped him, calling him impertinent and egotistical. And so on throughout the enquiry. One thing is certain, namely, that the sympathies of most Aucklanders are now thoroughly enlisted on the side of Mr. Macrae, and the general feeling sets strongly against the Board of Governors. A testimonial in favor of the Headmaster has been signed by 200 of his old pupils, and the Press has taken up the question strongly. The upshot of the enquiry is apparently a resolution passed by the Board on the 31st ult. to the effect ;

“ That with a view to organisation, Mr. Rolleston be requested to communicate with England and the colonies with a view of obtaining a headmaster competent to manage the school with collegiate and modern sides, the appointment to the modern side to be offered to Mr. Mcßae.” We trust that Mr, Rolleston, before acceding to this request, will enquire into the origin of, and method of, conducting this enquiry, for the whole affair seems to have been a scandalous abuse of power on the part of the Board.

FIRE SIGNALLING.

The Fire Brigade report, brought up before the City Council last night, shows that during the past year the number erf fires was considerably less than during the previous year and the year before that. Indeed, during the 1880-81 the fires were only half as many as during the 1878-79, and this in face of a considerable increase of population during the intervening period. The report also contains suggestions for the supply of a chemical engine to carry 100 gallons of carbonic acid gas, in view of many quarters of the city being badly supplied with water for fire prevention purposes; and, further, it recommends the adoption of a new electric fire alarm system, so that, in the event of fire, the alarm may ho given from at least twenty points. Both those proposals are, no doubt, very valuable, and the report, as a whole, was adopted by the Council, the fire brigade committee stating that they quite coincided with Mr. Harris as to the desirability of introducing improved means of fire prevention. But, while the Council had this subject under consideration, it seems to us that they might have gone into another matter, which would be a great convenience to the public. The adoption of the aho 76-mentioned proposals will no doubt largely aid in saving the property of the citizens, more pari ticularly by nipping n the hnd many ' a fire which might otherwise attain large dimensions. But it would he well if the Council thought something of the nerves of the citizens. The system of notifying by signal the ward in which any particular fire may occur has been suggested time after time, and we are unaware that any cogent reasons have been brought forward to show that the idea is not a practical one. At present, when the fire hell is rung, a general rush of business men and property holders occurs. Whether they be in church or at a marriage feast out they rush. If they are in bed they turn out into the cold to see where the fire may happen to be. Surely all this is very unnecessary. The simplest method of signalling would ease the minds of three-fourths of these individuals. It is a system which has been adopted elsewhere with success, and it would he well if the City Council would turn their attention in that direction at the earliest possible date. The system would cost nothing and would prove of general convenience.

OUR SUBURBS.

It is satisfactory to notice that the want of sanitary arrangements in our suburbs is not likely to be allowed to pass out of sight. At the meeting of the Board of Health yesterday Dr. Nedwill again drew attention to this most important subject, stating that “ho would like to impress upon the Board the necessity of doing something in those populous districts, as there could be no doubt, that, unless more effective sanitary measures were generally adopted, there would some day be a serious outbreak of disease.” Indeed, the apathy of householders living outside the city belt is something extraordinary. The state of affairs in Papanui, as disclosed by the medical officer a few weeks ago, is another instance of how sanitary matters are mismanaged where there is no sufficient 'authority placed in any particular governing body. On that occasion we drew attention to the failure on the part of Road Boards to provide for the safety of districts under their control, where parts of such districts had become more populous than the remainder, and wo suggested that our suburbs were outgrowing the machinery which has been provided to govern them, and that it was time that most of the localities were either absorbed into the boundaries of the existing city or borough, or that they had some distinct machinery provided for their own regulation. The case brought forward yesterday strengthens the argument, for we find that the inhabitants of Avonsido are just as apathetic as those of Papanui,and with less excuse, for the sanitary facilities available in the city are more easily obtained there than in Papanui. This is a matter of the deepest interest to the citizens of Christchurch, for it is evident that any epidemic that might break out through the want of system in our suburbs would soon find its way into the heart of the town. Until something is done in tho direction wo have indicated, wo shall not expect to see matters much mended. The Board of Health may express its hope that in course of time it may bo in a position to enforce a better state of affairs, but we fancy it will find obstacles in the way at every turn. It is proverbially difficult to force an unwilling horse to drink, and the residents outside the existing boroughs have got into a habit of hugging themselves over the idea that they pay no rates, and are apparently quite willing to undergo all the inconveniences and dangers attendant on such a blessed state. They have no pride in the cleanliness of their several districts, and until tho present state of affairs is altered there is little hope of seeing a proper spirit in this respect grow up in these populous localities.