THE Grey River Argus. THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 1870.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 709, 4 August 1870, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 1870.

In his last letter our special correspondent at Welliugton directed our attention to the adaptibility of the proposed Borough Schools Bill to the educational requirements of Greymouth and Hokitika. It is admitted on all hands that it is full time something was done to place the educa- . tion of the rising generation upon a satisfactory foundation, and that the Government of this part of the Colony is not in a position to give that material aid to the Board of Education which is required to render any existing system effective. All the County Council has voted for educational purposes for the current six months is LSOO, and it is very doubtful if even that small sum will be expended. It is therefore necessary that some steps should be taken to help us out of this difficulty, and it is satisfactory to find an Act such as this passing the Assembly at the time when it is mo3t urgently required. The Borough Schools Bill confers a rating power, and this is the reason why it was considered necessary to bring ifc before the General Assembly instead of the ProTincial Councils and County Council. The Bill is purely permissive in principle. The ratepayers themselves must take the first step for bringing it into operation, and then the sanction of the Provincial Councils or County Council must be obtained before the Act comes into force. So far, we do not anticipate any objection to the Bill. It may, perhaps, "be urged, that no community is likely to ask that an Act be put in force which would have the effect of imposing additional taxation, and that, therefore, the initiative should rest with some independent power. This objection, if bucli it can be called, is not without some claims to consideration, but on the whole we think it would be injudicious to destroy the essentially permissive character of the Bill. The thirteenth clause, which provides that school rates shall be made, levied, and we suppose collected, by the Borough- Council, will probably give rise to some discussion. It reads as follows : — (t For the purpose of raising the funds necessary for the establishment, maintenance, and support of schools under this Act, it shall be lawful for the School Committee, by a requisition in writing addressed to the Mayor of the borough, to require the Council of the borough to make and levy i a rate for any sum to be stated in such requisition, not exceeding in any one year the amount of sixpence in the pound of the aunual value of the rateable property wifchin the borough; and thereupon the Council of the borough shall, at the time of making and levying the next general rate, make and levy a rate for the amount stated in such requisition, not exceeding the amount aforesaid, in addition to any other rate which such Council is by law authorised to make and leyy." Councillors may be inclined to ask why they should be saddled with the odium of levying a rate which they do not speiid--why, in short, they should be made a machine to carry out the wishes of a

totally independent body, especially when, as . in this town, the maximum taxing power, under the Municipal Corporations Act, is enforced. If it is agreed that there should bo a school committee, elected by the ratepayers ; and if it is also agreed that this committee should have the power of ordering a rate to be levied, it becomes simply a question of the best and least expensive mode of collection. The Bill proposes that tho machinery already in existence should be employed, and we believe the public generally will be of opinion that thb proposition is both fair and judicious. At the present time, when anything in the shape of a practical and uniform system of education would be gladly accepted by the people of Westlarid, we do not think that they are likely to quarrel with the proposed Borough Schools Bill.