Untitled

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume I, Issue 84, 24 December 1887, Page 2

MB OJWONt) ON Til a BDVOATION IgTIMATIS. In speaking on the Education estimates. Mr Ormond said he was glad to hear that the Minister had decided to adhere to his and he was glad because he thought the amount proposed by Mr Fisher was sufflcient for the Education requirements of the country. He referred at some length to educational matters iu Hawke’s Bay, and aaid that the schools there were as efficiently taught, and as well conducted as any schools in New Zealand. They paid a higher average in Hawke’s Bay than iu any other schools in the colony, and were women teachers could be obtained in country districts they were emp oyed with great ad vantage, and resulted iu considerab e economy. In hia opioion a fixed graduated scale for teachers’ salaries would be very effectual, and would be the means of doing away with a large amount of discontent. He challenged any hoo gentleman to get the opinion of the InspectorGeneral as to the condition of the snhools ill Hawke’s Biy. With re.peot to the raising of the school age to six he said that in many oases children of that age were unable to get to schools, and the general belief was that a child could get no real benefit from teaching at such an early age. He hoped the limit of the age of five would not be insisted on, but if a proposal were made to raise it to seven he would oppose it. He was not able to prove to tbe House that, if other reductions were made, the strict average could be allowed without having some reduc- : tion made in the scale of salaries paid. He approved of the reduction of capitation to ■ £3 15<. and the raising of the school age to '

six. He did not see hi, way to vote for any proposal to take away eduoati in, given over and above the 6th standard, unless the ordinary and secondary systems were merged mto one. He held that the Roman Catholic portion of the community were entitled to reasonable assistance for their school* »1though he agreed that the present was not the time to go into the present question. Mr Barron disagreed with the proposal. Mr Fisher, referring to the argument used by some members that the proposes should stand over till next session, asked was it fyr to do this when the Education Boards of Otago, Hawke’s Biy and Auckland had voluntarily stated that it was quite impossible to carry on the Education system at a much reduced cost without iinpairiuz its efficiency.

A Wellington correspondent of an Auckland paper says it was expected that the session being an extraordionary one called merely for the purpose of giving effect to the desire of the colony in favour of retrenchment iu public expenditure, would be a short I one ; but those who thus reckoned were sadly mistaken, as events have proved. We are in the eleventh week, and were it not for the approach of Christmas, would not have prorogued for another month. It has only been within the last three weeks that any real legislation has been effected. Some of the obstructionists should have a bad quarter of an hour before their constituents durinc the recess. *