WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 19 March 1923, Page 1

WELLINGTON TOPICS

COST OF EDUCATION. SACK ILEGIOUS CKITICS. SPECIAL TO GUARDIAN. WELLINGTON. March 10. There lias been a growing disposition lately on the part of the newspaper correspondents and other sacrilegious people to find fault with the working of the national system of education. Thirty or forty years ago the complacent New Zealander was content to believe ithat in this respect lie was the best served individual ill the world. Bill the means ol communication and the facilities for comparison have vastly improved .since then and it lias begun to dawn upon him that there is something he might learn on this subject not only from America and Germany, hut even from the benighted Mother Country. Encouraged by bis admissions to this etfect the newspapers themselves are demanding more tangible results than are indicated by the mere statistics. “Expenditure" the “I’osL” told its reader last evening “is no true measure ol results, a fact which is overlooked by many politicians who quote the money spent upon education as if it were proof that odileaion is now better provided for the" Indore the war. It all depends upon the way in which tile money is spent." That I ' the rub. Jl has been stated on the very highest authority that while the expenditure upon education has nearly de'tbled the results obtained from the system have (I isti net !\ deteriorated. I.ARGUE. AND I.IUERAUS.M

Extreme Labour for reasons more or hs- obvious i- not standing bv Sir • 10-cpli Ward in the Tniiranga contest. “I! Sir Joseph Ward wins Tniiranga." ii says. “Mr Massey will apply for a dissolution. A general election will follow immediately. So keep your powder dry and dig in." ’file “Dominion" sees in this “tip" a plain indication 1 that Mr Holland and lib friends are not anxious to make another appeal to the electors just now. “The fact that the “Worker" expresses tie* hope that. Sir .Joseph will be beaten in the contest, read in conjunction with its tip. rather suggests” it says, “that a dissolution i' out contemplated with any great favour in (hat particular <|tmrtor. though the Labour organ is careful lo state tliai till’ real objection lo Sir.lo-eph Ward's it. clitrv into politics is that it would perpel ua tc Ibe befuihlb’ment ot the worker" The point the “tip” really lines nut make clear is that Mr Holland and bis friends are much loss ■

!a\ our;;idv disposed towards the Be lonuci's 'limn they are towards the Li be rats. They evidently agree with Mr Wiiford that Liberalism i- the chi. obstacle to extreme l abour's progress inward- the Treasury Bern lies, and e would prefer to s'ee the Tauraupa sen; I'oin.iiniug with the Government ten: going lo a party ihai stand- hr.oil (bn: is sane and reasonable in their own oro. gramme. SIR .HKEUH W'R"'S CRITICS Sir Joseph Ward's personal and onhli::h friends here ornfess tliem-eives a v. ell -atisfied witii Sir Joseph Mridl- - anil with bis reception at Tanrange la-t night. The two morning papers both report tile cx-l.iheral iiader adequately but they differ widely as to the merit i f wb.it be said. "In the present eoniesl for Taut align seat." the ••Dominion” i-mmiiniLs "b" had a great opporl imiiy ol taking a leading pa uh ill smoult hing oirt the difficult ies ot the existing political situation and bringing about a working agreement between Liberal and Reform members which would live ensured a period .0 stable (lovi nmicnt. T'!- i- wliai ;m I oiintrv wants.” This, it is being remarked m the city In-day. is a little inconsistent with the Reform organ's earlier assertion that Sir Joseph M aril “is net the beat en-born geniii- depicted by sumo of bis admirers, and as a party leader be has always failed." Surely, the critics say. if be is capable of smoothing mil l lie difficult ies of tlm existing political .situation and bringing about a working agreement between Liberal and Reform members which world assure a period of stable Go, eminent, hr is, if not a boavcitt.urn genius, a very useful person to have in Parliament at the prc-nit-time. THE OTHER SIDE. Curiously enough, the “New Zealand Times” publishes ibis morning, as coinjug from the Tniiranga correspondent of the “Napier Telcgrnoh" a statement of Sir .Joseph Ward s attitude to wards the parties which is an ex.-c-t repetition. word for word. of a paragraph wliii b appeared in this column lasf wcik. Speaking for itself the Liberal organ gives point to Sir Joseph's “St itesnianlike speech” bv poking inn ai the effort of the Minister of Public Works in the same place some even jpgs before. “Mr Coates” it among many similar utterances, "turibcr weak' n d the testament argument bv quite unwarrantly assuming ihai jbn fide Sir William I lorries bad made i political will, or was at all event-, m favour of making a will, and would ,ly if appealed to to-dav. to male affidavit that be would have made Mr MacMillan his iieir. with, lie .probr.lil' would have added. Mr Maraud Coates as executors. Even this. liow ever, fails to establish _ any sort •>! testamentary right.” The “ 1 mi"s es a mure relevant pom! when i. recalls tin Reformers' recent denunciation of party prejudice and ram our ami plae.s, it side bv sid" with their present exaltation of party at all cost Gw vi. ’pilous p roll-stations el the MU "i-.l ahvai’s are amusing, hut never mine "■ than when lie is engaged in a sirenueu« election contest.