The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is in corporated the West Coast Times.) THURSDAY, JANUARY 17th, 1924. LABOUR CABINET.

Hokitika Guardian, 17 January 1924, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is in corporated the West Coast Times.) THURSDAY, JANUARY 17th, 1924. LABOUR CABINET.

J’rij.iTit'Ai, writers, iitul Parliamentary lobbyists at lleme June had a new experience of lute, the fun-easting of a Labour Government, the first arlministration of the kind ever seriously considered to he within the hounds of pmotioni politics, The Coalition Go- * vernnieiits of the war and immediate ) post-war periods, gave several IjiilKMir * leaders their first experience of office, and it was generally admitted that I sonic of them, notably Messrs Barnes, I dynes and Boheits, were able udinini introtors. The greatest surprise eon- * twined in the detailed forecast cabled ( out last week lies in tile fact that, neii tiler Mr Barnes, who was a member of i the War Cabinet, nor Mr Roberts, who 1 held several important positions, have 1 been included, Mr Ramsay .MacDonald id expected to lill ihe dual positions of Brittle Minister and Secretary of State lor Foreign Affairs. The Labour leader has never hold office, but ho served on the Indian Civil Service Commission 1012-191.1, and lie has a first hand knowledge of most of the countries of F.urope. If Viscount Haladrio should take office it will mean a great deal to the Labour Party. For 2(> years he was a member of the House of Commons, for seven years he was Minister for War, and later held the high position of Lord Chancellor. His vast experience and ripe judgment would ho ,of invaluable service to any Labour Cabinet. Mr A. Henderson has lieen mentioned as a possible Home Secretaiy. It will just he necessary to find Mr Henderson a seat, for the electors of Keweastle-on-Tyno rejected him last month. Mr Henderson has the honour of being tho fust Labour member of the House of Commons to attain Cabinet rank, having lieen included in the Coalition Government of 1015, and holding the portfolio of Education for a time. Mr ,1. It. Clvnes, who may go to the Admiralty, has been in Parliament for 17 years, and made a name for himself as Food Controller, in which office he succeeded the late Lord Rhondda in July 1018. Tn addition to Viscount Haldane, it is anticipated that the Labour Party will call on the services of two other ex-T.iberals. Mr C p. Trevelyan has already had some years of experience as Parliamentary •Secretary to the Board of Trade, and Mr. Noel Buxton, whoso name is mentioned in connection with the Agricultural Office, is an authority on small holdings as well as on the Balkans. Neither Mr Philip Snowden nor Mr J. H. Thomas, both of whom are “listed” for important posts, have lmd experience of office, hut it will he seen that Labour can command the services of several men with knowledge of ministciial work and responsibility, and the traditions of British politics are such that tho leader of tho House can always rely upon the assistance of the leaders ut the Opposition in matters of finance and foreign affairs. But the British Ministry is a large body apart from the Cabinet. In the Baldwin Government there are thirty-four “other offices.” and it is in filling these that- a Labour Government may find some difficulty, for it has no men with previous experience and few with the necessary training for important positions, say. at the Treasury. A great departure from traditional politics appears to lie imminent at Home, hut the nation, characteristically takes it calmly, prepared to “wait and see”—for that, is the British way.

Not even the most ardent admirer of things as they are would venture to deny Unit our educational methods and results are far from satisfactory. It is still necessary to pursue the analysis into what is true education, and a hat is false. The Melbourne “Age”, remarks a contemporary, is certainly light when it says that it i.s scarcely ■contestable that that education must be false which merely imparts knowledge without implanting in the mind of the pupil a desire for further knowledge. And wo fear it must be confessed that what the “Age” says of Australia applies also, and perhaps with equal force, to New Zealand : hardly he claimed that, that desire is in any marked degree exhibited by the great mass of those who have passed through the primary schools of the State. Not many of those whose education never went beyond that standard seem to have become imbued with the love of learning for its own sake. Regions quit the primary schools intellectually dead; nothing in the method of teaching .stirs them to mental and spiritual life. They may accumulate ill their minds a few unrelated facts; they may acquire those rude accomplishments comprehensively termed the three R’s.” But they will forget the (acts; they will exercise their accomplishments rarely; and never in their future years "ill they respond to the <ail of things cultural. Judged by results. our primary system seems to dull Die children’s mental vision. Certainly they make their exit having, no intellectual outlook.

Tur: limitations of file pupil, continues the Melbourne paper, might in certain instances he a convincing explanation ; but the . l benoineiion is too pronounced. too persistent to he accounted for continuously on that ground alone. The wide-spread impression that the primary school curriculum is overloaded seems cot unfounded. For every item in il doubtless some plausible reason can be suggested. But tbe entire scheme needs simplifying. Attempts to plant numerous educational seeds in the unsuitable soil of tin l cdiild mind should not be the business of the primary school teacher. Rather should it he to awaken that, passion fur greater knowledge which is latent in most children. That done, the higher culture could safely be left- to look alter itself. It would never Ink eager devotee-. If it lie tun' that the primary school system results in deadening instead of quickening the intellectual faculties, then, indeed, tragedy is made more acute by the fact that the victims complacently believe themselves educated as a result of a process wdiicli kills in them the desire for ethical ion. •J 1,0 supreme end of all education must ever he character, and it would he the merest cunt to pretend that'the national character could not be moulded into something infinitely bettci. AT ith our Melbourne contemporary, we believe, tlie persons who could make tbe most vital contribution to that desirable end m i-,.;!:! Vo tlie primary school tei her if c.n 1 ••• t’-ov were delivered from ■•’tr odtc at ions] system's tiadiiional fetters