Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, MAY 18, 1990. Education.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 13 May 1890, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, MAY 18, 1990. Education.

■» Ws have often pointed out how mi led the .ratepayer* ar:> on the question of Education It has been our constant desire that ; he people would, take . the trpnVe to enquire into is coat and ita result*, mo • minutely, when w» fee' convinced that they mil arriv- at the coucu•ion that it is cost ng far greater than the advantages derived from it. warrant. We much regret there- ' fore to find tbat the Hon Mr Ballance when addressing his constituents last * week asserted his objec ion to any alteration on the ground that it ■' would !:•• a serous injury to th« chiUr«m of the working classes." We have to suppose that Mr Ballance is speaking of the working elases of the Colony, and not merely of the towns. If then, he appea st • the ( 'oloniats generally he makes a big mistake, as it has been shown, beyond doubt, by toe exanvnatiop. of Mr Habens, thelntpecor-Gea.-raJf of Schools, that it is only advisable to allow chUdrei to atter;d school at five years, when th«r« is provision of suitable methods of in struction and discipline" which is however ony provided in th« schools of th<» larger tawni. Therefore it is evident that the majority ol thr NCttpiyfTs have aothiag »o gain, but much to os» by retaining the age at fivo y««rs. To further obtain 'he voioe of the '• working classes" Mrßallameesaid ",he found that there wre children who, unless they received education before they reached the age of 7, would be seriously handicapped " but he entirely over ooked the fact that but few schools conducted under tht present system gives hat teaching that is of any use, except a few in the larger town*. We desire to make this very clear, as country settiers have much to put up wi h, and as the cry of the day is to get people on tho land, it seems absurd to handicap them with all costs for the benefit of tho<e remaining- in the towns The facilities of gett ng ■ hildren to school aronot bo convenient in tho cuintry as in towns, therefore but few children under se en years of age are able to walk the distance necessary t reach the nearest school . We have shown that tho Inspector General of ."-c'ioul-; has admitted that as yet but few schools .offer the •caching required for -he very young, so that generally it may be said not to exist, yat ou the authorty of M i Biillauct* we lenrn "he had made nutn rous inquiries at the l««t »lw tion, tnd h» foaad Ikat ik« ehiUr«n

I ift t&i Mft^i and Sixth Standards were not iH.ibe.maiu.; children of wolhto d pepple > j)utjj I :l^ge:porti.'B ot th«ii) were children of the work iu>< elas>aoa," fthe iH»o.it v'oiid go to prov.p W^( . lp;y .would not be i <ttt£o\i»lyr -ijujur dby the school ag« eiug aised, as to prove the caee agamat ng -it-would Mave to .be ehovm ho \.many were advantaged bj the tMuehiiig received before th £ weie •aven j«arji old „KxperH t&V-.i&iV liiictLy-iip.f. vto\V lliat children uuder feeVwft are bettor .-away, unless they roeoiv* special ieaeh ng.. The eader of the [ oppoiitioa wo nd up his remarks on, this subject by saying j "Th.er« are in the Hone© a. number of members who are. comb ned so- j gether to reduce the education vote, but he believed the total possible reduction., vf on dbe sm 11 and the injury very great. l£ tliey could reduce it in a fair way and without imparing the education system he would be with th-m ; but so far he could not find that it coald 'b© don» fairly to the people of the Colony;" Fair words th§j3*», but the fact re* mains that whe.-i the 'Chairman of the Education"Comniitt6a, appointed in 1887 applied to be perrnitttd to reausae* it* duties the fo lowing «es* • on, the House would not agree to it, and by their action siifled infor* matioa being obtained m to how far the Act cou'd be amended s» as to reduce its cost with the • 1- ast injury to the cause of odncition. Towns 1 people may hold on to our present system, but we cannot believe the country settlers will, aud they ashould not- elesp under the burdens £hey hear. Free is an utter misnomer for our system as every body pnys towards it, and every article of house hold use is taxed for thi purpose. The idea of Mr Bal ance's that the "working cla9es " have made an extraordinary effort to lce^p their chil^renjonger at aclioo in the Fifth aud Sixth I ''Standards "in order to g.ve them a I'ighcr education " may be very taking to his audience, but nju&t'bV,incv.'ns:s en^ -with, f .'Cte, as otherwise it ' wimld tie' equivalent to aaying that the '' wavlnng cla ses '' are the only people who are intarerested in their children's education, as if the Fifth and Sixth Standards are occupied by them, where are the children of the we 1-fco-do clashes ? 'I hey are not on the ro'l of the High School*, and they have not left the Colony to complete their stu ies. It goes without contradiction that a fe* child en of the 1 ' work ngclasses" are smart clever children, and their ■ parents no doubt mako a special effort for theii advancement, this Vi 11 always be so, and it is pleasant that it? shou dbe so, bnt then, thosi who urge the payment of half the captation , fee for ihe Fif i h and Sixth Standards, 'are not endeavouring to oppese these cliildr n from getting on, as it has ahvay6 been suggested that hvigh. wiling chi ; dren should be encouraged in their passage through, the lower standards by the .reward. of Hrs*o odu cation in the two highest standards, on proving the r efficiency. The half fee ia to make the coat lighter to the " working el .sscjm " by making those who keep children at school in the higher standards, from not knowiog whut quite to do with them till th-y get pldwr, pay for thpir privilege • c have.uo doubt .but that our .member will make this matter very clear, when he next addresses his constituents.