Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY. AUGUST 18, 1892. A School at Taikorea.

Manawatu Herald, 18 August 1892, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY. AUGUST 18, 1892. A School at Taikorea.

" Free and compulsory system of education" is the term applied to that hap-hazard plan called a system in force in this colony. The farce to term education free is still retained and by many believed, but it appears free simply because the cost is not charged "directly as a distinct tax>; -'"tree, suggests to those outside the colony that every one, no. matter how poor, can take advantage of the schooling thus cheaply provided. It is however the veriest nonsense. We have no such thing as a free system ot education nor a compulsory one. It is quite a toss up when a genuine sf/ttler can get a chance to send his children to school, but it is a dead Certainty that whether he is able to avail himself of the opportunity or not, he has to pay, indirectly, towards the cost of teaching those more advantageously situated to himself. We have never failed to point out the shortcomings of this much vaunted system. We do not desire here to touch upon the absence of any Christian teaching, but merely to show how- the pioneers of the colony, those men with families who bravely face the rough life of conquering the wilderness are rated for and then handicapped by the residents in the towns. We hare a glaring case in point in the Carnarvon district, where there is a settlement with thirty-five children of school age, who are now, and have been .fd^yeara, without the benefit of a State . school. These settlers have been paying towards education all the time, they read that it is calted " f ree '\ and they get none of it ;' they read' that it is " compulsory," 4nd find thirty-five children not 'at Bchool! Their opinion of the beauties of the Act and ours will be similar because they are receiving actual proof of the truth we have^p often, forshadowed, thus numbers* of settlors find the " free and compulsory " system a fraud and a delusion. Why haa there; ndt been a school erected at Taikorea before now? Has the Board no money ? Why? the capitation fees would find the salary of a teajfiler, but perhaps there is no ftmf for building ? If so now is the ; time, while Parliament is sitting to let the fact be known, rlf -.the Board is unable from want' of funds to erect buildings so that every settler can fairly secure the advantages of education for his children, then more money must be voted. The Government have entered into a bargain and they have no right to insist on payment on the one hand, and refuse expenditure on the other hand. It would be fair that the position of these settlers, in an old established district should be known, so their fate may act as a warning to those the Government are urging to take up land away back from settlements. The country also has a right to complain that the taxation they submit to for *• free and compulsory " eduofttjan ii shown >o defective as

not to be able to provide a school for these thirty five children in the settled district of Carnarvon. We unhesitatingly advise those most interested to bestir themselves, and by holding meetings and corresponding with their representative in parliament, and the member of the Education Board, to inßiat upon attention being paid to their just demands.