GENERALITIES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 488, 2 October 1909, Page 4

GENERALITIES.

The Rev. I. Jolly, of Palmerston North, waited on the Wanganui Education Board last week as a deputation from the Ministers’ Association, and asked the Board to reduce the school hours to twenty-four and a half a week to enable those committees who desired it to have Bible lessons taught in schools. —The Chairman said that, while he believed in teaching scripture to the children, it was the duty of the Board, under the Education Act, to confine their twenty-five school hours to secular instructiou, and he could not support the proposed innovation.—Mr Cargill proposed that the request be refused.—Mr Bennett suggested that they could ascertain from the conference of inspectors in February next how the system Mr Jolly suggested worked in Otago, Nelson, and Hawke’s Bay, and a motiou to that effect was carried.

The following interesting item appears in this week’s issue of The Citizen .—“The other day The Citizen had something to say about the prevalence of secret commissions in ordinary business. The practice is an old-established and widespread one, and an interesting instance of its antiquity in other concerns than those of commerce pure and simple has just come to light. About 1876 Dr, Feat hers ton was in England on behalf of the New Zealand Government. While there he placed a considerable order on behalf of the colony for steel rails required in connection with the railway building scheme of the day. After the completion of the transaction he was somewhat surprised to receive from the contractors a cheque for no less than ,£SOO. He did not understand this, and requested an explanation. The reply was to the effect that the sum was for the doctor to do as he pleased with, and that it was The usual thing in arranging colonial Government contracts.’ Dr. Featherston returned the cheque, not having any desire to participate in The usual thing.' The writer has the best authority for this little anecdote, and the only thing he is wondering about is when this ‘usual thing’ in connection with colonial Government operations begau and when it ended.”

We clip the following from the Oamaru Mail: “ The women o Timaru who passed the resolution condemnatory of canteens at the volunteer encampments have on their side Sir Frederick Treves, Donald M‘Donald, of the Argus (who was shut up in Dadysmith), Mr Page, M.H.R. of Queensland (who also had war experience in South Africa), the great Duke of Wellington, Viscount Wolseley, Sir C. Napier, Stonewall Jackson, Sir Archibald Campbell, and Sir Henry Havelock. These are only a few of the renowned men who have, by personal experience, proved that the temptation to drink is too great lor soldiers ; that drinking renders them unfit for their military duties ; and that total abstention, which is the only possible safeguard against excess, has pulled men through the most critical military situations. But the question is not decided by what is best, but by what is in accord with the prejudices and sybaritic propensities of the authorities who have to deal with it. It is the old notion that manliness is both produced and indicated when men make beasts of themselves to the endangerment and annoyance of others. The administrators are not expected to consider the moral, or social, or religious aspect of the drink question, but it is obligatory on them to take every precaution to ensure public safety. How much longer is our Government going to neglect their plain duty by sanctioning, or permitting, the use of alcoholic liquors at encampments of volunteers, so that money is wasted, as well as time and health, to say nothing of the moral curse, which is, however, we admit of no consequence to rulers who have proclaimed gambling, the twin brother of debauchery, to be a virtue, and who have taken scheming rascals who fleece the public under their wing.”