The Manawatu Herald. Saturday, June 20, 1914. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 1261, 20 June 1914, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Saturday, June 20, 1914. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

For many years attempts have been made to place technical education on a permanent footing in Foxton, and each attempt has resulted in failure, and the expense incurred by the authorities has not been justified. The town has been canvassed for funds and pupils, officials of the Board have visited and addressed public meetings on the subject, the School Committe has done its best to stimulate interest in technical education, but with only temporary success. Last year the number of students on the roll was forty, of whom nineteen attended the dressmaking classes — not one of the number were school pupils—seven attended the First Aid class, which class could just as easily have beeu conducted independent of the school, seven attended drawing and painting, and seven English and arithmetic. The fees paid amounted to j£22 ns 6d, voluntary contributions £6 18s, subsidy £6 18s, and capitation ,£ll Bs, making the total receipts £47 15s 6d. The expenditure totalled ,£34.43 id, which included, instructors’ salaries £l6 ss, instructors’ travelling expenses ,£8 is Bd, and share of dirertor’s salary £2, leaving a credit balance of £l3 ns sd, out of which must come £g or ,£lO for the local supervisor. From , the above it will be seen that it is simply squandering the Department’s money to continue the classes. The Committee is therefore justified in closing down, and it is questionable whether the classes will be opened unless under private control. Too much money has beeu frittered away by the Board in tinkering with so-called technical classes in small country towns. There is only room in this educational district for, at the most, three technical schools, which should be centralised, thoroughly equipped, and staffed with experts. We have two such

institutions at present, one at Wanganui and the other at Palmerston. Tinkering with technical education is so much waste of money which could be used to better purposes in other directions. Technical as well as secondary educational institutions should be centralised, in order to get the best results.

We sincerely hope that all ratepayers, who can make it convenient. will attend the meeting convened by the Mayor in the Town Hall on Monday evening next for the purpose of considering the loan proposals to be submitted to them next Thursday. The question of water and drainage is of great importance to Foxtou and it is for each ratepayer to seriously consider the individual cost and to weigh up the advantages. Either of the proposed water and drainage loan proposals are very costly for a borough with such a limited population, and it must be clearly understood that if either proposal is carried it will mean doubling the present rates and increased rents to tenants. We have all along advocated water and drainage, and referred to the necessary sacrifice each must make to protect the health of the community, but we would not blindly rush the ratepayers into this matter without warning them of the cost. Again and we speak from the layman’s point of view —we seriously question whether the gravitation scheme can be carried through for the estimate submitted by the engineer. We desire that the ratepayers shall probe the matter very carefully before committing themselves, and for this reason they should attend Monday’s meeting. Whether the loan proposal for water and drainage is carried or lost on Thursday next, no blame must rest upon the heads of the Mayor or Councillors, who have done all that is humanly possible to place the fullest details before the ratepayers. They cannot force the loan at the point of the bayonet. Tne ratepayers must decide the matter for themselves, and whatever happens, we hope voters will be guided by sound judgment, as to the present and future prospects of the town.