TOPICS OF TALK.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 225, 27 June 1873, Page 6

TOPICS OF TALK.

"Laitd for the people, and people for the land," is a favorite political cry, and, of course, has a foundation based on truth. Still, the numerous edifices of sand that are run up on this true foundation almost lead one, at times, to believe that there is contained iti it no germ of truth at all. L'he settler here who has for some years struggled on to make the two ends meet, who ,has paid nothing or something very for his farm, and whose land is deteriorating every season till, it almost refuses to yield anything at all, says: (l What do we want more people for, when those we have got cannot get land, or, if they do get it, cannot make it pay ? We want land for ourselves, not for a pauper population to be forced oij. to us." That is one side of the question. Look at another: Here are thousands of acres that, though of moderate richness, yet can, by skill and irrigation, be very much improved. Let us settle this land with people, who will get the value out of it -—who will be consumers of our manu : factures—who will assist to bear the burden of our increased taxation—who will make good settlers, and found happy homes for themselves, in which will be reared sons and daughters who, under a good education system, will develope into better colonists than even their predecessors. With such settlements rail and tram communications can be opened up to the seaboard, and a sure tide of steady prosperity will reward the bold progressive efforts made in the cause of " settlement of the people on the land." Lattd for the people ! The law guarding, as it should do, private e ; n--terprise, has jealously and properly protected the pastoral lessee from the aggrandising greed of democratic agitators. At the same time, the most squatocratic Governments have recognised that, where the land was really required for settlement,. the lessee's claim should be set aside, provided he was fairly compensated for the loss of his lease. During the last few years, the Provincial Government of Otago, being in rather low funds, has always shrunk from taking advantage of this acknowledged law, on account of the large amount of money that would require to he paid for compensation. Now the Province is looking up in funds—Dunedin was never so wealthy and prosperous, and it is only right that the country's claim for a share of the general prosperity should be attended to. The great object G-overn-raents should have in view with regard to G-oldfields communities ought to be, to permanently settle such communities, and, to do so, every interest should be encouraged, not as against the mining, but'as hand in hand with it. Hyde presents the case of a township with an energetic population who yet, onaccount of the short timo that they are enabled to work in«the claims, are three-quarters-of the year nearly idle, and consequently make a very poor living. At the same time, they have riches all round them in the soil, but cannot put their hands out to reach them. No district in Mount Ida is so fitted for a mixed agricultural a,nd mining settlement as Hyde, and yet no effort, so far as we know, has been made, except a spasmodic local cry raised now and again, to develope what should be a prosperous and permanent district.

Otaqi prides herself on lier education system, her University Ifcaff o professors, &c. We confess to be somewhat heretical on this self laudation. One school in Dunedin has between 600 and 700 children. Besides a few masters and mistresses, there are only a few pupil teachers to instruct ana look after all this crowd. From a cursory glance at Mr His]op's report pf the up-country district schools, there seem?, to be really very little taught at all such schools—simply reading, writing., and ari thmetic, and no. great excellence even iii these essentials. It could, indeed, hardly beotherwise where one master has to attend to so many boys, all of very different grades—r-from those who might be able to master the pom asinorum vicrvm to the I 1 C division, Jt

would be simply impossible for any master to make much, in tlie limited time at his disposal, of these mixed elements. If, indeed, he can keep order, and get his classes to read decently, he must, we think, be considered to have done well. There is certainly great room for improvement in the Otago education system, to make it a. success where attendance is only voluntary. It will, however, be a positive duty to make such improvement if secular education in the future is to' be, as it should be, compulsory and unavoidable. A very necessary work should not long be delayed. If we wait to bridge the Taieri till a Bishop has been drowned, Bishops being scarce, we may wait a long time—so long, indeed, that meanwhile many unmitred individuals may have lost their lives. The work has, we believe, been surveyed by the engineers, and reported on favorably, and only needs a little gentle pressure in the right quarter to get it undertaken in the spring. We recommend this*to our energetic Trade Asl sociation, if the more cumbrous Municipal machinery cannot be got under weigh—or,better still, to both. Hamilton, Hyde, the Sowburn, and Serpentine, who are all interested in such a work, and would no doubt support any agitation on the question. Mr. Shepherd is out in the cold. The Dunstan certainly showed, by an overwhelming majority, that they would listen no longer to the charms of the Piper, " though he piped never so sweetly." Laying aside, however, Mr Shepherd's excessive egotism, and his gubernatorial airs," the Dunstan j might have gone much farther and fared worse. The late member's manner, while always rather raising the risibility of the House, still, joined with a considerable amount of perseverance, was certainly beneficial to the district he represented.

The Hawke's Bay residents have taken some bold steps with regard to education, and have taken advantage of the education discussion to show their appreciation of population. We see, in their proposed scheme, they fix a household education rate, varying from £1 to £5 per year, and so as to encourage matrimony, the single men who have no houses are to be taxed £1 per head for the teaching of other folks children. We have not heard yet how the bachelors like it. Several unsuccessful candidates at the. late elections say that they owe their defeat to voters being brought in out of other districts to vote against them on the miner's right qualification —the same men having voted in their own district on the Electoral Soil qua, lification. If this is so, the mattei should be enquired into, as of course, a little money would, at a time of excitement, transport a large body of voters a long distance, and added to this direct evil, would be the facility afforded for personation. The matter should be enquired into at once, and not put off till the next elections bring up the same evil. ■ "W The Athenseum Committee' will readily agree with us that the way to make the institution successful wouldbe to make it popnlar. We wish, then, they would consider the desirability of using one of their tables for chesa. A Chess Club might gradually be coaxed into existence, and a number of young fellows be drawn to support the Athenasum for the sake of the best and most intellectual game ever invented.