TOPICS OF TALK.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 228, 18 July 1873, Page 6

TOPICS OF TALK.

The result of the division on Mr Bt.out!s motion of want of confidence would take no one by surprise. It was a legal question on which the Council were asked to record a rote of want of confidence—a legal question, or quibble as Mr Shand in. his wrath called it, that upon which their own counsel advised them they had no case. But, however, the mover, while leaving no stone unturned to prove that tho Government were responsible for the sale, stated that he did not lose the motion on the question as to whether the sale was a good or a bad one, but that the Executive deserved censure for not transmitting the resolution of the Council, passed unanimously, to" the "Waste Lands Board. Now, this resolution was sent in due form to the Superintendent by the Speaker, who declined to forward it further, on the ground that .the Waste Lands Board had repeatedly asserted their independence of his by snubbing him whenever he had had occasion to bring any matter before them, and he asserted it was derogatory to the posi-j tion he held to place himself in such a position ms to be treated with contempt by the Board. However, two members of the Council attended in their places on that Board, and the resolution of the Council was freely discussed there ; besides which, Mr IStout, with all the adroit, dexterity of which he is master, put before the august tribunal •the opinion of the Council—so that it is 'idle "to say the Executive were deserving of a vote of confidence because they had not transmitted the resolution to the Waste Lands Board. All agreed that the sale was a bad one, but it was abundantly proved by the papers laid on the table that the Waste Lands Board had no alternative, unless they were prepared to eventually have to agree not only to the sale of the block, but to a large accumulative charge against the country of very heavy legal costs. It would have been easy for the Government to have made political capital by urging, through Mr Tolmie,. that the application be declined, being quite careless that the country, not themselves, would have to pay for it. Fortunately their representative would not consent to such

equivocation, and the majority of the ' Council was to be found that dared, even on such a question as indirectly grounded .the vote of censure, dared, "we say, to approve a course that honesty and justice alone mapped out in these latter stages of this deplorable transaction. It would have been far worse if the original application, agreed to so readily by theVeeeding Government, had been sold—as Mr Campbell might legally have insisted . —and for the alteration of the original boundaries, and the delays that have been enforced for the purpose of very full enquiry— and perhaps hope that Mr Campbell might recede from the application—the present Government merit praise rather than blame. Mr Eeid's excusers sav : You should not blame Mr Eeid, the Council forced this sale upon him, the Council said that 50,000 acres should be sold in blocks of not less than 10,000 acres, only three members voting against it. (Mr Shepherd's name, in justice it should be said,,being one of the three.) This is an extraordinary defence. The Executive of the day, of which Mr Eeid was the head, recommended the plan, and by their influence and majority carried it. For Mr Eeid to turn round afterwards and say—lt was not me, but the Council, is to take a very low view of the position a leader of the Government and Council . should assume. The Goldfields are to be congratulated that some of their members had the courage to vote against the motion— rendering themselves liable to be misunderstood by their constituents rather than by their vote, to gain fake credit, nelp to put m office the gentleman and his supporters, who were the original promoters of the sale of land in large . blocks oa the Goldfields.

t Thebe is a fast increasing feeling rising just now against what is called high education. This ha 3 been shown very clearly in the discussion that took place some time ago about the High

School, resulting in the very exhaustive report laid before the Council. The Sector of the school gives several reasons for the alleged deterioration, and one which is certainly very plausible—that the University at present drains off his best boys just when they are getting creditable scholars. One good feature of the report, to our mind, is the condemnation loj the examiners of the dabbling in natural science—in fact, a mere forcing into, boys' heads for the time being of a string of learned names of plants, animals, chemicals, and gases, which, by an effort of downright memory—a mechanical tuition very hurtful to the praetiser—is retained for a time, but not being connected with the refreshing vigor of a practical tuition, is lost almost as soon as found. A student was never-made by such a smattering of the sciences. It might be desirable to teach one science—say botany—in schools where the lessons could be pretty frequent, and accompanied by practical living illustrations"; but the system carried on in so many modern English schools, and so unfortunately followed apparently in the High School, is one that, in an institution that i 3 not self-supporting, the managers are hardly justified in continuing. For boys in Duuedin, so many of whom are intended for mercantile pursuits, the best training would be a thorough course of English. French, German, and arithmetic, including book-keeping in all its branches. A system of tuition confined to these branches could be made thorough, and the literature of the world being open to the men trained in such a way, very liberal ideas would be. disseminated to the great advantage of the Colony.

A licensing Bill is now before the Council, to better regulate the transactions in alcoholic liquors. All previous Ordinances are by it repealed. We have not examined this Bill carefully enough to sec ail the changes proposed, but we notice the bottle license is to be increased to the same sum as the general license—viz., £2O. The general license only enabling houses to be kept open till ten o'clock, an extra £5 have to be. paid for the. night license to keep open till twelve p.m. A Licensing Court can adjourn and meet again if a quorum of magistrates cannot be obtained on the special day fixed : provided that the Court finally meets within fourteen days from the original licensing day. A provision is made that every holder of a general license shall have two decent public rooms, and not less than five bedrooms always ready ; a concession, however, and a very reasonable one, is given to license-holders in towns—that the stabling provision necessary for licenses now shall not, under the new Actj be enforced. The Bill is not, however, yet passed.

It is very much to be wished that a system similar to the one carried out in Yictoria was in force on the K"ew Zealand Goldfields. In Yictoria a staff of-Mining Registrars and Surveyors are kept up, by whose means quarterly reports from..'all'the districts ara returned and circulated throughout the country. These reports embody the most minute scientific and practical information. Not a new shaft is sunk but a section of its geological formation is lithographed; not a new lead or drive but what is reported upon ; go that science and Labor go hand in hand, not only helping to point out the most profitable fields, but giving the investor in Melbourne or Loudon a knowledge of what he is, investing in, and thus getting what is above all essential in Goldfields confidence of the capitalists.

The new Government, as telegraphed in bur issue of last week, eon. sists of Mr Turnbull as Provincial Secretary and Treasurer, Mr Bastings a3 G-oldfields Secretary and Public Works, Dt Webster, Land Office, and Mr Shand without office. This is an attempt at amalgamation of interests which will be watched with considerable interest. Br Webster is a man of known moderate views, who has the confidence of both sides of tbe House. Mr Shand's accession is not 6iiea'an acquisition, and certainly is not to his

credit. "We have him scarcely a week ago moving a vote of want of confidence in a most rabid manner against the Government, and now he joins them. Politically it was, we think, bad policy on the part of the Government taking over this gentleman. On the other side he is and would be a source of weakness to his legitimate party headed by Mr iteid, for a few would have been found to follow him, but on the Government' benches every one of his former friends would leave him with scorn in the lurch. In justification, it is said that it was necessary to take some member on the Government benches that would conciliate Southland, and the Southland members were so unreasonable in the overtures made to them that a negotiation was rendered impossible. This may be so, but if it was, the neglect of their own interests should have been accepted, and the Government would have done better to put on an able man out of their own supporters who could strengthen them in debate —their weak point—such as Mr Davie, Mr Oliver, or Mr Haggitt. Possibly Mr Shand may not weaken the Government materially, but still we think the - appointment is entirely against what is so required and so talked about—a burying of the hatchet between the two parties of the House.

"We are glad to learn, from what fell from the Goldfields Secretary In answer to a question of survey of a frontage to the Coratnoßage, that it is shortly intended to return to the old system of Government surveyors. The Government confess that the late system has cost more than the old plan, and is obviously less efficient, because the surveyors' time is not always at the disposal of the Government. Perhaps now this i&recognised it will also be recognised that it is most desirable to secure efficient officers by paying them a fair equivalent for their talents, and not keep them on the barest amount for which their services can be retained ; which tends to have the work done in a dull, disheartening way, destructive of all real efficiency.

A proposition is made to offer free education in the district schools for children whose parents satisfy the local Committees that they are not able to pay for the education the school offers. Of course such a measure would place an onus of rather a disagreeable nature on the local Committees, in judging who is capable and who is not of paying. For our own part, we would rather see the district schools free altogether, or, if a limit of capability was fixed upon, a compulsory clause should also be added.