THE Mount Ida Chronicle FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1875.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 311, 12 February 1875, Page 2

THE Mount Ida Chronicle FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1875.

It may bo safely stated that no State is Spending as much money in proportion to its inhabitants for what are called educational purposes an tin: Province of Otago at the present time. Otago, with a population according to the census of 1874 of only 85,113, including all nationalities, and Kex.es, spent last year £23,(555 3a. 9d. in school maintenance ; and the people themselves contributed in fees £12,716 11b 3d. To this should be added £1726 125.. collected at the Dunedin High Scbooln and drawing classes. This represents an always increasing total of £38,098 75., drawn from the public and private revenues of or nearly 9s. educational rate < u every tnuu, woman, or child - European or Chinese -in the Province. but this is not all: for last year £20,000 was voted, and is being; expended, lor s.-lmol buildings, in addition to the.very large sums already spent in the'establishmuitofonr; hundred and forty elementary schudls throughout the Province. What nre we yetting for this greai expenditure of moueyr The Inspector's report tells ns: During 1873, 1008 pupils were learning the higher rules of arithmetic; 257 algebra and geometry ; 4315 English grammar; 4867 geography ; 2354 British history; 383 Latin ; 22 Greek ; 270 French ; 1997 drawing or mapping; 345 book-keep-ing 2765 singing from noies; 2536 sewing (eirls). Ib this all the educational department of a young "-ountry, with the history of modern Europe in hands for guidance, can give the people of this Province for their heavy educational taxation.

. What is the policy of State Education ? Is it ijo 1 li) fit tin great nutn r bur of children to be of ruoM service to themselves ami the country of their birth ? 1- learning to read, write, and cipher;sufficient for that? or is it. mure tb/ui the ebi'dren of proHperoun «''»lonists have a : i l.t t«» demand ' at the hands of their parents r* It seems to be beginning to be slowly recognised even in England that an education which is B"t in the direction of, or does not include the rudiments of the art or trade which the boy educated is to pursue, is one-sided and defective. Our Otago schools are turning out thousands of boys, with positively nothing by way of knowledge of the natural principles of the art or calling they are —if fortunate —called upon to pursue.

The ouly gl-a'n of light perceivable at I all in the r.ducatiurial report is tha relatino to the Dunndin School of A?s; but. even that comps very short of what it might, he under st» good a master a» Mr. Hntion -only 142 outside of the Dunediu nchouls being taught draw tig" or mapping Of »hese Mr. kutton reports 1(3 carpenters and joiners : 0 painter# ; JJ m:i<*on* ; 4 mechanic 1 engineers ; I goldsmith ; gunNuiuh 5 civil engineers; 1 saddler, &«. l).'ies it not at once occur that an education that offers nothing to these men when n*. school in the direction of their trades in defective inthe extreme? If Dunedin is to obtain eminence in New Zealand as a city, it must be as a manufacturing seat of itidustry. 1 din can never compete with Christchurch or Auckland as a centre of agricultural produce, for the country at ber back is more limited in its resources. The mineral wealth of Otago>has placed Dunedin in her present high proportionate position, and mineral wealth will help to keep her on a fair level ; but, for many years yet. if ever alio ii to rise to be a metropolitan centre, it must be as a great manufacturing eitv. What are we doing as a Province to train the boys to be progressive designers and inventors in the manufacturing trades ? Where are wo looking to for our mechanical engineers ? Are hny of our public school boys adapted by preliminary training for "the iron wfrrks (for which already ()urjedin ts gettiug noted), or taught any scientific principles, without which practical work in barren o'progress? The Educatiounl reports of the last few years answer, No! Allthatourboys are trained to look forward to are the vacancies at the shop counter, the merchant's office, or the bank desk. Already in Dunedin, through competition among lads for vacancies, merchants and bank managers do not scruple to retain their miserably paid hands long in the evenings after hours, and even nights—to the destruction of their health. Clerkships lead nowhere: once a clerk, always a clerk—the Balary just raised Hufficientlv above the price of necessary provisions to enable a decent of fiee coat to be kept on the back, if the wearer eschews billiards and beer. The younsrmen of Otago deserve better than this The taxpay ors and parents deserve better too —for, while money is being lavishly spent for this poor result, the trained, practical (though not: overscientific) mechanic is being imported into the Colony at a cost of £2O to take the money away, which bur New Zealand bred boys might be earning. With a decent system of technical education engrafted on our present one-sided elemeutary schools, not bnlv might Otago capital take a lead, but Otago brain# and Otago hands might be known as the most inv-ntive, in talent and design, in New Zealand.

The is ew Zealand- Criminal Law not unwisely encourages the local- Magistrates' Courts to summarily deal with the cases of larceny brought before them, even although some such cases may be of a highly felonious nature. If discretion were not given .to the inferior Coutta the work of our Supreme Court Judges would be intolerable, and the expense of administering justice a mure unbearable tax upon those who keep the law than it is at present. Whore one offence is more difficult of detection than another, it is reasonable that the perpetrator—on conviction—should receive a heavier punishment, for the encouragement to' commit it is greater, and should be met by a proportionate discouragement in the sentence awarded. Robbery from a house where no one is living is somewhat exceptionally considered to be a less offence than robbery from an inhabited house—the reason being that, although the latter offence is the most likely 1o be detected, it is attempted'with an intent to attack the inmates in case of surprise, and thus directly leads to criminal assault, manslaughter, or murder.

Kobbing gold from tail races combines in its features the conditions the law contemplate* in both the above cases. It is most difficult of detection, and is to such an ex teat burglarious chat the thief is quite J prepared, when driven to it, to defend himself from capture; and, although a claim is not an inhabited house, it becomes tantamount to ic when the owners have to watch in it to protect their properties with gun or revolver at niaftt. Should not our criminal law-distin-guish between the sol H robber and Ihf> man « ho litis a few s-jillings from a shop counter, or loaf of bread IVoni a window ? Hitherto, whenever a conviction has been obtained, the offence has been dealt with under the larceny or. vagrant Acts—the prisoner receiving a month's imprisonment, or some other equally absurd penalty, which, if he is really a vagrant, is what his soul longs after. He is released at the end of his term, rendered lazier by his, gaol surveillance than ever, while knowing that, in order to live without work, be need only lift gold from the tail boxes —in nine cases out of ten in perfect safety from capture ; and, if so unfortunate as to be caught, he would, be merely in danger of two months' food aad lodging, with a much less amount »»t work to do tlian if he were honestlv trying to make his own livelihood. A claim owner watching his claim, if he attempt to capture hid man, as one engaged in petty larceny, renders himself liable to be stabbed or shot-—in thf dark of night —his body being verv easily disposed of down a shaft. If he keeps his distance, and tries to capture by discharging his gun or revolver, he renders himself liable to be indiet.e<! for committing a felonious act, lor which he may receive two or three yearß imprisonment, with a caution from the Judge not to attempt to taku

the law int-» bis. own hands againWhile, perhaps, a subscription might lie started for the poor, fellow tickled in the stern with duek shot, against whoni_there was; no proof of stealing, hat merely a suspicion that, he wn? out rather late to be at any good. If the law —in practice so favoraM?? to the gold robber—is rightly interpreted, it is quite reasonable to request that it be amended. Tts present interpretation offers a premium to every ne'er-do-well or lazy fellow to become a, thief, it leads to a mutual suspicion, of each other among miners themselves, and necessitates' men who 'are heavily taxed—ostensibly for the expenses of government and police defending their own. property at considerable bodily risk- and the firing up of their night's rest to act as detectives.

If any man caught in a tail race at night, not able to account for himself, and where gold wrr proved to have been taken, r the boxes tampered with, were to receive not less than one year's hard labor and a fl->i*9rin'/, we should s on hear the laot of stealing, for the amounts of gold obtained would not justify the risk of detection I'ill some alteration ia made manifest the wholesale robberies at present, going on bid fair to bo perpetuated Our Mining Associations would do well to agitate an amendment in' the Criminal law. "