THE Mount Ida Chronicle FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 1875.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 316, 19 March 1875, Page 2

THE Mount Ida Chronicle FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 1875.

It. is obvious that unless the revenue to be derived from Educational reserves increases in an equal proportion to the extension of primary education—which on the present scale will be rendered necessary owing to the influx of population—the scale must be modified, or recourse had to some other mode to raise supplemental revenue. It is a feeling of this sort that iaduced the Education Board to pat the Kaihiku Committee on the back when thiey requested the Board to countenance the initiation of a scheme whereby a small local assessment could be raised to meet liabilities accruing from time to time. The Board did more than pat the Committee on the back, for circulars have been sent to all Committees to draw them out publicly on the question of local rating. The views of every stanch Committeeman will be naturally enough to give his Committee pecuniary assistance by law, and thus relieve himself and his fellows from the task of raising money every year by subscription sufficient for school repairs and small requirements. It may betakenfor grantedthat all Committees will be unanimous for giving themselves more power—especially now that Caiholic Committeemen are rarely to be found acting, their own unaided schools needing all their attention. The. Provincial Council will be asked—ostensibly by the School Committees, but really by the Government—to impose an educational rate, or, what is worse, give each Committee power to d"j so, sufficient to cover liabilities incurred in excess of revenue. This, except in name, is nothing new v for every unit in the Province is already rated to the tune of about 9s. per head. If this money were helping in the least to make lads useful, —if it were assisting, or even leading up to a mastery of the mechanical trades, which must be the ultimate arbiters of New Zealand's position among her contemporaries,—there might be an ample apology for the compulsory taxation already in existence, but hardly for its increase. The very difficult task of dealing equitably with State aid to schools is not to be solved by the advocacy of impossible schemes that it is well known can never be tested—such as total abolition of aid—neither is :it to be solved by rivetting more firmly what is: only a defective and one-sided system, as the Kaihiku Committee desire,

The greatest ambition of those initiating manufacturing industries in Otago is to bring their wares to such a state of perfection as to be almost equal to British goods, or to be mistaken for them. This is not a position' New Zealand should take up. . It would not be difficult to prove that Great Britain has lost her European ' supremacy in nearly every branch of industry—from steel rails and steam engines to cotton and woolen fabrics. Eight years ago this was made evident in nearly every instance at the Paris exhibition of 1867, while ample allowance was made for the very general unrepresentation of British goods. Mr. Edward Huth, of Huddersfield, reported : lam sorry to say that, although, we may still be unsurpassed in many of our productions, we no longer hold that pre-eminence which was accorded to us in tlis Exhibition of 1851. . . . . I fear that the enormous strides that have of late been made by our continental rivals i" France, Belgium, Prussia, and Austria will make it daily more difficult for our woolen manufacturers cohold not only their former prominent position, but! even in many cases to maintain jher present one. . . T found my convictions entirely confirmed—that it is the want of industrial education in this country which prevents our manufacturers making that progress which other nations are making. From all I could see and learn I found both masters and foremen of olher countries much more scientifically educated than our own. This, however, is not all. The workmen themselves of other countries have a far superior education to ours, many of whom have none whatever. Their productions show clearly that there is not a machine working a machine but that brains sit at the loom, and intelligence stands at the spinning wheel.

Another"equally compct at witness reports :

It requires no skill to predict 'that,' unless •we adopt a system of technical education for our -workmen in this country, we shall soon not hold our own in cheapness of cost, as well as in excellence of quality, of our mechanical productions.

Mr. Scott Russell, reporting on behalf of biuiself and other English jurora at the Paris Exhibition, writes:

What-we do feel, and therefore frankly state, is that the progress of Prussia, Switzerland, "Pelginm, i ? ranee, and America has in the last sixteen years (since the first Exhibition of 1851) been remarkably greater than ours. Tbey seem to make progress in propo< tion to their excellence of educational training. . . . . : All these nation*

so- in ! r> exhibit growing skill and progress in prnuor ion to their excellence of educational tiwnincj they give to their manufacturing population.

It mt?y he ihonjjht that England munt

stand first, as she has always done; tlvkt-topr men arc n<>. 'able, are as industrious as ever, while- equally inventive. The "TCnglish workman of to-day and his contemporary in the time of the Siepbeusons ia a Very different- man—not in natural ability, but in the work lie has to do. Tiic policy of modern tmu's —especially in England and America —is-to arrive at the greatest possible finish, and to get the 'greatest possible amount of work from the workmen. To obtain both these the samu man is always kept at the same work. A man that makes a window frame does not make a door. A score at leapt of hands are required to make a watch, and half that cumber, a Jboot. This intense subdivision of labor reduces the hands to little better + ban -machmps, entirely dastroying, instead of drawing out. the inventive faculty, if it ever existed. This system, more than any other, requires the assistance of a sound industrial education among* the young. From the same source from which we have drawn qur previous quotations, we find that Canon. Nprris, one of the Government Inspectors of Schools, states :

. I must confess that my examination of the things sent from Austrian, French, and Prussian schools— compared in my own mind, not with what England sent (for we were not at all fairly represented), but with my own knowledge of what England might have sent—led me to believe that, while in the matter of primary education we were (to say the least) well abreast of those nations, yet, in the matter of higher instruction of all that tends to convert the mere workman into the artisan,, Austria, France, and Prussia were clearly passing us.

Ifthe heavy expenses incurred by the Province were even partially, if not wholly, directed to this matter of industrial education, work would be ennobled there would be less rushing after clerkships, and the life-long drudgery offered to our best young brains by the Civil Service, while the Province would reap a hundredfold in the rapid development that would be given during the next twenty years to manufacturing industries. .For the purpose of further extend ing primary education in Otago—which, to be just, is at present excellent of its kind—we object altogether to additional rating. Otago is. offered luxuries to repletion, while plain fare is scrupulously withheld.

The indifferent apathy shown by the General Government in the carrying ont of the Public Works in this district is as conspicuous as it is remarkable. It would, almost be thought that after all said and done as to the incompetency of Provincial Executives, the Otago Secretary for Works was capable of inspiring in Wellington unlimited confidence in himself. As it is, the real position of the works is most deplorable. ]S T o one is in effective charge, and,, apparently no. one is responsible. It would be the height of absurdity to suppose that Mr. Arthur (now in Victoria), who has nevtr seenthe works, can be responsible for them The Resident Engineer, appointed under Mr. Simpson, has shown complete ability from first to last in laying' out and supervising all work' done, but he has no power to proceed with colateral works that should be carried on to save further expense. He can only keep sending in report after report—and these reports are no doubt tabled, docketted, and filed till Mr. Arthur's holiday or business engagement is over. How little confidence is extended to a tried servant is manifested by a visit of inspection .these works received quite lately from a young officer, just arrived in the Colony, Mr. Browne's junior in the service, who never saw or heard of such works in; his life, and mu.;t be quite incompetent to judge either his senior Engineer or the works under his control. The delays that have occurred in the completion of the contracts—- alio wing for every thing—are a remarkable proof of the incapacity of the Dunedin Public Y/orks Office It is no secret that the Secretary of Works does not believe in the success of the water scheme, and it Would appear that if apathy, bungling, and delay can do so, apathy, bungling, and delay shall not be wanting to prove himself a prophet. What matter though the prophet be Jonah if the prophecy be true. Whether the water works scheme was a wise one or not is not now a debateable question. The policy of. every, true servai.t of the Colony should be to carry out, to the best of his ability, a Colonial work once entered upon." What, however, do we find ? Water will be available for delivery in Naseby in a few weeks, yet no inquiry is made how this water is to be utilised. The money available for the Channel will .not bring-it Vitib-'. in ncfarly two miles of Naseby! Then how is it to be connected with the Head Race ? Is there any enquiry about that? Time is a convenient solvent of difficulties, freely had recourse to in Dunedin. The G-eneral Government can hardly fail to be aware of two things, however. That there is great Joss of money in interest on the outlay already incu-red which will continue without the slightest return of revenue until the works are completed—and that the miners are rapidly being driven out of the district sickened by hope deferred, and almost starred-out by -special, taxation, imposed for the sole benefit of Provincial revenue.

It vp-ould bo a wise policy—though we can hardly hope to ace it initiated—to appoint a; first-class officer to reside < n tho works—en trusted -with discretionary powers—till they are placed in a position to be remunerative, ai c! until a scheme of management is devised that will worlt.