The Manawatu Times. SATURDAY, JANUARY 5, 1878.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 23, 5 January 1878, Page 2

The Manawatu Times. SATURDAY, JANUARY 5, 1878.

The Education Act of 1877 is now m force throughout this colony, and it behoves the public m this, as m every other locality, to acquaint themselves with its provisions. It would be difficult to overrate the importance of a measure that provides a national education, and the nublic would not be chargable with feeling too much were they to manifest the most intense solicitude as to the character of the system that is to mould the minds of the rising generation and determine the degree of mental culture to which, as a nation* we will attain. There is something, too, m the Act (m the compulsory and elective clauses) which fixes a legal responsibility upon, not merely the people : as a whole, but the individual, which he cannot shirk, and which he should, therefore, be informed of. As a national measure the Act is great m its conception, and it it due to the framers to credit them with yhaving Bteered wonderfully clear of the rocks that beset their course on either hand. The provisions are comprehensive and yet minute : they are sufficiently stringent to be effective, yet, at the yßame time, «. liberality pervades the whole which will prevent their acting oppressively. For instance, the Act places every parent, under an obligation to Have his child taught, yet provides so, adequately for disabling circumstances, that cases of individual hardship will b© almost unknown. The Education Department is to be placed under the control .of a Minister of Education, who will be appointed by the Governor.. „ The House will allow, by annual appropriation, £3 los for each child taught, and such other expenses as the Department will incur. The Qolony isdivided into twelve Education Districts, each of whichy comprises from two to twenty counties. The District of Wanganui contains the Counties of Patea, Wauganui, Eangitikei, and Manawatu. ' For every district there is to be an Education Board, consisting of nine members, who shall be supreme m the district. Every Education District may be subdivided into a number of School Districts, each of which shall be under the control of a School Committee. Each local or school committee will consist of seven householders, elected at a public meeting front residents within the School District. Upon the committees within one Education District will devolve the duty of electing the Board for that District, and the first election shall take place m this wise: m the present month (January) each of the Committees m the District shall transmit to the existing Board the names of two persons qualified to be members of the Board, and the Board shall thereupon publicly notify the names of such persons and state the day on which the election will take place, and shall transmit to each committee the names that they have received from all the committees within the District. On or before February 28th each Committee shall send to the secretary of the Board a written list containing the full names of not more, than nine of the persons whose names have been publicly notified as aforesaid. On the day fixed by the Board the Secretary shall 'ascertain what nine, persons so nominated have the greatest number of votes, and these shall be the members of the Board. The Board so elected shall take office on the 31st of March, and on the same date every year three of the Bu'inbers shall retire, but shall be eligible for, re-election. . The Board have rower to promote th£ formation of School Districts within the Education District, and fix the boundaries of such. They can appoint or remove officers and teachers, establish scholarships, and receive endowments. With the approval of the -and at tne instance of the local Committee the Poard my convert any Public School into a High -jSchopl m which, m addition to *the- ordinary < curriculum,

ancient classics, modern languages, and mathematics will be taught. Any locality may be erected into a School District by the Board, . either at the instance of ten local householders or at the Board's own discretion, and this „ia the method of procedure. The Board of theEducation District within which the locality is shall call a meeting of the householders within such locality to elect a committee and propose the boundaries for the approval of the Board. Every voter is entitled to as many votes as 'there are to be committeemen and may give all his votes to the seven or to a less number as he thinks fit. The Committee, having been elected, shall Belectone of their own members as chairman, whose term of office, like their own, shall expire annually. They may hold meetings at their own pleasure, establish one or more public and perform all the executive functions pertaining to their district, but subject m every case to the approval of the Board. They may also establish Savings Banks for the use of the children attending school. The school age is fixed between 5 and 15. The subjects of instruction are, reading, writing, arithmetic, English grammar, geography, history, elementary science and drawing, object lessons, vocal music, and, m the case of girls, needlework, and the principles of domestic economy. The learning of history is not compulsory, and the class books are to be approved of by the Governor m Council ; no fees are to be paid by pupils except m the district high schools. The compulsory clauses shall only come into torce m any school district upon the vote of a majority of the Committee of such district. They provide that the guardian of any child not less than seven nor more than thirteen years of age, shall, if th.c child live within two miles of the school, send such child to school for at least one half the period iireach year during which the school is open. The guardian may procure from the Committee a certificate of exemption on the ground that the, child is receiving efficient instruction otherwise, or is incapacitated by sickness, or that the road to school is impassible, or that the child is certified as having reached a prescribed standard of Education. A parent or guardian- failing m these conditions and disregarding the written notice of the Committee may be summoned before two justices of the Peace, and if their order is neglected such parent or guardiau shall be liable to a penalty, not exceeding forty shillings, and this fine may be repeated every week during which the order is neglected. ' It will be seen from this abstract that m its working the Act will be fairly representative of the popular will. In education as m politics, the people will have a powerful voice through" their elective functions. The Committees are to be elected bythepeople, the Boards by the Committees, and above the Boards is the nominated Minister Thus, on one side of the excutive body are the people and on the other side the crown and these two will each exercise a distinct influence upon the conduct, of education, within the Colony. The Committees will furnish an annual report to the Boards, the Boards to the Minister and the Minister to Parliament. The educational system will, therefore, be constantly sifted, and if there be any serious defect it will be speedily made apparent and rectified. It now remains for the School District Committees to be elected at' such time and places as the existing Board may determine. This being done, it will be for each of these Committees to transmit to the Board during the present month the names of two persons eligible to serve 'on the new Board for the newly defined Education District.. Mr Dalrymple has done good service to this district as a member of the present Board, and as it is understood that he is not unwilling to serve as a member of the new District Board, his name will doubtless appear m all the missives sent from this part of ihe District^ We are not m a position to suggest other names, for it may happen that some persons who are eligible may not be willing, and the Act stipulates for the previous assent of the nominee being obtained. However, as a great deal depends on having a well constituted Board, we doubt not that the various Committees will name none but men of proved experience to preside over this large and important district, and to insure the Manawatu portion of the District being fairly represented on the Board we urge the advisability of united action on. the part of tne Manawatu Committees. Unless they agree to nominate the same two candidates they might almost as well not nominate any for their nomi-

nees will not be likely to find place on the Board.

The Pahnerston Borough Council at its last meeting resolved to borrow the sum of £10,000, to : be expended upon public works and offices; This is, no doubt, a step m the right direction, and it now rests with the ratepayers, at a public meeting to say whether they will authorise the borrowing of this or any amount for tfce purposes set forth m the schedule now advertised. We are far from saying that there is always wisdom displayed by young communities m borrowing sums which may ultimately act as a drag on their; best intentions for an indefinite period; but m this instance money borrowed for necessary works, which, when complete, will add largely to the value of Borough property, and increase tho' revenue, besides improving the appearance of the town, must of a necessity m the end prove a gain to the entire district. Such being the case, it is most probable that the ratepayers will, when called upon, give their ready sanction, to the scheme' set on foot by the Council. We wish to point out one error that the public m their zeal for improvements may ' be led into : that is, a hurried expenditure of the amount borrowed. If we raise, by way of a loan, £10,000, can we at; the present time expend tlfat amount profitably and without running the risk of being accused of extravagance, and, perhaps, waste of public money ? We think not. We would rather advocate the authority to arrange for the whole df the proposed amount, but instead of expending it m a hurried manner— which oneaus, m a short time — that the time laid down for the total expenditure should be at least five years. By adopting^ this course it will be shewnto the public that the intention is to permanently benefit the town, instead of, -as some may suppose, to jump after money m order to obtain a temporary benefit, which may m the end prove a loss instead of a gain, and hasten what is always to be dreaded — a financial crisis. If the time for the expenditure extends over, say,>five years, it will undoubtedly lead us to a certain measure of prosperity, and act as a powerful lever m promoting settlement m this portion of the district. Many will be attracted hither by. the fact that for the .next five years there will be an annual expenditure of at least £2,000 on public works within the Borough;' This 'sum alone will give constant employment to. a considerable number, and we Jtnink this should be a strong argument for both^ouiicillbrs and ratepayers .whUe..deUberatiqg lover the expenditure of th> i pfoposedyfloaia, -We do not make the above remarks -from any hostile feelings towards the, views of the Council, but simply with the view of putting the matter plainly before the .ratepayers prior to the public meeting. : Wet have every confidence m the Cbuntdl,.and£fully believe that what they now advocate is looked upon as beneficial to the interests of the Borough as a whole.