THE OTAKI MAIL. Published on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1920. EDITORIAL NOTES.

Otaki Mail, Volume XXVIII, 19 November 1920, Page 2

THE OTAKI MAIL. Published on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1920. EDITORIAL NOTES.

Anomalies in Education System. For years past our education rystent in New Zealand has laboured under regulations which impose a mo.-t ucfair handicap to teachers and school committees, and. of course, generally prejudicially affect the whole system. One of these, which has been protested against by education boards, school teachers, and many others is the pernicious system under which the school staffs are based on the attendance. Under norma! conditions this scheme may work fairly well, but in times o: epidemics much injustice is done to the schools and the .staffs. An instance is furnished by our' local .State school. For many weeks past the attendance has been only about half the usual average, owing to the prevalence of sickness. If this state of affairs continues much longer the school will he disrated, and will lose a teacher, and when attendance is back at normal the teaching staff will have to work at high pressure under-staffed for some considerable time before the es>.ra teacher can be reinstated. This is most unfair to everyone concerned — the children themselves and the teachers. Surely it is only a reasonable thing to provide that epidemics such as that being experienced throughout this district at thy present time, should not affect the school staffing. Such visitations arc not the fault of anyone, and it is moist unreasonable that the. disastrous effect should be accentuated as is done under present conditions. Another effect of the diminished attendance caused by epidemics is to reduce the capitation pain the - school committee.?.. As pointed out by Mr E. P. Eiskwonh at the Wellington Education 1 Board’s meeting on Wednesday, whether a school has a foil attendance or not. it requires just as thorough a cleaning,

and other expenses go on as usual, yet, because of the falling-off in attend- j anee, the capitation is curtailed, and 1 the school committees. in soiue in-'j stances have great difficulty in finding j money to do their work.properly. The' j. Education Board has decided to approach the Department on the matter, in the hope that the capitation regulations may be waived, and that the grant be decided on the average attendance of past years. Killing the Calves. It has been freely reported on several occasions of late that in the Waikato and Taranaki dairying districts young calves are being slaughtered wholesaled The “New Zealand Times” Palmerston North correspondent writes that the number of cullskins from the , Dannev.irke district ulpue awaiting the next sale is 10,000 skins, and about 1000 have gone to outside markets. The same sort of thin" is going on in our own district, while scarcely any calves are being reared. This wholesale destruction of calves must have a serious effect oil the live stock market in the near future, farmers declare that it does j not pay lo raise calves, with buttcr lat I at such a high figure as now obtains. 1 They say that to feed a call for live | or six months, graze it for another six ! months, and then sell it tit about thiee I or four pounds is anything but a payable proposition, and consequently tiie calves are killed. A continuance of | this policy must result in a great ! shortage of stock. Men who have I studied the markets well declare that ■ in a few years’ time dairy cows will ’ realise fully £lO each, and beef will I increase in price. There certainly i seems good reason for such views ; being held. Farmers who tire enterI prising enough to hold their young | stock should find it to their advantage, | as there is sure to be an increase in 1 prices in the near future. j erasing i On the Roads. ! It remains to be seen whether the I experiment at present being tried by the Otaki Town Board of licensing . | cows to graze on the town district ; roads during restricted hours will ' prove a success. Advocates oi the I scheme are well pleased with the ex- ’ | periment so far. They point out that j the license fees will bring in a few , pounds arid help to augment the I I Board's almost depleted funds, and | that the stock will keep the grass down during the summer months, when j long dry grass on roadsides is a source j of danger. On the other hand, liow- | ever, there are those wli,o find great i fault with the licensing of stock on roads. It is stated that wandering stock do a great amount of damage to j live hedges. If a gate is accidentally { left open, cows wander in and destroy ; the gardens, while the footpaths are I made filthy. This matter of grazing 1 on the roads is always a debatable point, but we have always been of the I opinion that in a town the evils ol I allowing stock on roads outweights ihe j j advantages claimed. However, the • present system should be given a , fair trial. AVe arc inclined to the I opinion that the experiment will not . ' prove a success, and that the roads t will be kept closed when the present , ,• license period expires.