THE PATEA MAIL. Published Wednesdays and Saturdays, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23, 1875.

Patea Mail, Volume 1, Issue 21, 23 June 1875, Page 2

THE PATEA MAIL. Published Wednesdays and Saturdays, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23, 1875.

The Educational machinery of this Province stands in need of amendment, and as the Council is now sitting, we trust the members representing this, and adjoining districts, will see their way clear to bring about, without delay, the required change. The machinery is lar too complex at present for the very small amount of real work it is called upon to perform, and the sy stem of local committees having no useful functions or powers, needs abolishing, and a more intelligent arrangement substituted therefor. At present the local committee possesses no good or useful functions, as the Board usurps all the powers, and has no need of the fifth wheel to its machinery. With only two schools to furnish the means ior supplying the children living in so large a district as this, it does seem absurd to us that so much administrative machinery should bo required to carry them on. Wc should like to see more schools and fewer committees. All that is required to ensure the proper conduct ot the ■schools is a Board, whose members shall represent the different school districts in the Province, whose members being elected by the people would, from their local knowledge, be in a position to efficiently preside over the administration of our educational laws, and see that the requirements of their several districts were duly attended to. The system of local committees has been always found, when tired, inefficient and vexatious, and we do not think the exception exists hero, as even the members of our own local Committee are unanimous in their opinion of its uselessness. That so large and thickly populated a tract of country as that stretching' from Ketcmarae to Patea, should only possess two schools, is the best evidence that the educational machinery of the Province is out of gear, and wants im-

proving. The bettor way would be to remodel the constitution of the Board itself, by dividing the Province into so many separate educational districts or wards, each returning their own representatives ; by such an amendment the educational machinery of the Province would be found to work more smoothly and with better results. The wants of contiguous settlements like Ketcmarae and Waihi and Manutahi, and Kakaramra could perhaps be best, served by the establishment of half-time schools by which method the Education Board of the -Province of Wellington is providing for the educational requirements of its scattered settlements, many of which could not afford to support a full time school, but arc glad at present to accept the half loaf rather than see thoir children go without the bread of knowledge altogether. We trust the present session of our Provincial Council will not bo allowed to close without tins pressing want being efficiently legislated for, as the case is one of urgent necessity, and should not be any longer neglected. [Since the above was in type, we arc pleased to learn that Mr Peacock lias moved in the matter, and after an amendment by Major Brown, the motion was further adjourned. A full report will appear in our next.]

Major Brown’s want-of-confidence motion met with a signal defeat on Monday last, having been lost by 4 against 10. The division-list shows that one of our members voted against the Government, and who, wc regret tosay, has been blind enough to allow himself toliave been made apuppetof in the hands of the major. This fact has been strikingly' manifested by bis injudicious alliance with a party of thirsty office-seekers. The attitude taken up by the major in no way surprised us, as it was well known that there were old standing grievances remaining unsatisfied between himself and

the Provincial Secretary which had no hearing whatever upon that goth i*.man’s administration, but wc were surprised to loam that Mr Sherwood should have disserted the ranks of his comrades to gratify the whim of a gentleman who appears to possess no superior qualification for the office he anxiously sighs to till.

The success whicli attended Mr McGuire’s motion for a commencement of a section of the Waitara-Wangtumi Railway, in the Patea district, cannot be other than highly satisfactory to that gentleman and his constituents. We were exceedingly gratified to learn the unanimity of opinion which appeared to prevail among the various members who supported Mr McGuire’s motion, and this added to the certain support which the question is likely to receive from the members of the House of Representatives of Taranaki Province, backed up with the strong expression of opinion elicited at the various meetings held by Mr Sherwood, should command the favourable attention of lire General Assembly. We regret pressure of space prevents ns further alluding to the subject in this issue.