PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume 1, Issue 10, 7 December 1872, Page 2

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

November 22. EDUCATIONAL BILL.

Mr. Lusk, in moving the second reading of this bill, said it was one which proposed to introduce alterations so fundamental to their character that he could not be surprised if they met with some opposition. The time, however, had arrived when some decided step should be taken in the matter of education. The Act which established the educational system in the province was one possessing good qualities, but it was wholly unworkable. Its defects were of two kinds. The provisions for public schools were of such a nature as to render those schools not self-supporting, while the rating clauses were of a very cumbrous nature. The condition of education in the province at the present time was calculated to arouse fears on the part of all friends of education and true progress. He then compared the state of education in the province to that in other provinces, and said the comparison placed Auckland at the bottom of the list. Notwithstanding the increase in the number of the schools throughout the province since 1867, they still did not educate more than 2,000 of the young people of the province. For two years they had been looking to the General Assembly for an Act which would meet their requirements and bring about a better state of things; but for two years they had been disappointed. Then they had to consider whether the General Assembly could pass a measure better suited to the province than they could themselves. Were they warranted, by what they saw of the nature of colonial legislation, in supposing that they could ? There were three principles contained in the bill: first, free education to all the children of the province in all matters secular; second, compulsory

education in all cases where it was possible without injustice ; third, to make provision for education by such means as should make the education system self-supporting, independent altogether of the state of the funds from time to time at the disposal of the Provincial and General Governments, and independent of the views which the Council might from time to time entertain of the educational requirements of the province, and as to what could be spared from other matters. With regard to taxation it was intended that it should be graduated so as to meet the various abilities of the different classes to pay the taxes. He then referred to the failure of the existing system in the country districts, which he said was owing to the disinclination of the people to contribute towards the education of their children, and he pointed out the great necessity there was in the town for compulsory education. No one would think for a moment of stopping the annual vote for education, and the question then arose as to the best means for raising the money, and devoting it to the purpose of education with the best prospect of success. Several nostrums had been enunciated, but the opinion of the Government was that the Council could not do better than accept the bill which they had prepared. At the least £7,000 was to be provided. They could not go on muddling as they had been for another year. They had to procure the money, and the question was, how were they to get it ? It had been suggested to take 5 per cent, off the the votes of the Council; that was to say, that they should make the unhappy employees in Government service pay for the education of the people. That was an admirable idea, and one that did infinite credit to the generosity of those individuals who conceived the idea, and who reminded him of the patriotic American who was willing to shed the last drop of his brother’s blood for his country. The household tax imposed by the bill was such as was imposed in Nelson and Wellington, and the same as was proposed to be imposed by the Educational Bill brought in by the General Government, with the difference that here the taxation was on a graduated scale. The bill provided that the instruction in the schools should be secular, and that no religious instruction should be given within the secular hours as appointed by the Board, but religious instruction was allowed within the schools outside the school hours, but was not to be compulsory. With regard to the revenue likely to be received under the Act, there were according to the last census 13,647 houses in the province. Of that number nearly 3,000 contained more than seven apartments, 5,000 contained less than seven and more than four, and the remainder contained four or less. Allowing for a decrease in the number since the census was taken of 1,656, that would still leave 12,000 taxable houses within the province. He anticipated, therefore, that the result of the household taxation would not be less than £B,OOO, and when to that was added the proceeds of the capitation allowance, which he estimated at between £2,000 and £3,000, the the amount would be between £IO,OOO and £12,000, which might be safely calculated upon. [The question was put. and agreed to, with one dissentient voice.—Ed.] We apologise to our readers for the encroachment a press of late advertisements has made on our columns, which will be obviated in future.