Rangitikei Advocate. SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 1908 EDITORIAL NOTES.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIII, Issue 9124, 18 April 1908, Page 4

Rangitikei Advocate. SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 1908 EDITORIAL NOTES.

WHILE the Prime Minister of New Zealand (says the Loudon Investors’ Review of February 15th last) is exuberant,as usual, upon theSwoudorful prosperity of the colony, and is able to boast of a surplus of;ord inary revenue over ordinary expenditure for 1907 amounting to £1,500,000; to promise also net only the establishment of superannuation allowances for the employees of all local bodies, but au annuity system for the general public—on the “living by taking in each other’s washing’’ system, we suppose—ho is conatraiued, however, to admit that the population is short of ‘requirements. Whilst graciously pleased to intimate his opposition to indiscriminate .immigration, he \stiil recognises that the colony needs more people, and, in order to attract them, perhaps,*he thinks that the “monopoly’’ of market gardening, now held by Chinese residents in the colony—just fancy that! —should be brokeu down by employing married prison labour on Government lands in the vicinity of the four principal cities, half |of whose earnings should bo devoted to the support of their wives au;l families, and'half to meet the!chargos the prisoners themselves impose. There is more light ou the condition of the colony in that suggestion than in all the rest of Sir Joseph Ward’s discourse, so far as we get an inkling of its contents through the telegraph. But is not the new loan about to make its appearance? And why not repatriate the Chinese? Are the whites in that colony too well pensioned and too much loandosed to condescend to dig their own gardens?

NEW regulations have been gazetted with regard to'secoudary education. Under the old regulations the age limit for an applicant for a free place who had obtained a proficiency certificate was 14. The new regulating provide that a 'pupil shall be granted the right of a junior free place, if, being not over 15 years of age on the first of December preceding the date of his admission to such free place, he has obtained a certificate of proficiency. Another important point is that in the ordinary course the junior free place is tenable for two years, but under the new regulations it may be extended another year in case of special merit, or where a holder was under 13 years of age at the first of December preceding the date of admission, by application to the Department, and recommendation from the Principal of the school and the InspectorGeenral. Both these new regulations should considerably increase the attendance at secondary schools, and do away with considerable hardship that was'experienced under the old regime. Last year the Sixth Standard proficiency examination was made considerably more difficult than hitherto, with the result that many children of 14 years were unable to obtain a certificate. The addition of another year at the primary schools, however, would , considerably strengthen their position, and children who were worthy , of & free place would, at 15, be sure of securing the certificate. THE methods of the Conciliation Boai'd with regard to the Labourers’

dispute are of a somewhat curious description. The local bodies cited and many private employers rcfu-ed to appear on the ground that there, was no dispute existing, preferring that the matter should go direct to the Arbitration Court. The Board in order to justify its existence subpoenaed a number of employers to give evidence under compulsion. Such a method seems very unsatisfactory as there is no reason why the Board should have the right'to select witnesses in this manner. If witnesses can be compelled to give evidence the only fair course would bo to subpoena the whole"’ 1 "of the employers cited instead of choosing a few who may not be a fair sample of the whole.