South Canterbury Times, THURSDAY, MAY 13, 1880.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2232, 13 May 1880, Page 2

South Canterbury Times, THURSDAY, MAY 13, 1880.

The lengthy, elaborate, but undoubtedly indiscreet speecli which was delivered the other day at the Normal School, in Wellington, by His Excellency Sir Hercules Robinson, is not likely to add to his prestige or popularity. It is one of those speeches that, from the lips of a political firebrand, might be appropriate enough, but by the Governor of a British.colony should have been left.unsaid. In commenting, as he has done, on the national system of education that has been introduced in this colony, His Excellency has travelled out of the ordinary "groove which vice-royalty is supposed to follow.. From an umpire, ho has taken up the position of a par-tisanf-a position which. the Governor, of j a colony is supposed never to assume. | Had His confined his rc-i

marks to the general question of educa-j tion, ho might surely have discovered! ample scope for his intellectual gifts and oratorical " powers, and he might,* if so disposed, have’ succeeded in producing a pleasing; if not awe-inspiring, impression on the partially educated and easily influenced colonial mind. But in descending from a hpn-political to a strongly political attitude,: and constituting himself an authority- oh the ‘question of: state education, His Excellency, wo believe has wandered completely out of his province, : It was occasional vagaries of this description that militated against the success of his predecessor—the Marquis of Ndrmknby—and it is greatly to be deplored that the high reputation for ability and shrewdness possessed by Sir Hercules should thus early ho endangered, by an imitation of the failings which before his appointment to New Zealand so frequently compromised the harmony’' of our governing machinery. Regarded from any possible aspect the speech of His Excellency amounts L ‘ condemnation - o£ system of state education which has been approved of by our Legislature and is now carried out in New Zealand. The language is studied, the sentences are well-rounded, but although the rod is smooth it is

is none the less weighty. Stripped of - its superfluous padding, the .speech of the Governor of Zealand is a well conceived attack on the chief principles of our education system. Had it emanated from one of the chief antagonists of free and secular education it could not have ! bcen better conceived. What renders it the more dangerous at this juncture, is the fact that certain members of the Ministry are known to be opposed to tho present system and have pledged their opposition to thoir political supporters. Since tho present Education Act came into force, it has been secretly and persistently attacked, and only last session it had an extremely narrow escape from being emasculated by the introduction of the denominational wedge. It: may

seem an anomaly, but it is nevertheless a fact, that our state schools have far more to fear from' the'influence of re Jigious intoloration and bigotry than from anything else. Tho secular principle is the backbone of our system, and it is this invaluable and vital principle —a principle that preserves tho youthful mind free from dogmatic error and slavish superstition—that the enemies of education and enlightenment assail. These enemies are numerous, powerful, and unscrupulous, and,, unfortunately, theyjare-not confined to any particular creed. . I

That the Governor of Now Zealand, at a critical juncture when the balance of parties for and against strictly secular education is so oven in our legislature, and when strenuous efforts arc being made by certain denominations to destroy the peculiar principle in our system, should lend his influence as a partisan is deeply to be regretted. Wot that we believe his influence will have any great weight, outside the walls of parliament; for we imagine it will have the effect of binding the friends of genuine state education more closely than ever. But there, is, no doubt, that the speech of His Excellency will give strength to the enemies of secular education in Parliament, and it is just possible that it may have the effect of temporarily turning the tables on the men who have fought so well and successfully, for the present system. It would be a matter for profound sorrow, if the battle of secularism with all its bitter surroundings, should have to be fought over again. Our schools have been released from the thraldom of denoininationalism and the children of New Zealand can drink from the same fountain of knowledge. All the cant that can be uttered about morality must not be allowed to disturb this grand reservoir. Wc hope that this speech of Ilis Excellency will be weighed at its true worth, and if so, it will certainly be regarded as the unguarded utterances of a lofty but not very wise authority.

If proper attention was only devoted to the developement of our coalfields, the intelligence to hand that a coal famine rages in Melbourne, ought to be welcome news for New Zealand. Unfortunately the coalfields of this island are neglected. We do.,not say that they" are absolutely and completely neglected, but they arc neglected so far as the establishment ot an intercolonial trade is concerned. The weakpoinfcof the Australasian colonies and particularly of New Zealand, is the shipping. We have copied many things belonging to the Mother Country, but as regards the cultivation of a merchant navy, wc are a long way behind. Groat Britain owes her proud and pre-eminent mercantile position to

her splendid fleet. Xr 'these colonies, however, wo have scarcely even the skeleton of an intercolonial fleet. It is true, wo have a few fast sailing, well equipped steamers, which enjoy the monopoly of the mail and passenger trade and carry things with a high hand. : But as regards facilities for the interchange of products, the colonics in these latitudes arc a century behind their time. Victoria with her numerous infant factories growing stronger every day is at the mercy of a, solitary coalfield. The miners of Newcastle know this,

and hence they rule their employers. They are simply the masters of the situation, exacting from time to time the terms they may be pleased to dictate. ,Thoro is no danger of competition with other coalfields for the simple reason that no pains, is taken to develop them. That Melbourne, common with the other manufacturing cities of Australia, should be placed completely at the mercy of a single coalfield like Newcastle for fuel, is, we

submit, a grave reflection on our enterprise. Hero wo hare an island, apparently as rich as Groat Britain in coal deposits. We have also a huge unemployed population, crying for labour; willing to sell their toil for (he hare necessaries of life. The West Coast teems with coal of the: finestquality for domestic, gasraaking, or manufacturing purposes. Yet the scams

are lying dormant and any vigorous efforts that have been made to work them have resulted generally in failure, This is surely discreditable. There should certainly be a bettor interchange of' commodities. There arc plenty of articles of barter—articles that the warm climate of Australia can afford to exchange in return for tho products of our mines. What we need is reasonable freights.; This can ho brought about by an improved mercantile fleet. Millions have been spent by this colony in the production of railways and some of the money has been spent very foolishly. We submit, that having done so much for transit by land a little attention might now be devoted to the cheaper and. much, surer highway. Sonic

of tho money that has to bo spent to keep the laborer from starvation in prosecuting railway and roadworks that arc not needed at present, might very easily bo employed in the better dcvclopomcnt of an intercolonial mercantile trade. W"e do not say that it is the duty of the State to interfere with private enterprise, but we maintain that the Govern4. i,„„ n to assist small capitalists in developing a labour neia wzuuu the golden key of the Colonial Treasury alone can properly open. We submit that the money now spent in maintaining tho Hinemoa and Stella, on their wandering and usually resultlcss expeditions might bo far more judiciously applied in tho employment of coal ships specially fitted for trading with the adjacent colonics. It only wants a, commencement to _ bo made — such a commencement as it is within the powers of the Government by furnishing a few of these vessels to make —and we have no doubt private will speedily open up these huge coalfields, whoso developement must ultimately settle the West Coast with a numerous and prosperous population.