South Canterbury Times. MONDAY, MAY 9, 1881.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2537, 9 May 1881, Page 2

South Canterbury Times. MONDAY, MAY 9, 1881.

By the last mail from the North we are in receipt of a full report of Sir George Grey’s address to his constituents, It is undoubtedly the worst speech he lias delivered since his advent into Parliamentary life in this colony. The only hit he made in his speech was allusion to the businesslike manner in which an elector questioned the Colonial Treasurer about not obtaining sufficient money for the district, and the Major’s protestations that he had worked as hard as man could work to get the utmost fraction for the Patea. Most people are strongly of opinion that the Colonial Treasurer has been immensely successful in procuring for his electorate a heavy expenditure of public money, and bitter have been the remarks made on the subject both in and out of Parliament. The fact of the matter is, Egmont is the most greedy constituency in the colony. Hundreds of thousands of pounds have been lavished on the district, but increase of appetite has grown by what it fed on. Every year Major Atkinson receives the customary baiting because he did not get more. The Colonial Treasurer is in a very unfortunate position. If he were rejected for Egmont it is questionable if he could obtain a seat for any other constituency. The district in which he has spent nearly all his colonial life is small, and, up to lately, much isolated. His local influence consequently does not extend beyond a single constituency. Though he is undoubtedly a politician of considerable ability, and our best financier, he has not a commanding position such as would secure him a seat outside his own neighborhood. When Nelson turned against Mr Stafford, Tiraaru received him with open arms, and stood by him till he severed his connection with colonial politics. In the exciting days of the Public Works expenditure, Sir Julius Vogel boasted that he had the pick of twenty constituencies. Major Atkinson must stick to Egmont if he is to continue his parliamentary career, except his friends sent him to the Upper House ; but there his special talents would be of little use, and he is too a man to lead the “ Lords.” It was unkind of Sir George to allude to the dispute between the Colonial Treasurer and one of his constituents, a Mr Sherwood, who claimed for himself the credit of obtaining most of the money which had been expended in the district. It may be mentioned that Mi; Sherwood is ambitious of representing Egmont, and broke ground in the most effective way with the object of securing votes at the next election. The Major was not to be done out of his seat by such a transparent trick, and as he received a vote of confidence at the end of the meeting, we suppose that he succeeded in proving to his audience that it was through his efforts that vast sums had been expended in the Patea district. Major Atkinson however, admitted that Mr Sherwood did get a sum of £IO,OOO placed on the estimates, but then it was got in a rather discreditable way. Mr Atkinson thus relates a conversation between himself and Mr Sherwood :—“ We met one day and I said, ‘ Look here; your safest way to get it is to go and tell Grey that you are going to oppose me at the next election, if you can get this £IO,OOO. I feel sure you will get it.’ Mr Sherwood was very indignant, and said he should certainly not descend to such a thing. I do not know what took place. We do know that Mr Sherwood did oppose me and he got the £10,000.” Sir George Grey indignantly denied any knowledge of such a “ diabolical plot,” and asked the electors whether such an idea would enter any man’s head who did not well know that public money had been used to buy support. Sir George scored a strong point. Major, Atkinson was very foolish in repeating the advice he gave to Mr Sherwood. It is the duty of a Cabinet Minister to assume as much virtue as possible. When the Colonial Treasurer has an opportunity of replying to the insinuations of the Member for the Thames, he may state that, from his knowledge of the Grey Ministry, he advised the only means which he deemed would be successful in obtaining “justice for his constituents.” Who shall decide between the ex-Premier and Colonial Treasurer ?

A telegram has been received stating that the Government has intimated to the various Education Boards throughout the colony to the effect that after June 30 next capitation grants will not be paid to Boards on account of attendance of children under live years of age. We trust that this will not have the effect of excluding children under that age from schools. As the law at present stands it is optional with the Boards to admit children under the above age, but as capitation has hitherto been paid upon infant scholars there has ,r been no desire to exclude them. It is only in cases where there is overcrowding that the school doors have been closed against children of a tender age. Now that the capitation grant on account of such is to be stopped the matter assumes a different aspect. Infants cannot he taken care

of several hours during the day for nothing, and as the capitation allowance for all attending school is found to be none too ample for requirements it is scarcely likely that the Boards will allow the admission of “ dead heads ” to the public schools. Of course infant schools are in a large measure nurseries. In most of these schools large numbers of children may be found between three and four years of age. The youngsters are not sent to the school for educational purposes. It is with the object of keeping them out of the way of household work, and placing them where harm is not likely to befal them. This is a great boon to mothers of families who are unable to keep a servant, and, even in this land of plenty, the majority are in that unfavorable position. It is to be hoped that some arrangement may bo made by which children between four and five may be admitted. The payment of a small fee might be exacted, but then that would be in contravention of the Education Act, and no doubt a feeble howl would be raised that it was a violation of the principle of free education. The wonder is that the Ministry did not take the contemplated stop when making its sweeping reductions in the public expenditure. We sup J pose the reason Was that the Education generally were even more hard up than the Colonial Government. It is desirable to impress upon parents who Jiave children of a tender age attending public schools, that the action of the Government is not so harsh as appears at first sight. The Education Act does not provide for the teaching of children under five years of age.