South Canterbury Times. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1882.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2996, 2 November 1882, Page 2

South Canterbury Times. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1882.

Referring once more to the grievances of the railway employes, in the locomotive department, we regret exceedingly to see that :an influential journal, the “ Otago Daily Times,” has chosen to use its influence to crush the employes, and to justify, with needless intemperance of language proceeding from . extreme narrowness of sentiment, the action of the Department. The following kindly pas-; sage is suggestive : ! It will come to this by-and-bye, that all employes of the State will have to be deprived of their vote, and no longer be able to wield political influence against their employers to put money into their ow pockets.

This short passage alone,! sufficiently indicate the spirit iwhich 1 animates our contemporary, in ap-' preaching this subject. When we: commented on the question a few days ago we pointed out. how necessary it was, in a matter of this kind, to do so, with moderation and fairness, and we cannot bnt regret that the “ Times,” which leads an influential section of public opinion in Otago, should allow itself to become the violent partisan of a Department. We have at heart the interests of the employes, but we certainly should not think of backing them up in insubordination. We have already pointed out clearly certain points in which they are wrong. At the same time we indignantly protest against any section of the Press lending itself to crush them, or threatening them with'divers pains and penalties because they dare to ask for what they consider their due. They may be wrong in their contention. We do not say.they are not. But whether right or wrong is to be determined by careful examination. The action of the Petitions Committee in the matter gives color to the supposition that they have at least some right on their side. Pending a settlement, it is unseemly that any journal should take up the cudgels in an uncompromising manner, and that any journalist should by a few slashings of his pen contrive to place these men at a disadvantage in the eyes of the community. They are entitled to appear to just as much advantage before the bar of public

opinion as,the department has, and it is disgraceful (we can.call it nothing else) that anybody should strive tp ! weaken .pr prejudice the case. Really,'if a leading journal talks in, that strain, we shall begin to believe there are some grounds for the scorn with which unprejudiced onlookers speak of the morning papers of. the colony as “ corrupt.”

The situation in regard to the Timaru school remains unaltered. We have already commented upon it at some length and we have no intention of perpetually stirring up strife, or harping upon this unpleasant subject, but we cannot help remarking that to have permitted things to come to this pass is not creditable to the Committee or the Board, who both ought to have known all about it, and acted op their knowledge long ago. We offer no farther comment, upon the dismissal of the two principal teachers, but certainly the case of the two pupilteachers is a very hard one, for they are professionally extinguished at the very outset of their career by being dismissed on what appears to !us quite insufficient grounds. The only complaint made against them By their superior officer, was one which obght never to have been received, much less acted upon, since it lacked spontaneity and moderation. If the discipline of the school be defective it is not fair to expect pupil teachers to rise superior to surrounding influences, and to be models of obedience and industry. For tardiness in dealing with the affairs of this school, and for injustice towards the youngest members of its staff, the Board is most certainly to blame. ■ ■ ;

If the Government have any desire ito make tha “ Education Act ” serve its purpose, they must deal with Boards in a fair and business-like spirit. ; The Act has some serious .defects in con- - struction, which are only now beginning, .to appear, but these are excusable. One fault in the administration however, strikes us as utterly inexcusable and most prejudicial in its effect. We refer to the tardiness, the uncertainty, and the parsimony which characterise the Government in its financial dealings with Boards. This year* the course pursued is exceptionally unfair. It was bad enough that Boards should receive only a fractional part of the yearly sum required for building purposes in their respective districts, but, so long as they knew what they had to, expect, they had only one cause for complaint. When, however, to this parsimonious allocation is added an absolute refusal to indicate either when the amount allotted is to be' placed to the credit of a Board, or how much really is allotted, the affair begins to' wear a more serious aspect.' The position of the South Canterbury Board towards the population of its district, is now an uneviable one. 1 . ;It has committed grave errors ofjudgmerit.in the past; but it has,it must be admitted, always endeavored to dispense its building grant to the best advantage. Now, however, it finds itself, through unfair dealing on the part of the Government, unable to do anything for the new districts which are constantly springing up, or even to properly maintain existing schools. Unless Government will deal fairly it will shortly be found impossible to carry on business, and members of Boards will resign in :disgust.