MOTUEKA.

Colonist, Volume IV, Issue 389, 16 July 1861, Page 2

MOTUEKA.

FSOM OUR OWN OOBBESPONDENT. LOCAL COMMITTEE OP EDUCATION.

On Friday, June 28, the following gentlemen were elected:—Rev. J. C. Bagshaw, Lieutenant Pocqcke, R.N., Messrs. A. L. G. Campbell, J. Robinson, Win. Andrews, James Rose, E. Fearon, Chas. Thorpe, and Win. Douglas. The previous arrangements of these gentlemen and their supporters, were admirably effected. Precisely at noon, hy their own standard of time, business commenced, and at five minutes past the above-named gentlemen were declared to have been duly elected, much to the disgust of very many ratepayers who, less punctual, had intended to have taken part in the proceedings of the meeting,—'delays are dangerous,' and so it seems thought these worthies,— despising, therefore, all former precedents of ten or twenty miautes grace ; and stimulated doubtless with visions of ignorant ratepayers near at hand, they lost no time in securing their positions for one more year, —much good may it do them. It is conduct like this that so materially tends to sever class from class, when gentlemen, with self-styled complacency, can be guilty of such paltry tricks for the sake of such brief authority; the lesson will not be neglected, anJ they may next year find themselves consigned to the oblivion of private retirement.

ROAD BOAKDS.

A very noisy meeting was that assembled on Monday, July Ist, to elect three members to fill the vacancies caused by the expiration of the term of office of Messrs. Wilkie, Parker, and Chamberlain. After sundry references to the Act, a Chairman was decided upon by the appointment of Mr. T. C. Howard to that honorable position. The candidates were, Messrs. Wilkie and Chamberlain (members of the late board), Thos. Atkins, E. Fearon, and Captain Wright. Captain Fearon first addressed the meeting in a speech replete with fulminations against the proceedings of the late board, for doing that which they ought not to have done, and leaving undone that which they onght to have done, and verily he believed they were a bad lot; he threatened any future board who should infringe the law, with the full measure of the legal terrors of an action at law: at which Chamberlain arid Wilkie, who were candidates, were observed to tremble, and were heard to complain of the cold; Parker grinned, and was glad he had declined taking a seat at the board; the ratepayers laughed, and took the matter as a joke.

Captain Wright next followed. Would that we could do justice to that gentleman's speech, by an extenso report; to its kind have we not listened since our days of Billingsgate experience. He abused the boards collectively, and each individually (his brother J. P. excepted), questioned Sutcliffe's right to be there at all—but, oh, upon poor Parker, were tho viala of his wrath more especially poured forth, in language culled from no choice vocabulary; but there's an end to all things, and ait last the speaker concluded. Mr. Parker next followed, in hia usual complacent style, which completely annihilated hi 3 opponents' attacks, by a very characteristic fiwt-second-third-and-fourth.

The show of hands being in favor of Messrs. Wilkie, Chamberlain, and Atkins, a poll was demanded, and closed as follows:—Atkins .32, Wilkie 28, Chamberlain 28, Fearon 6, Wright 4. The ratepayers thus evincing, by their re-elec-tion of the former members of the board, their lack of sympathy in the charges made by Captains Fearonjand Wright, and their entire confidence in the subjects of them.

To the Editor of the Colonist.

Sir, —Happening unfortunately to be in thia land of water, and being in attendance at the monthly court held at Spittal's, I should wish some of your anti-supperists to have had the same journey toperform as a good.number had to do on Wednesday last. Talk of the main trunk roads made in this district, so as to enable the Takakians to reach their port of entry, it is at present a noted fact that it takes a longer time to circumnavigate the mud which lies so profusely i.n the road than it would to run a craft from Wakatu to Waitapu. Should you take a lurch either on.onesideor the other, you are brought up in ordinary by a strong sensation of something sucking and holding your feet beneath the water; the average depth of the mud holes on this beautifully made road is, I am credibly told, not more than four feet, but in some instances the collected deposit is so tenacious as to swallow up hoots, stockings, &c.; now when the meal man, or the corn man, or the flour jnan takes so decided a stand averse to this district, I would recommend him to come over and try to collect some of that money he states he has so much trouble to get in; he will then, I think. forcibly experience the fact that though the Wairoa may require the small sum voted to enable him to; see the stones are doing their work properly, and that nothing detrimental be intermingled with the firsts, seconds or sharps, he would, I think, be man enough to say, 'Really I did not think theJTakaka had so many duck-ponds, it would be folly to recommend the working-men of that district should have the opportunity of making ducks and drakes of the money so much required by the Waimea. The sooner a committee of inquiry or one of a Select Provincial Vestry be sent over here to report the better, I would advise him to come well supplied with spatterdashes and a follower with a life buoy, so as to enable the practical enquirer, whoever he may be, to have some chance of saving hia Sunday shoon and bettermost Nelson tweed.

You will excuse me, but if something is not done quickly it will be impossible to mako headway along the interesting Main Trunk Line. Yours, &c, A Pedestrian and a Sufferer. Takaka, July 6,1861.

To the Editor of the Colonist.

Sib,—-Your paper of Tuesday last records the death of another settler, a victim to the excessive carelessness of our rulers. I feel justified in saying so, because all that might be done to obviate the danger of such occurrences is not done.

This accident, like almost all others of the sort, was occasioned by the want of a Bridge over a very dangerous river on a great highway.

I may be told that our funds do not enable us to build Bridges so as to ensure the safety of traveller in all directions; but, granting that, I ask, Where are the bridges that show an attention to the cure of the evil? I know of one only built with the intention of carrying horse traffic, and that, although very useful aa regards the locality, is not situated on any line of great communication, —I allude to a Bridge over the Slate River at Collingwood. Now, then, to prove the charge I have made, 1

call the attention of your readers to the fact that a sum of £400 sterling has just been voted by the Provincial Council for the purpose of maintaining three useless animals, whereas that sum would build a Bridge over one of the many very .dangerous rivers at present a trap to the destruction of human life.

£400, if rightly applied, would build : a Horse Bridge—one ildge in some situations, andjtwo in others not so wide—it would build from four to six foot-bridges, where pedestrians have now to wade through at all times to their great discomfort, and frequently at the risk of their lives. I call the attention of the electors and people of the province to these facts, that you may judge of the qualifications of those you invest with the power to enact such reckless abomination. What odds how many lives are sacrificed out of ' the million,' so that a would-be aristocrat may have a stag to play with.

Good people all, Would you rather hare Stags or Bridges?

Yours, &c,

W. LONG WREY.

To the Editor of theColonitt.

Sir—On looking over your last Tuesday's paper, my attention was attracted by an article, copied from the News of the - World— headed, ' Educational Quackery and its Consequences.' The perusal of that heading, at once suggested to my mind the rumbling thunder and the heavy clouds, betokening the coming storm. Clouds, however, oftentimes disperse and leave the sky clearer and brighter by contrast; in this instance they did not, but continued to increase in density for the space of three days, until finally, on Friday last the storm burst in all its .fury on the devoted heads of ' Sunday School Teachers,' ' Country School Masters,'' Inspectors,' * Members of Local Committees,' and finally upon a 'befooled people.* Well, I am one of those poor country schoolmasters, at present suffering under the withering effects of this storm; and yet, right glad am I to that one at least of our number has escaped shipwreck, and is now sailing with a fair wind, and flying colors, safely into port. Let us hope, that as one righteous man may be the salvation of a city, so this one good schoolmaster may be the means of redeeming our 'Educational Scheme* from the destruction which the writer in your last Friday's paper dooms it. I have no desire to engage in a newspaper controversy—l possess not the pen of a ready writer • but having been accustomed to the teaching and training of youth for ten years at home, and now for five years in the colony, my heart is in the cause, and I cannot refrain from answering, I hope in a manly and friendly spirit, the writer who states,' that there is in our schools, a fatal neglect of the poorest and commonest regulations now in use in village schools in England.' ■

The writer commences with Sunday Schools, and implies thafc many of the teachers in those schools, young and old, though pious, zealous, and. disinterested^ have not the necessary education and experience for their work. Well, if they have the qualifications here mentioned, let us thank God for that; it is not all that is needed, I willingly grant, but far better is it that our Sunday School teachers should be deficient in talent or education, than in piety or principle. But the question is, what is the best course to pursue? The writer will not surely advocate the closing of Sunday Schools because the teachers are not always the right persons in the right places. The young people growing up around us need, I think, Christian instruction even more than the children at homo. In your Tuesday's paper, you state, 'that overgrown boya congregate in the streets on Sunday evenings for the purpose of mischief,' and I know right well there is the same spirit among some of our country lads. Yes, Sabbath education is needed; the constable or the policeman may bo called in, and do some good: but if we can only succeed in obtaining the assistance of the wisest and best among us to superintend and assist those now engaged in the work, the evil will be more effectually remedied. Let every Christian reader see to it, that he does his duty. The writer next ; takesj.some country rambles, and invites his readers to *fiote the doings.of some, appointed by the wisdom of a local committee, sanctioned by some careless inspector.' The meaning here, I suppose is, that some teacher ia appointed who is unfit for the appointment. Well, that may, or may not be the case—-I am not careful to answer in this matter; I simply wish to draw attention to the fact, that the writer, in tho excitement ot his feelings, appears to lose sight of fair play, that is, he lays the blame and responsibility of a bad choice on the Committee and Inspector, | while he refuses them any credit for the choice of the good Schoolmaster. He cannot seriously wish to charge any. committee with purposely and knowingly choosing an unfit person for the work; nor can he, after so severely criticising the effects of the voluntary Sunday School system, argue for a return of the old voluntary day school system. The fact if, under the best system, it is often easier to erect a good scholroom than to get a good master; let them (those who have a good one) use him well, and that will induce good ones to apply when wanted.

The writer next speaks of the 'machinery of education, which a certain Solomon calls wooden houses.' It is not difficult for any person, so disposed, to turn things into ridicule; however, I cannot help thinking that if this gentleman had been a teacher himself for the last three months, and knew what it was to be soaked to the skin twice or thrice a day in walking backwards and forwards to school—l say, under such circum-. stances, I think he would reckon a wooden house close to the school, a very useful piece of ma-, chinery.

.In the next paragraph, the writer half prophecies that the public will uome day severely tax the Inspector for neglect of duty; he next implies that he is supine and independent; and lastly, that the poor masters and scholars are left to do as they list: all this is terrible if true. I have now been under the Inspector four or five years, and am bound, from a spirit of fairness, to say that I hare never found him supine or independent in his official intercourse with me. | The children have always looked forward to his coming with pleasure, and I - consider that his coming has always stirred both myself and my scholars up, and has done good. His visits to my school have been made quarterly; the visits of my Inspector at home — Tufnell, Esq., were made about every nine months. Once in three months is, I think, quite often enough; an Inspector comes, to examine and not to teach, and should those examinations be made too frequently, they would lose their effect. And as to the charge of the masters being left to do as they list,-—is it so, can it be so, when nine able-bodied men are chostn yearly to look after one teacher, and when thirty or forty parents have, individually, full right to praise^ or blame. Indeed, a colonial schoolmaster has no sinecure—has no chance to be idle, even if his conscience or manhood allowed him to be so ; his scholars are too energetic, too full of passion, feeling, and self-will—-yes, and generally speakin?, too full of intelligence to allow him to sleep at his post.

The writer spealcg of «miserable repcrtsjand such paltry trifles as attendance, &c.' Such a style of criticisim I don't think right. Criticism, to be effectual, must be based upon justice and fairness of spirit; the article criticised must °be fairly examined, the faults shown, and, above all, something better put in its place. Punctuality and regularity of attendance, I do not think trifles: I look at them in connection with schools a 9 very important, and so I expect would the writer if he. employed a number of men, and paid them by the, day. In conclusion, I would suggest two things, as likely to be beneficial to the cause of. education, amongst us: first, a yearly meeting of the Schoolmasters, Inspectors, and friends of Education; and second, that every schoolmaster should have an opportunity once a year of visiting the schools around.

Yours, &c,

A COUNTRY SCHOOLMASTER. Stoke, July 7,18G1.