The Daily News. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1904. THE SUPPLY OF SCHOOL TEACHERS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 287, 8 December 1904, Page 2

The Daily News. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1904. THE SUPPLY OF SCHOOL TEACHERS.

During the last five or six years there has been frequent complaint from all parts of the colony of the difficulty in obtaining male recruits for the ranks of the public school teachers. Quite recently the fact has been emphasised by the training college statistics discussed by the North Canterbury School Committees Association. These figures show that tho relative proportion of males to female students is about one to ten, and as there is a great disparity between these and the numbers of each sex demanded by the public needs, it is clear that unless some change speedily takes place New Zealand will find itself compelled to adopt the American system of relying chiefly on the work of women teachers. The causes of the dearth of male teachers are pretty obvious. In the first place the average boy looks forward with a longing beyond words to the time when he shall have done with school for ever. The confinement and the enforced study are distasteful to him, and the idea of tying himself to such a life throughout his years of manhood is something against which his whole youthful nature revolts. Indeed, it may safely be said that, except ander parental or other constraint, not one boy in a hundred would choose to become a schoolmaster. It depends then largely on the considerations which appeal to his parents whether a boy begins a career of whose possibilities and difficulties he can know nothing. In many cases the constraint exercised by his parents is due to the influence of his schoolmaster, but in some instances at least such influence is conscientiously used in a contrarydirection. Thd feelings and cxporience of a schoolmaster are often of such a kind that he would lie tho last to recommend any promising youth to take up a vocation which he knows will confine his energies and opportunities within very narrow and unprofitable limits. It is but seldom we find well-to-do parents seeking 'to make schoolmasters of their sons, for the simple reason that they see better opportunities for them in other spheres of life. The course of study through which any New Zealand lad must go in order to attain possibilities of front rank in the scholastic profession extends to at least eleven years, and exacts not only progress in scholarship but continuous practical work as a teacher. Again there is the fact that his income increases but very slowly. The boy who begins with twenty or thirty pounds a year may, if he is lucky, find himself after ten years earning as much as £IBO, and even that paltry return often depending wholly on the goodwill of local committeemen, who may or may not choose to permit him to earn his living in peace. But not only are the wages of his work low, and the tenure of his office insecure, but there is no certainty that, after he has gone through his apprenticeship as a pupil teacher and college student, he will find any employment at all. He has to take his chance in a market for his labour, where all the competition is on one side. The State is the sole employer, and if the State does not immediately want him he must remain idle until it does, for no education board in the colony loads its terms of pupil-tcachership with a guarantee of future employment. But assuming that the young teacher is fortunate enough to have a fairly smooth career, he certainly has not a profitable one. With luck and labour he may one day win the headmastership of a city school, or even become an inspector, and the prize he has won will not yield either half the honour or hnll the remuneration which conies naturally to a third rate physician or solicitor. It may be ,• solace and comfort to him to know that he can write himself down Master of Arts, but it is much to be doubted whether his bunk account will ever reflect his honour to the full measure of his desires. On the other hand it may be said that the occupation of a public schoolmaster is one of comparatively short hours of la!b;our,and that it 'grants more holiday rest than any other vocation except that of a clergyman. Like that of the clergyman, too, it exacts from a man the living of a life which is continuously under public censorship, and must never be s'ubject of doubt. It exacts from a man the best that is in him l , und repays him neither in money nor full gratitude. A schoolmaster's chief reward lies in the consciousness of work well done, which only time can reveal to others in nil its worth. From the point of vievf of the public good it is doubtless a fact that Ihe aim of the State should be to secure the very best and 'brightest intellects for the work of educating its future citizens. But ideal conditions are always limited by the question of practicability. It is financially impossible to increase our expenditure on education to any such extent as would cause the office of a public school teacher to be regarded as a professional prize. The best that can be done is to pay such a mini|mum; wage to certificated male teachers as will afford them a fairly comfortable living, and to ensure those who successfully pass through their apprenticeship certainty of employment during efficiency and good behaviour, with a retiring allowance sufficient for the moderate wants of old age. In as far as the present conditions of employment fall short of this practicable minimum they are defective and should be amended at least to the extent suggested.

) SI'IUTRIUN RAILWAY FACILI- , TIES.

The movement which is now being strenuously taken up at Fitzroy for obtaining a railway station at thnt township is the natural outcome of the growth ami prosperity of the borough of -\\'\v Plymouth, and a reflex of that action which has marked the expansion of all the large centres in the colony. In these days means of rapid transit ;ice an essen- i itial to the welfare of the conrnmn- ] ;ity, and it behoves the adiiiinistraI tors (ii the railway service to be enterprising in catering for the re- ,' q.uirements of the public. There is nothing which so conspicuously attests the importance of a town or city as the extent and churauter of its suburbs. New Plymouth is particularly fortunate in this respect, ami has on three sides of its boundaries suburbs that any city might well be proud of. The time lias now arrived: when the question of railway facilities for the, dwellers in these rapidly increasing districts is becoming) one of urgency. It is not surprising, therefore, that the residents of Fitzroy are keenly striving to induce the Railway Department to acknowledge the natural trend of events by providing a station near the centre of that township. At pre- i sent theyj must either journey to Smart Road or to town-—a choice of evils that has no redeeming feature. When; Smart Road station was opened there were but few residents either in Fitzroy or in the vicinity of the station. Since then, however, great changes have taken place, and while the travelling public near to Smart Rood have remained almost at zero, those in Fitzroy have increased immensely. Moreover the present station is a source of danger to those frequenting it, the platform being on the wrong side of the line, whereas the site available, for a station at Fitzroy is admittedly an ideal one, there being three good approaches, and ample room 'obtainable for all the accessories of goods and passenger traffic. Possibly an occasional passenger, from Smart Road, might have to walk to the township when the station is removed thither, but the balance of convenience is so strongly in favour of the majority that it would be contrary to all principle for the minority (and that a small one) to impede the march of progress by objecting to the proposal now advocated. Bosides this there is the prospect of a convenient suburban service in the near future, and this of itself should outweigh all minor matters. With a station at Fitzroy as a first instalment of railway facilities for greater New Plymouth the other suburbs may take heart that their requirements in this direct lion will 'be met at no distant date. We hope, therefore, that the meeting which is to be held at Fitzroy on Wednesday next will be united in rts aim, and that the object in viewwill be attained without delay.

CARNIVAL HOLIDAYS. We understand that a deputation waited on the Mayor, Mr R. Cock, on Wednesday, and requested that he should "declare" certain general holidays to be observed during the Christmas carnival. The impression appears to be, from what can be •gathered in a desultory manner, that the business people will all be etWiged to observe such day or days if ■"declared" or "proclaimed" by the Mayor, thus stopping the practice of a few who systematically keep open on days when the rest of the town tradesmen have agreed to close for any special occasion. Mr Cock in this case obtained time Ito consider his reply, in order t 0 ascertain the position under the Shops- and Offices Act, 190-1. A perusal of tile Statute, however, discloses no power for a local authority to "declare" such a holiday or holidays, and the sections referring to the observance of special holidays do not in any case, it would seem, provide the means for attaining the end really desired. We give the section and its subsections :

16. The following provisions shall apply with respect to the following Special days—that is to say, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Labour Day, tho birthday of the reigning Sovereign, a»d any day which, pursuant to proclamation of the Governor, or declaration by the Government, or on the request of tjie Mayor or chairman of a local authority, is generally observed as a public or half-holiday : (a.) Where any such special day falls on another day than the statutory closing day, it shall be deemed to be a sufficient compliance with the provisions of this act relating to the weekly •half-holiday if the occupier of a shop in the district duly complies with those requirements! on the special day in lieu of on the statutory closing day.

(b.) Where any such special day falls on a Sunday, then for all the purposes of this section the next succeeding Monday stall be deemed to be the special day in lieu of Sunday, and the provisions of this section shall be construed, accordingly.

(c.) Where any such' special day falls on a Sunday or Monday, the occupier of a shop that 'is usually closed for a half-holiday on Saturday may keep Ids shop open on the Saturday next preceding such special day, provided that he closes his shop at one o'clock in the afternoon on some other working day in the week.

Thus the Mayor, it is plain, has no power to "proclaim" or "declaim" holidays-those are tlie prdrogiatived of the Governor and the Government;-but the local authority may recommend special days for observance as holidays. Their total or partial observance, however is subject to tho popular will. There is nothing mandatory about it.

- ON THE FOURTH PAGE. Literature. Commercial. Hospital Board. Looking, Backwaiids.