The Daily News TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16. EDUCATION: FREE AND OTHERWISE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81866, 16 October 1906, Page 2

The Daily News TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16. EDUCATION: FREE AND OTHERWISE.

HE enthusiastic report, cheering the •' ccess of free technical instruction » schools, put before Parliament the tl her day, seems to be a proof that anual and technical instruction s & ringing forth good results. It is q :cogni-ed in New Zealand that if we , ant to compete with other countries, ' it skill in all branches of work tust be equal to the skill,of other l luntries. The quality of manual ' ork in New Zealand unhappily is * iw, not because the New Zealand ' orkman is less skilled than the 1 :orkmen elsewhere, but because, *n he rush of the ''boss" for cash and ■ be rush of the worker for five ' 'clock, quality is less of a consideraion that quantity. Technical eduation for school children and techdcal instruction for those already en;agcd in earning their living may n ime help us to more careful work. * * * * ['HERE are a good many reasons why echnical instruction, however, ihould be considered less important han sound primary education. If rou cram the youthful mind with the ■dueational syllabus, and also, in adlition to this, teach him how tu do many things with his hands that he nay never have any necessity for in ifter life, you don't help him. You inly help the Education Department o spend money and report enthusiastically on the progress of the work. Stress, of course, is laid on the fact ;hai education, including technical sducation, is free in New Zealand. It certaintly is not always free, in the broadest sense of the term, for it occurs with humiliating frequency thai committees, keenly anxious for the welfare of the schools and the children who attend them, are put to pitiful expedients to raise cash for "free'' education. School concerts, bazaars, socials, dances, and various other money-raising devices are all absolutely necessary to ensure that scholars who are believed to revel in the advantages of "free'' education, shall receive it. It is pitiful also t» know that in the winter time in some schools we could name the fuel supply is short and not always the gift of the authorities. One does not hear of the coal supply in the greai Government offices in the big centres ever going short, or that messengers and others who sleep over the well-kept fires four or five hours out of eight are dismissed so that country children may have adequate fires to warm themselves to dry their clothes. * * * * THE facilities for getting school children to their schools are very often as bad as the roads that they are bound to traverse to get there; the school paddocks are devoid of feed for the children's horses, and parent" are obliged to spend sums on these matters that make "free'' education not inexpensive. The educational advantages in New Zealand are —on paper—most excellent, but it will be found, if one cares to examine the matter, that the chief advantages are for the children in centres of population, and are not diffused. Payment of teachers on the average attendance is sheer cruelty, and has 'he effect of curtailing the usefulness of the teacher and the instruction of his pupils. The reason why a country teacher, who has an infinitely worse time than a teacher in town of the same grade should be penalised because of his position, the meanness cf the authorities, the impecuniosiiy of education boards, and .the acctdeni that might put a worse man than himself m a betier position, is hate! to understand. We believe that the present Minister for Education is an eminently fair man, who will, if possible, wipe out many of the anomalies that exist. In the meantime, while the primary education of the children in the backblocks is in many cases carried out on the meanest scale, it is unreasonable to spend great sums on t'-chni-c tl instruction which will further impoverish country schools, make the task of many over-burdened teachers more heavy, and tax the children who have to struggle hard to get the few advantages that are grudgingly £!vcn. There is no subject within the range of colonial discussion so important as the rearing and teaching o{ children, no object onwhich money should be more fru'ly expended, and nothing thai is likely to give a better return. If the best technical education can be imparted without impoverishing primary education, by a'l means impart it, but while parents and school committees arc put to sore straits to supply cash for education that is "free,'' there is r<:a»on in curtailing expenditure in experimental channels. THE BLACK PERIL IN SOUTH AFRICA, hj, the course of an article on South Afiican problems, ,Sir \V. Butler, dealing with the natiycijuesiioii,says : —"Once for all, you may take it from me that the native in Natal and elsewhere has many and grievous causes and reasons for discontent, and that these causes are daily becoming more acute. You may also taki it as certain that there is a conMide)abiV rwr.'ion among the ■whitepopulation to whom .1 war with the natives would have many ailrartions. It seems as though South Africa must always have some particular form of crucifixion going on within its limits. ■'l'h" English protect us only to cat us,' wit* a saying common among the Kaffirs 40 years ago. A man and a magnate, but a man of rare perspicacity and a magnate of the widest experience said to me in Pretoria the words which I give below:—'There is trouble' ahead in South Africa with tiio. natives, to which the Boer war w.t child's play. 1 have known the native for nearly 40 years. At the present moment 1 empjoy some 3000 of them direct!-,-, and perhaps 30.1011 indirectly. 1 have alwavs got ' ..11 well with the natives. Men whom 1 employed 30 years ago still send their children and gtandc'iildrvn to w.ok for toe. Tin- war has been a bad lessnn tu the natives. It put .bought" into their heads such as lliev never knew liefote. It »;i, ;l [| thieving and cheating. Ten years , : , the outside will bring the crash.' i u.olc down the words immediately alur the cnnV rs iUi"n look place, anil I give ihcin now as the",' were written. 'What should !).. done?' I '\ "it should send out „ commission.' h- replied, -of „,.,„,. f, :U |- „',■- | ivt . j, (: ,.J men— not a commission in a hurry, bo. one thai would go through the land eo!„ny be colonv—seeing for :hem-elves the natives. Thru, when il.ey have done ihi-.. hi them meet ; , couple of representatives f r ,,m each colony, and let i|„. ni :| !| decide upon li>" native •'poll,l which should be . adi'ptr.l lor South Africa—a simple, jfil, aiv! fir in policy. Remember th ■ blacks arc moving rapidlv. They arc no 10ng..,- chi'dren. ami fast as litey have been moving during the in the corning de. ~de.' No man of English <r foreign race now iiviii"in South Africa litis had longer umore varied experience of the subcontinent than lie whore opinion is I'cic give,l.'

Local and general. i - —-j- - mi The Sydney-Vancouver despatch of 0 c lie fourtli September am veil in Lon- p 0 on on the morning of tlie 1-itu iiist. ),;, -The Auckland-San .Francisco lies- 0 f latch of the lltk September, arrived tu n London on the 14th mst. D< Tlie usual fortnightly meeting of the ° joyal Egmont Lodge, 1.0.0.1''., was p lold last evening. There wan fair " itlendance of members, and after cor- ( ' ■espondencc had been received and j a lcalt with, the Lodge adjourned for « t harmony. co The borough workmen made a start <" on -Monday with opening the main ™ sewer in Devon street, and mains will ln be laid in the section from Brougham street to Robe street. This section is already partially served by tlio sewer • laid from the Government buildings to the Huatoki stream, st At Pungarehu on Saturday evening, '1 a four-roomed house, belonging to and (• occupied by Mr William Cubbon, was a totally destroyed by lire. Mr and Mrs a Cubbon were away at Opunake at the a time of the fire, (he children alone being id the house. The lire spread very quickly, and little or no effects were saved. Mr Cubbon is a heavy loser. Over a social cup of coffee in the I Burlington Club rooms on Monday uight, Mr Poole, M.H.E., told the t temperance workers that the "friends" in various parts were very well pleased with the personnel of tho new Minis- ' try, and were of opinion that there had ' never been a Cabinet so favourable to ! the temperance party receiving fair play, A collision of a somewhat startling nature occurcd on the Frankley road, near tho Tannery, on Sunday evening, a hioh ended fatally for one of tho participants. A well-known gentleman was cycling into town when a hare dashed into the front wheel of his bicycle, and upset him. Ho luckily escaped with a few scratches and torn trousers, but from the hare the spark of life had fled, |and it graced the gentleman's dinner table yesterday. The Egmont Lodge, 1.0 G.T., held , its weekly session in the Queen street Hall on Monday evening. : Bro. J. C. Legg, C.T., presided. There was a , targe attendance of members. One . candidate was initiated. Bro. E. . Stokes, D.JD.G.C.T., held a Special ' District Session, and conferred the , District Degree upon eight members. r A strong committee was formed to - carry out the picnic on November i)tn. ■ The rest of the evening was pleasantly - tilled in with harmony. i Mr Cock scored on Monday off the i' frequency of charitable aid requests - from Inglewood, when he suggested 1 that the Chairman should ask "our t ,:oast and Waitaru friends" whether I they had any indigent poor in their ■ s districts. Tho representatives of those ' parts shook their heads: they knew of c none. Mr McDonald, who was praying for some assistance for au Ingle- ■ wood house-owner at the time, said " Inglewood's advancing, you know." lie is evidently of opinion that with . increasing wealth there must, of neeesa sity, be increase in poverty. c Nottingham has solved the dust nuisance to suck an extent that al- ", though hundreds of motor cars are ' taily driven through or about the city, they now speed along without the L ] suspicion of a dust-c loud in their trail. n The corporation lias found that calcium c chloride, dissolved in the water with c which the streets are sprinkled, keeps c he roads perpetually damp. One i- dressing every three or four weeks is •- quite enough, even in the hottest t- neather. The cost of keeping a road e free from dust by this method lor a 't year is about £6O. v A committee meeting of the Tara"i- naki Agricultural Society was held in ,e the Secretary's office last uight, The '■■ proposed supper to bo held on the ; s night of the lirst day of the show was y left with the Society's caterer (Mr 1! Thomson) to arrange. Tho lender of II tiie Miliary Baud to play on Thursday c ' afternoon was accepted, and Mr Whittle's tender tor the publican's booth was also accepted. Stewards for • r the various classes in each division t wore set up, and a large amount of routine work was put through. An j. extra class in the fat cattle section ». was included for best pen of 2 bullocks, jt any age. Twenty-four new members ii- were elected, a usual and very gratify[i- ing feature of the recent meetings of l- the Society. rs Mr A. C. Farrar, manager at the , n Old People's Home, reported to the u , Taranakr Hospital Board yesterday | v that in the month previous there had ,' L , been one admission to and one doa. panure from the home, leaving ; n , r the institution on Monday 31 males , v and 7 females. The general health [j and discipline were reported as good, ;r Before the Government arrived at the tt " decision to drop the Land Bill, a parv' iy of 15 members, mainly country members pledged to the freehold, apts proac-hed the Premier, and informed ,e Si.' Joseph that they were loyal to the 111 Government in all things except the r : Land Bill. At present they stated a ' they could not support tbe measure, and 1 hey desired to consult their constituents and explain the provisions I of the Bill to them.' Jt was also represented by a section that when they h had an opportunity to do this they r , would very probably be released from :: their pledges. 'i The Hon J. A. Miller, responding !tl 1.1 the toast of ''The Parliament" at '" the dinner given in connection with t ' 111-.' annual conference of the New \" Zealand Employers' Federation rc- '" ci'ntly, had a few words of impor1] lance to utter. He remarked that 10 in his place as Minister for Labour *' it was generally supposed that he and "" everything pertaining to that office s ' were deadly opposed to employers of labour. Such was not the case. s ' Many persons thought the colony had '_ enough of labour legislation. But "' it was to be remembered that condi- .'' lions were changing rapidly—day by '" day prncitically—and these dift'eren- '! ces wen- of such moment that it was '1 neces-ary tor parliament to lake its e place and hold the'scales, of justice " evenly balanced between tiic'work- '' ''rs on one side and the employers on 0 lb-' other. Any system of Goycrne nvnt control which made for tins rip- " pling "f capital or of the energies of " the employee meant a sort of enm■l mi.'ivml suicide. These remarks II were applauded. „ To no readers of the Otago Wila ness will the death of the late editor, ~ Mr William Fcmvick. be more rog cty ted than by "Den's Little Folks." [| I'oignaney will be added to their ■ s griet when they know that tbe great ■ secret is ;,t last revealed and that the \. kindly editor himself _ was "Dot." [y The following' touching message, , which explains itself, was penned bv { Mr Fenwick from bis deathbed:— ' "nb High street. Dnnedin, 10.J5 a.m.. ', September '.«- J'JuO. My Dear Little \. Folks—i am sorry iliiu ' ]k 'in ll -' "» s ,'. arrived wiieo. u," are [r;ced to mei-i ,- al the |)ari-'ing of the ways. Our n long ciinu ction through the medium ~ of Dot's !..:ile Folk Page has been ;, a:: exceedingly pleasant one, and I n feel ceiiam that the parting will give ( . you all !. ,s grief than it dt.es me. ~ Dur'ng ail the jo years that we have r b'en conn>ci('d with each other, theie v has never boon a discordant no'e bes iween yo,-, and myself, and the only ~ tlifferrnce dial any of you could have , wished iiv to make in our relations (• with each other would have been for ~ iim-_ 10 1,;,-.,, disclosed Dot's iden'ily. "j- This, as uui will now see, was out ~ of the (]t ; "stion, but it was difficult s for you to see i| prior 10 your getting ipv brief message Hitherto you h ilV e always been under the impression thai 1 here reab> was a personal Dot, and, indeed, who shall say that there is • not, for i\;t of the impersonal comcth the peisonal, and in His jrleat 1 wisdom c.ir all-seeing Creator may have seen it wise to grant a hearlfe't I desire of His little folk all over our 1 own little world to have a special Dot. That this may really be the case js the oina're wish of—Your friend, the t Editor (antlDot;.; 1 If you want your lurniture removud s caieftiky, expi'ditinsty and ec >iV micrtlly. emph v the Sew Zea'and Express I Company Ltd., who make a special ] feature of tins class of work, and who , aie alsu able to supply first-class dry storage/ accommodation.— Adyt. /

Jusincss circles in Wellington arj ich interested tit present in a movent which is afoot to raise the rate insurance on fire risks, says the st. Insurance men generally comic in the statement that the cutting rales which resulted on the :nstition of the State Fire Insurance 1 ipartment has not been productive 1 business which can in any way be . a/aided as sound, and it is 'ven 1 11 ted that the necessities of the sittion have (perhaps in only isola--1 cases) led to a certain amount of xity in the observance of the ariff" agreed upon by the various mpanies. Be that as it may, steps e being taken at the present moent by certain persons interested in surance to endeavour to bring about revision of the tariff in favour of e companies. So far the moveent has not progressed beyond its ritial stages, but developments are epected in a few days. It is undercod that the Minister in charge of ic State Fire Insurance Department rlon. A. Pitt) has been tentatively pproachtd in regard to the proposls, but that he has declined to have nylhing to do with the movement.