EDUCATION DISTRICTS.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 November 1915, Page 4

EDUCATION DISTRICTS.

The visit of the' Minister of Education (Hon. 3. A. Hanan) to Hawera on Tuesday was made the occasion for voicing the views held by a number of representative men relative to the effect an alteration of the present education boundaries would have on the Hawera district if it were transferred from Wanganui to Taranaki. The main objection to such a transfer is evidently centred on the effect it may have on the farming community In. connection with the benefit which is being derived from the excellent work now being carried on by Mr. Brown, the agricultural instructor under the Wanganui Board. The farmers of the district are to be congratulated on the zeal displayed In the prosecution of this work of gaining expert knowledge in treating soils so as to obtain from their holdings the greatest possible results. It is most gratifying to find that the farming community are realising the possibilities of increased production as the outcome of scientific and practical knowledge, for the time is not far distant when it will be imperative that the old order must give place to the new, and haphazard methods be superseded by intensive cultivation If there were the slightest doubt that a transfer of the district to the Taranaki Board would in any way prejudicially affect the fanners in the transferred portion, then their arguments would be incontrovertible. There may be, as the views of the speakers indicated, considerable fear of the present good work being interfered with, but there is not a particle of danger. The Taranaki Board is just as keenly alive to the value of agricultural instruction by experts as is the Wanganui Board, and there is no reason why the continuity of the course of lessons need be broken or the valuable expert advice be not available. So much depends on the breadth of view and the spirit with which all changes are received. Unfortunately there is in general a want of adaptibility that frequently delays and injuriously affects the operation of most changes, especially if they are deemed of a hostile nature from a sentimental or parochial point of view. An evidence of this was afforded by one of those who expressed his views to the Minister. He said that if the expert were lost by a change of boundaries, farmers in the district would not have the same confidence in a new man, and that it would lake a new man seven or eight years to work up to the standard reached by the present expert. This was certainly a most flattering testimonial to Mr.

Brown, but we think tlmt gentleman would be one of the fir9t to disclaim the inference that Ee is the only white pebble on the beach. At the same time it did not seem to occur to the protestors that there would be no actual necessity for the district to be deprived of Mr. Brown's services. We take it that his heart is in his work, and that unless there is some special reason to the contrary he would just as soon serve the Taranaki Board in his present capacity as continue under the Wanganui Hoard, for it is quite certain that, with an enlarged area to administer, the Taranaki Board will need an additional agricultural instructor, so that if all parties are willing there need be no regrets and no danger of a relapse. One point is certain, however, and that is that the Taranaki Board may be relied on to carry out the work of agricultural instruction as thoroughly and efficiently as any other board in the Dominion. If there is any idea that the scholarship efficiency in the Wanganui district is superior to that in Taranaki, that is easily disposed of by the fact that Taranaki took second place, while Wanganui had to be content with eleventh, out of thirteen boards. The teachers will not in any way be handicapped, and it is quite possible that Hawera's desire for an agricultural college would be more likely to be realised 11 r the Taranaki Board than that of Wanganui, for there would be a greater community of interest. The time haß passed for viewing i changes in a parochial spirit. Surely it is far more politic to foster a healthy provincial spirit. The name and fame of Taranaki are sufficiently noteworthy to warrant taking a pride in it as a province, and if every district in this province was inspired with the desire to raise it to a still higher pinnacle of renown there would be engendered that fine spirit of co-operation which has proved so beneficial in adding to the wealth of the producers. This idea! should be fostered and materialised, and no prejudices be allowed to impede its success. • Taranaki would then become the most advanced, as well as the most prosperous province in New Zealand.