The Temuka Leader THURSDAY, AUGUST 30, 1888. EDUCATION.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1783, 30 August 1888, Page 2

The Temuka Leader THURSDAY, AUGUST 30, 1888. EDUCATION.

Theee was no question more strongly emphasised during the late elections than that reduction should be made in the cost of higher education, but that primary education should not be touched. The present Parliament has done exactly the opposite to this. Primary education has been, greatly reduced, but high schools and colleges have not lost one farthing by retrenchment. It is somewhat interesting to think this matter out. In days gone by large areas of land were set'aside for the purposes of higher education, but very little land was granted to primary education. Thus rich men in Parliament took good care to secure the means of educating the children of their own class by giving them an estate, while they left the children of the poor dependent on the whims and fancies of Parliament. They knew that if higher education remained dependent on the vote of Parliament, eventually the ■ people would refuse to pay for making doctors and lawyers of the children of wealthy men, and they were quite right. If the provisions made for higher education had to be paid now out of the consolidated revenue, it would without doubt have been lopped off, but the wealthy men in Parliament provided i for this by setting aside large reserves' for that purpose. Thus past'legislation made ample provision for teaching Latin and Greek to the children of the wealthy classes, while they left r next to nothing to teach A B C to the \ children of the poor. The result is that higher education still basks in the sunshine of glorious prosperity,, while on certain days, when many children cannot attend the common schools, they are shut up so to make a good working average attendance. But this is not all. A few reserves set apart for primary education are in existence, and the higher education

party do not seem satisfied until.they have secured these also. The present Minister of Education wanted an endowment of land not long since for a girls’ high school at Auckland, and now he is endeavoring to obtain a further endowment : for a school of design in Wellington. If he had taken these endowments from the vast estates set apart for higher education we should not complain, but he does not propose to do so. He proposes to take them from the very limited area set apart for primary education. Thus, not only is the present Minister trying to raise the school age, and to reduce the allowance to primary education in various ways, but he is also trying to rob it of its reserves. In this respect he is certainly acting contrary to the wishes of the people, and quite at variance with members’ electioneering pledges. The people are certainly in favor of devoting the revenues from education reserves to primary education, and of letting the wealthy classes pay for making doctors and lawvers of their sons, and masters of ait of their daughters. When the next election comes round this very

important matter will again be lost sight of in some other artful cry like retrenchment which will be raised; the will forget all about it, and thus the wrong will be perpetuated. This is all owing to the indifference of the people themselves. They hare been taxed to the eyes in every form to provide high school and college education for the chosen few, but as they persist in sending to Parliament only people who vote for these things they have themselves to blame.

THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. The session is drawing to a close, but we doubt whether there is a man in the colony who knows much about what has been done. The fact is that it is an almost barren session, although a very long one, for as fast as the Lower House passed measures the Upper House has thrown them out. Our very high-toned “ lords ” are much disgusted with the,present Government dh account of their honorarii having been reduced, and consequently they are making things as awkward as, possible for them. It is evident, judging from the high pranks the lords ” are playing now, that it is impossible to carry on the Government of the country unless. Ministers can exerpi.se some control over the Upper House.. Under existing circumstances that control can bp exercised only in one way—that is, by making new appointments to that chamber. This is the only ;.way of bringing the Legislative Councillors to their senses. The present Ministry proposed last year to abandon it. They proposed that the number of members of the Upper House should be fixed at half that of the Lower House, and that uo appointment should be made except wheu the roll of members became less than that. This would constitute the Legislative Council the most autocratic body under the sun. They would be responsible to no one, and no Govern; mmt could carry on the business of tha country under such conditions. When Sir George Grey became Premier in 1877 he found the great majority of the Council opposed to him, and he bad to make fresh appointments to enable him to carry on the Government., In the same way when Sir Robert Stout became Premier be was compelled to make fresh appointments, because the previous Ministries had filled up the Council with their own party. Sir Harry Atkinson feels the necessity for doing exactly the same thing now, but in the face of his .proposals of last year, and the economic mania which has seized Parliament and the country, he durst not do it. He had .notions of doing it the other day, but it was made plain to him that such amaction would prove disastrous to himself, and consequently he has abandoned it. We have very little sympathy for Bir Harry. When he made the monstrous proposal of last year he knew well what its' result would be. He knew that honest Government would be impossible under'such circumstances, and it serves him right that he is being slapped across the face now in the Upper House. We must say that we are not sorry to see how the Legislative Council is acting, They could notin any way destroy themselves more effectually or more readily than by rendering themselves obnoxious. A little more of their obstruction, would render their destruction, an object which all parties would set before them, and the result would be a change. However, “ threatened men live the longest.” From the first hour of the Council’s existence it has been continually threatened, yet no change, with the exception of a reduction in the honorarium, has been made. It is very hard to deal with them, but the best way would be to give them no honorarium at all, and then they would all resign.

THE LABORERS’ HOMES. Notwithstanding the energy, zeal, .and tact synich Major Steward, MiH.E. for Waiinate, brought to bear ; on the proposal to set aside £IO,OOO for the purpose ..of .settling' agricultural laborers on the land, he has been defeated. On Monday last the proposal came before Parliament, and it was thrown out by a majority of two votes, thirty voting for it and thirtytwo against it. This will show how very important a member’s vote is in a,division of this kind. If one of the thirty-two who voted against it had voted for the proposal it would have made the division thirty-one for and thirty-one against. Then the Speaker would have given hia vote, and as Speakers invariably vote with the Government the proposal would hare been carried. Thus one vote has prevented £IO,OOO being spent m Canterbury in settling agricultural laborers on the land. Uf course we do not know yet who voted for or against it, but we know that Mr Boston spoke most earnestly and forcibly in its favor. So far there is no account of Mr Rhodes; he may have voted for it for all we know, dr he may have opposed it, but this we know, that he did not interest himself in the matter as he did when the squatters’ licenses were under consideration. Let it bo remembered, however, that it was lost by one vote, and that amongst those who opposed* it was Sir George Grey, Of all the politicians in New Zealand none occupies a more contemptible or detestable position than that honorable gentle-1 man. Since the day he entered! politics he has been screaming about 1

unborn millions, down trodden serfi, and making thrilling appeals to the working man, but on no. occasion has he shown himsolf-his friend. He was one of the most violent opponents of Mr John Ballance’s land administration last election • he condemned his village settlement scheme with a vehemence and vigor that would have done him honor had be been engaged in an honest cause. He'stumped the colony, and joined, in the parrot cries that were raised against the late administration, to turn the elections against the only Government that ever attempted to do Anything to benefit the working man. He worked himself into, ill-health in misrepresenting, and vilifying the Stout-Yog,el Ministry, and amongst the gravest accusations he made against them was that Mr Bdllance had expended money in settling the unemployed on the land. And yet, notwithstanding this, he has turned round now and is advocating a continuance of Mr Ballance’s system, jwhile at the same time he has opposed Major Steward’s kindred proposal j pu the ground that it would benefit large landowners and -companies. Sir George Grey, let it be remembered, stumped the colony, advocating his Land for Settlement Bill, under which he proposed to purchase the estates of large landowners wholesale; yet he. says that to spend £IO,OOO in buying a few-acres of land here and there to settle agricultural laborers on would benefit large land owners -and companies. It is bard to think that he is responsible for his actions after thib, for never did a more foolish or a mote unreasonable utterance emanate , from the . lips of a sane man. Sir .George Grey is the greatest humbug in New Zealand, or else the creature of caprice • and of impulse, more to be pitied than disliked. At any rate he is a mischievous element in politics, and will continue so while he lives.

But though ho was defeated we think that Major Steward may be congratulated on haring been able to get so many to vote for his proposal. At any rate he has done his best, and very few could have done so well, and we sincerely trust it will not be forgotten for him at the next election. The mischief'bf it is that the class in whose interest Major Steward is working have very short memories. If he were to ; work for the squatters or the 'money-rings they would not forget him, but it is doubtful whether two working men in New Zealand will think of this affair twelve months hence, This proposal was put before the public five or six years ago; it has been frequently referred to in this paper ever since, but during last election not one man asked a question about it. It is the only practical working man’s question that has ever been put forward, but working men have taken no interest in it, and consequently it is no wonder that others do not.