HIGH SCHOOL.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 1887, 5 November 1874, Page 3

HIGH SCHOOL.

To the Editor of the Thames Advertiser.

Sir,-Neither your comments on the above subject nor the letter of your cor«' respondent, VI r Bagnall, contain much that call for remark from me in reply; but before closing the discussion permit me to notice a few of the statements that have been made. Your leader is on the whole fair, but it seems to me to lack one great essential -heartiness. You evidently felt the difficulty of advocating the establishment of a > igh School, through Governinent aid, at the present time. The comparison between this place and large centres of population in the other provinces, is by no rneuns apropos; nor is the reasoning good which concludes that, because the latter are in the possession of High Schools, therefore the Thames should be put in the same position, To foster education and devote to its maintenance a large share of the public funds, has been the practice of the provinces alluded to for many years past. As a consequence, the schools are now in such a condition as renders them a credit to their localities. Those provinces may, therefore, well and wisely go forward to a still higher system. But note, the grounds upon which they advance are, tlmt they are possessed of the means, after having fairly provided for the common schools. Is tlie province of Auckland in the same position ?. Decidedly not. It is only within the last few years that any great amount of interest has been taken in the matter, and as for the means provided by the Government they have been of a very trilling nature indeed. Against the priuciple of an education tax I have nothing to offer—on the contrary, I consider the principle a sound one; but I must protest against a number of men seeking lo induce the Government to appropriate any funds at its disposal for the purposo of affording a hijjh class of education when heavy taxation has to bo resorted to in order to provide the moans for a common one. But you say, sir, that the money asked for is so small that even if it were givon over to the Central Board for distribuiiou amongst the schools of the province, this district would obtain but a small share of it, therefore better get it for the High School. Is not this an admission that every penny that can be spared is required by the presont schools P or, if you think the money would bo of little use when so divided, why not apply it to the needs of those most badly circumstunced P With regard to Mr Bagnall, his main objection is, that bocauso a large sum is required—he thinks thirty or forty thousaud pounds (I ostirnato that half that amount would be sufficient) -for common school buildings, and that the Board are unable to supply the full amount, therefore u is : useless !.o put it in a position to supply i wy ■&. wn, would say, qbuia w hu.fc

you can, and look about to obtain the remainder. Mr Bagnall seems fully to recognise tlio necessity of providing suitable buildings for common schools, but is at a loss to see where the money is to come from to provide tliem. I regret to have to believe that Mr Bagnall is to some extent blameable in this matter, A t the last session of the Provincial Council a bill was passed called "The Public Buildings Act," which provides for the utilisation of the educational reserve known as tlio old Supreme Court-house site, Aucldaud. During the discussion on the bill, a proposal was made for the purpose of obtaining at once £10,000 out of this reserve fur the very object Mr Bagnall speaks of as being so desirable; yet he was, if I mistake not, one of a committee that reported against the proposal, and afterwards was one of the ten who voted against it, there being seven in favour of the idea. No doubt lie had good reasons for the course he adopted, and was fully satisfied of its wisdom, yet I cannot but regard it as a great pity that he and some of our other members failed to see thoir way to supporting the proposal, as the amount would liavo gone a very long way in meeting the pressing necessities of the school system, There was little need of bringing the authority of Sir James Fergusson in support of high-class education. We all fully admit its desirability; but when a proposal such as the movement for a High School is made, with all due respect for Sir James, I much prefer the opinions of Mr Bagnall, or any other resident in the locality, when the matter to be judged is not one of principle but purely a.question of ways and means.—l am, &c., Wii. J. Spkight.