THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1875.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2163, 9 December 1875, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1875.

With Mr It. J. O'Sullivan,.the Inspector of Schools, examining in our midst, our thoughts are naturally turned educationwards, and we are induced to ask ourselves how the great question which is agitating the minds of the political world -—Abolition v. 'Provincialism —is likely to affect the education of the Colony and the Province; how educational matters do actually stand with us under the Provincial Council of Auckland; and how they will, or may be made to stand with us when that Council shall cease to exist. Mr .Robert Jtfeyburn, a man twice returned by the district of* Marsdcn to the Provincial Council, and therefore having, we may presume, considerable knowledge of its workings, speaking to the electors of the same district of Marsden regarding this matter of Education', puts the 'matter thus : —•" The Education question will also, it is to be hoped, receive due consideration, and bo made a Colonial instead of a Provincial one, and thenceforth be supported;from Colonial Revenue." That Mr Robert Reyburn'a wishes will be carried out must be the hearty desire of everyone who has the interest of Education at heart, and contemplates matters as they at present are. At present, under the Provincial Council, educational. matters are so bad as to be in some instances positively retrogressive, while in others progress is hindered and ■•retarded for want of funds. Fortnight ~ after fortnight^ when reading reports of the meeting of the central Board of I

Education at Auckland, we come across items similar to these —" Refused for want of funds," or " The Secretary to inform the writers that the Board has no funds available," and this too with an increasing population, an extended area, and consequently increased educational wants. It is obvious matters cannot go on as they are, and vre confess "we see, as far as . this Province is concerned, no remedy tor this deplorable state of things other than Education being made a Colonial matter. Sir George Grey undoubtedly hopes for much from his ideal colony of Auckland separated from the rest of New Zealand, and perhaps believes that his separation scheme would work wonders in the way of obtaining for us adequate education, even as he trusts it would bring us just treatment in other respects. But it must be remembered that Major Atkinson, the Colonial Treasurer, who may bo fairly considered to speak as one with authority in these matters, when talking over this very matter of the position of Auckland supposing it became a separate colony, made a statement which showed that when Auckland had paid her share of the colonial debt and expenses she would have a deficiency of £15,000, without making any provision for education or public works, or matters such as these. Truly if these things are so the latter state of Auckland as a colony would be worse than her former state of a dependent province, all but bankrupt though she be. Mr May, in his address to the electors of Franklin at Papakura .on Tuesday last, informed them that when the Provincial Council last met there was a deficiency for the half-year of £5000, and nothing was provided for -Public Works, and nothing for education! The rule was, and had been, to go down to Wellington year after year begging and borrowing, and this, from what he then said, h« did not feel disposed to do. Neither do we think that it is either for the honor or welfare of the Province that the begging and borrowing should be done. It seems more than doubful now whether the Province will get even one-half of the sum which has been asked for from the General Government, badly as it is in need of immediate funds. Something must be done to supply the wants of education. The question is what, and in'what manner? The manner in which the province is taxed for education is repugnant to the sense of justice of some—is unfair to the pockets of others—andunpopular with all; and yet with the General Government unable or unwilling to help us, taxes for education must be increased in some way or other as long as we remain a province if we would not have a growing population retrograde into a semi-barbarous state. With Mr Reyburn's ideas adopted, and plans for making education an affair of colonial instead of provincial importance carried out, this unsatisfactory state of things need no longer exist. Instead of sums of money being doled out to the Central Board to do the best 'they can with under the circumstances, a sufficient lump sum calculated to be adequate for the purpose should be placed on the estimates for supplying unsectarian, simple, compulsory education throughout the colony. For this education the lowest charge possible should be made to place it in the reach of all; while if the Government saw their way to assisting those with small means who are desirous of obtaining a more ambitious form of education for their children, by all mean 3 let them do so by aiding in the formation of a superior class of schools. It is well known that what are called our public schools now are not what they were intended to "be ; that many send their children to them, and thus avail themselves of the taxes paid by other people, who are quite in a position to pay to the full for their children's education instead : of taking advantage of an unfair tax to educate them at the expense of others many of whom cannot afford to pay it. Public compulsory education is and ought to be one ; superior education for the middle and upper classes another. Under Provincialism we have had an un« fair and absurd attempt to combine the two, which has proved to be inefficient and cannot now be carried on. Under Centralism we may have both conducted in a way at once both just and satis-! factory. ]