TOPICAL READING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8284, 12 November 1906, Page 4

TOPICAL READING.

The statement rrjade by Lord Tennyson in a letter to the London Timns, to the effect that it is in tended to hold an Imperial Conference on Education in London during 1907, in order to promote aohemes of reciprocal" education, will be good news to all friends of the Empire. For the greatest enemy which the Imperial connection has is the gross and inexcnsable ignorance of the colonies prevailing in the |united Kingdom. In our colonial schools British history and geography. are systematically taught, i with a fiair amount'of the ; and geography of other colonies as well as of our own. But the children of the United Kingdom grow up without any special introduction to the history and geography of the great colonies which are reproducing their national life across the oceans. This is the chief aause of that woful and lamentable ignorance of their colonies and all things oolonial, Which distinguishes the British at Home, and ia the chief barrier, in the way o# closer Imperial unity. If un Imperial Conference on Education oould bring tjiis forcibly before the people of the United Kingdom, British educationalists might be compelled to consider oar Imperial needs and requirements in their syllabus. 1 " , . - ' , t Speaking at the banqaek given by the Mayor of Ohristohurch, Sir Joseph Ward again drew attention to the buoyant state of the publiu revenues, which during the seven months of fhe current year have exceeded those of the corresponding period of the previous year by £391,000. Ho claims that this "spells upon, the. whole prosperity for New Zealand,"and we (Auckland Herald) quite agree with him- Tlk» oolony is prosperous, and we hope will continue prosperous; bqt we must again draw attention to the un , mistakable cause of this prosperity, and urge upon Sir Joseph the oovious method by which it may be continued. Our pablio revenues are not expanding because of any industrial legislation, or because we are paying increased old age pensions, or because a superannuation scheme baa been introduced in the pufclio school servioe. We are able to legislate in such directions because the oountry is prosperous, because the British markets are ab sorbing our produoe at high prices, and because our settlers are turning the lands of the oolony to good acoonnt. And since every acre of looked-up land depresses our oolonial production and our oolonial prosperity, it is the duty of the Government to unlock the millions of aores held against settlement by native owners and by the Grown, to make aooesßible the great areas-in the North Island whiob o&nnot be worked for lack of railways. If Sir Joseph Ward will do this energetically he will have a right to claim that be is taking the best possible steps to make our prosperity more prosperous, insure the oolony against future industrial depressions.

The policy enunoiated by the new French Premier, has received auoh an overwhelming majority in the Chamber of Deputies that it must be considered a most popular one and as entitled to be considered by the world as a reliable declaration of the present aims and intentions of the French people A progressive income tax, with a possible tax on "capital" is to replace the cumbrous system of multiple direct taxation upon which Franoe has hitherto relied for a considerable part of her national revenues. The conflict with the Church authorities is to be persisted in. Workmen's penisons are to be established, and

tbe scope of trades onions to be widened. Noteworthy as the internal policy of snob a strongly supported) Cabinet mast be, to tbe world at large tbe foreign policy of M. Oleraenoean is much more important, for it predicates the intentions of a great military and naval Power upon the points where it comes in uoatant with other preat nations. To the British people this official statement is well worth attention,, for it stands cut in striking contrast with tbe declared policy of the Bannerman Government.. Our Imperial Premier preaohesthe Gospel of Disarmament, and under his sdministration the defensive strength of tbe Empke Is being reduced. The Frenob Premier declares tbat while bis Government will maintain "dignified peace" and will foater alliances, th«y could not disarm nor weaken the defensive power of France. In other words they will maintain wbat some individuals are fond of denouncing as "milit&irJßm," and will f rain French oititzeus to ehoot back at any who shoot at them.

An excellent survey of the field of education in the United States is furnished by the report of Dr. W. T. Harris, who recently retired as the United States Commissioner of Eduasution. The namber of children and adult® in schools and colleges, public and private, is about 18,.000,.000, Six; hundred and seven institutions' 6f higher eduoation have a total attendance of 118,000, and have a teaching staff of 1T,.509' men and 4',.267 woolen. The I number , of students in technical courses of study;., especially i# engineering lines, is increasing rapidly,. as well as the number of schools for manual and industrial training. In citie&of B*ooo inhabitants or more there were 411 snch schools,, including tbe departments in the public ocbools. For many years the only provision for the higher education of persons desiring to embark upon business careers ; was in private or commercial business* colleges of the country. There are now more than 700 publicschools ; maintaining regnliar business courses in which there are enrolled 44,213 students, while 3,.192 public schools give instruction in bookkeeping to 85,313 students. Tbe courses of study in these business schools require from two to four years. Tbe universities are also devoting more ; attention to higher commercial edui cation.