LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 5, Issue 249, 22 August 1861, Page 3

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

August 17, 1861. Sir,—l observe, front an advertisement iu your paper of this week, that our Common School is in want of a teacher —in consequence, as I hear on good aiithoii y, of the present teacher having sent in his resignation. The amount of instruction given hitherto has been limited to reading,' writing, arithmetic, and geography, ami the salary lias been somewhere liibout .£200: The Committee hclVertis'S for

a teacher who must be acquainted with mathematics, so as to teach at lea.t the rudiments; of that science, and who will be the better of a knowledge of two of the dead, and two of the living languages. Now, sir, I ask, what salary is offered for these qualifications ? <£loo and half of the fees, which at tlie outsde wi l not be more than £l5O to £175 in all, out of which"'must t>e paid an assistant’s salary. lam reminded of tlie lady who asked her son to look out for a young lady as a governess for his sisters,—who should be a skilful linguist, a -proficient in music, and otherwise highly accomplished, of unblemished character, and with a good temper —and to whom was to be given ,£4O a year. The son wrote, back to bin mother, that he bad been for sometime looking out for such a person without success, and that if he should be fortunate

i enough to meet with her, he would offer her- . not £4O a year, but bis fortune—and ask her . to become, not bis sisters’ governess, but his- » own wife. Now, sir, if a gentleman be'found; s witli tlie qualifications mentioned in tlie advertisement, and possessing those others which 1 [suppose have not been mentioned because they are’ considered essential, he must have a pb'culiar love for the youth of Wanganui if Ire i'jdevotes his time arid talents, tcFtheirMmproye!ment for £l5O a year! Why, sir, any man •'with these accomplishments rit homeland hav- ; I'ing the power of teaching, will make his £4oo' !j»r £SOO a year without any 6f that drudgery' r which"'he must inevitably take upon himself." here. I do not agree with some of the re-,, I marks of “an Old Resident,” who has been i so skilfully -cht up-by “ a New Residentbut I I do think with him,:tliat until some improve* 'made Mo .income of th*

teacher, a really good man "vyill not be found. Jt is true, indued, that if an efficient teacher took the situation, ho would soon be in a portion to majce his terms | but the present inducement held out is not sufficient to attract any one who would raise our school to the dignified position to which it aspires. A teacher should he the best paid and the jpost respected member of any community. He has a greater influence to exert over so: piety than any other man. The quality of the next generation depends upon him ; and vyoe to the community which, from a narrow and miserly feeling, grudges a remuneration for his services greater than is given to its ipephanics and clerics, or does not feel that pro-, pound respect for his yo,cation, which will prompt them to do all in their power to keep him in that position in society, to which his Requirements and services alike entitle him. I am, &c. Not a Candidate.

August 17, 1861. Eir,—/ am a reserve militia man and I*ll —I beg pardon Mr. Editor, but I’m afraid I was going to use an unparliamentary ex pression—l’ll be shot rather than give in to this detestable system, which makes me a pian within a few months of the extreme age assigned by the uct, turn out to be put through nay facings by u parcel of boys. I’m old enough. Sir tt> remember the terrible hubbub raised about some of the newspapers in England being prosecuted for condemning the giving a poor militiaman a thousand lashes. 2'hat is about fifty years ago, and things are Vetter now—you can't he flogged, but the principle is the same ; it’s tyranny. l r on told us that Mr. Fox had modified (that was flip word I think) the worst clauses in this accursed act. 1 tell you if he does not modify thsm till they’re moderate and reasonable he de feerves to be kicked out of his place to-iuorrow. I am, <£c., ' An Old Fogie. E.S., 19th August, 1861.—1 was reading my bible yesterday and chanced upon the words “ When they persecute you in one city flee ye into another.” I packed up my traps this morning and /’m off to the Diggings in, the Sea Gull. I’ve had great difficulty in persuading my old woman that the Major won’t draw her out as my substitute. She lias agreed to risk it till I can send her 10 oz. to clear her out and bring her down. By the bye, send me a copy of the Qhronicle regularly—and send up one to my widow, that she may be kept informed of the Major’s doings. " O.F.

Wanganui ICth August 1861. Sir,— Will you allow m# a, eijaajil portion of your valuable space to 6ay a word or two about the Militia Act ?. I. will be as brief as. possible. A year ago I was out drilling every day for some weeks, and was kept at it more or less assidously for six months, drilling, skirmishing, and marching. Well’ when the companys time expired I did. not again volunteerhut. jm.w I am called out, be drilled it steeras twice a day six days of the week for one month,’and once a day five days of the week during the second month.-—And I suppose I will be out 168 hours this year. also. Having given my own experience, let me state wffiat I consider the prit.cq ai grievances in the Militia Act.

The first is—lliat 108 hours is far too long % time for learning drill. Supposing a man at drill four hours a day he must be out 7 weeks, and during that time he can do little else, except, perhaps, chop fire wood and carry water for his household ; in.- other words, he Ipses a seventh part of the year, which if ? lie is making decent wages, is equal to <£2o, Or if the commanding officer thinks proper, he may take him out an lioqr a day for seven months in the year—at any time of the day, however inconvenient. And this not only for one, but for successive years. A tax ol \od. per £ is lookqd upon at home as enormous; bnt this is an income tax of 2s. 10d. per £, and an income tax levied only or chiefly on smali incomes. It may be saidbut the powers given in the act will never be so stretched to their utmost limit. I answer, no law should be made, the enforcement of which would be, like this, most oppressive. Any major commanding militia may stretch bis power to the extreme, and by one month of arbitrary carrying out of the law, would injure any settlement in iVew Zealand more than all the Maoris in this'island. /Should such a thing be ? Another objection that I have to the Act is, that it puls.it in the power of any person appointed by the Governor as his Zjeputy, to draw out the Militia when he may see fit. 4 have every confidence in liia present Excellency’s judgment in the choice of persons to whom he may entrust this power; but I say, it is too great a power to putintq the hands of any one man. He may be a stranger to the district, and not be able to judge of the necessity of such an apt. He may be actuated, by personal feelings, and may desire, from a tyrannical turn, to e.v ici>e bis little brief authority whenever lie hup the slightest pretext. On the other hand it may be said, that this deputy of the Governor may be all that could be desired. But I say, the principle is bad ; the law should be a complete safeguard of the liberties of the subject, not a screen behind whioh he may be. tortured. 8. Another objection is, that any persoi^conscientiously objecting to take an oath, may be fined £,20. 4. A fourth objection ip, that any contumacious subject may get clear off by paying the fiue of £2O. The rich therefore may exempt themselves. 5. A fifth objection is, that sckoolma ters not exempt from; service—a class which it

is far more necessary to exempt than clergymen, whose duties are chiefly performed on day on which militiamen are never drilled. 1 do not say that clergymen should not be exempt ; but if there is a necessity for exemption in the one case, there is a much greater in the other.

These are my objections. The two first being the principal, let me have space to propose remedies. 1. Any militiaman may learn all the drill he requires in 24 hours. Let the time for training he limited during the first year to 48 hours, and to twelve hours in the yejpp in subsequent years. 2. Let the power of calling out the militia ill any district rest with the magistrates in that district. They are generally men of property, and their desire to preserve it will keep them on the safe side. With apology for taking up so much of your space, I subscribe, myself, Nunquam non Paratus