Commercial. BURNSIDE MARKETS. (BY OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) BY TELEGRAPH. Dunedin, Feb. 21.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume II, Issue 111, 22 February 1900, Page 2

Commercial. BURNSIDE MARKETS. (BY OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) BY TELEGRAPH. Dunedin, Feb. 21.

Fat Cattle. — 230 were yarded, prices for bullocks being slighjfcly easier. Best bullonks, £8 to 19 2s Gd ; medium, £6 10s to £7 Iss ; best cows and heifers, £6 to £6 15s ; medium, £4 10s to £5 Xss. * Sheep. — 2540 were jwnuedwfrices ruling about the same as lajjf weeJjF Best crossbred wethers, 15s tojf6sjpf medium, I3s 6d to 14s 9d ; best ewealjPs 8d to 14g (3d ; medium, 12s to 13nj9jlr j < Lambs.— lls6 pinned, the derrfana throughout' being fairly brisk. Best, 11s to lls 6d; medium, lOs"*to 103 9d ; others, 9s to 9s 3d. ■ Pigs. — 118 forwaided, the demand for all classes being" very dull. Suckers, 5s to 10s; slips, l(s 6d to 16s 6d ; storec, lBs to 20s ; porkers, 28s to 365 ; baconers, 39s to 41s.

t " ' ii ,i ' , i, -', ' Mr* say,\at the age of 14. What does he know about teaching children, or about anything else ? The pupil teacher thus manufactured finds his new duties no sinecure. He is called upon to do double work—- teach in the day time and study at night. One of these would, in itself, be enough for any one person, particularly for one at the age we havejnentioned. A.t first he is either put in charge )f a number of infants, who, bj lis ignorance of proper methodp., re spoiled for the rest of thei chool career, or he puts in hi; ' time marking exercises, or som< routine work. It is not ir the least surprising, therefore, ii he takes a thorough dislike to hie work, which is, consequently, neglected as much as posSible. At the expiration of his time,, and although still cherishing this dislike, he will not abandon bis profession, for fear of being unable to obtain other employment^ and in most cases the result is a third or fourth-rate teacher. Of course, there^are exceptions, who have unbounded enthusiasm in their profession, and^who^do their utmost to become good teacliers. At the present there are in Hew Zealand about 200 teachers, most of whom have been manufactured by the foregoing method, out of employment. ' Numbers, in despair of getting a permanent situation, have turned to something else. However, the bulk of these 200 prefer to keep in the profession, doing a little LOCUM TBNENS work, each hoping against hope that he will get a school of his ■ own — and every year sees from 30 to 40 ex-pupil teachers added to the ranks of these 200 unemployed^. " It is often ° argued that the pupil teacher system is justified on the ground that if he gets nothing els>e, the ptipil teacher gets a good education. On the surface this looks ail right, for he really does acquire a good general knowledge by the end of his four years. But this knowledge could have been gained in half or quarter that time by going to classes of instruction. His knowledge is not particular enough to use in any profession but his own, and for that reason he cannot get employment. .Agatei,' his four year 8 of light work hme unfitted and disinclined tiimm>r any jputdoor labour. Altog«jib^rfee Is in a sore predicamens Still, notwithstanding all thefforegoing facts — facts which oay experienced teacher will confirm — parents are -everyday sending their children to become pupil teachers,' and Education Boards are employing them. These Boarcls "should at once cease - taking on any more, and anyorie then desiring to beconxe a school teacher would have to adopt the proper methods — i.e., instruction ,by competent men 2 in training institutions. Every Board in the colony should have such an institution attached to if&or, failing that, , should give „ pupil teachers facilities „ for <!k atten dji irq the Training Institutions in other places. No teacher "shoujdy be given a certificate to: "teach unless he has attended -Such an insfcitu-: tion for at least . one year. It is cruel,. 11 a£ well as >'extrejneiy foolish., ,t,o"i inflict raw scholars/ igudrant of the very;- rudiments of teaching/ on children, especi-, ally on young bries. , Again.,, pupils teachers s'houl'cU iao>, ( be f accepted h'apha^ki;d byVsdho6rcommitteeg/? l often, knqw nothing : OT.the^oy of girl persd^ali^/aiid^: a^j'{way,f w.haV dp\th'|y 'JfcfiS^J hi ?! •"a-iß^^J* a;^ir|'|'fitne^s^o v 't!B^li| I

Agaip, supposing the J pupil ,teacher has been manufactured by the right process, and has good methods .of teaching.^wiiat salary does he get ? It is almost invariably from six months 'to a year before he gets employment, and then he is paid at the rate of from £70 to £90 per year. This is a j truly magnificent reward for th( pupil teacher's four years' study Four years of such close study o' ilmost any other business woul< nake the one Who studies choroughly, master of all detail , f such a business, and in almost my other the remuneration -vould be much greater. School :eaching, looked at from the standpoint of holidays, is certainly i desirable profession, but when the salary is such that no holiday can be afforded it is not so desirable. In conclusion, we repeat that the pupil teachers' system" is a blot on our Education scheme, and the sooner it is removed the i better.