The Wairarapa Daily. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 1881.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 836, 3 August 1881, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 1881.

This evening the Masterton School Committee, we understand, holds a special meeting to discuss the question of corporal punishment, a cfimplaiut! 8, having been made to that body by a; parent of the system 1 this particular different views are held as to the ev-. it tent to which teachers should bo allowed to administer correction in the first place, and in the second as to the frequeney of...the applications. - Public opijiion, on the whole, is decidedly D favorablo to giving $ /schoolmaster a discretionary power to inflict chastisement with the immemorial cano, provided that the punishment be proportionate to the offence, and the necesI sarily degrading instrument be not used for trivial faults. The Board in its jyis/Jom has not left to School Committees the gnus of permitting or discarding the use of the cane, ft has by regulation entrusted this power' to, the teachers, with the proviso that; d every jjunishm'ent shall be registered. ; 'ij At first sight this regulation would seem a wise one, Tlte mere act of - registration renders the application of corporal punishment a deliberate judicial act instead of a hasty impulse j but unfortunately the order of the Board, though perfect in theory, is null and void in practice. We believe that in nineteen schools out of twenty punishment with the cane remains unregistered, and that the regulation of the Board is deliberately and systematically P disregarded. Under these circumt stances, it would perhaps be as well for the Board to consider the ex- . pediency of either enforcing its own t regulation or of superseding it by one J which may be more acceptable to | teachers. The Boayd has, as it were, taken the responsibility of this question I ou ' ; °f the hands of local committees, ) and is bound lo deal with it,- Com- | mittees, as things are at present,,are placed in a dilemma. Seeing that the edict of the Board is generally • dis- ( regarded, they cannot but assume that tli.at Board itself does not intend its own regulation fco be carried out, aiid is a consenting party .to tha misdemeanour. ■ We have heard it that mere caning on the hand is not. corporal punishment, arid therefore need not be registered; but this distinction,. though an ingenious ope, could hardly be accepted by any intelligent body of men. If it w ere admitted, we should have to assume that blows, on the trunk of an unfortunate sqholar required to be registered, bat sat jji fgacher could cut, hit, dash, ajid slash aj, an urchin's head, arms, and legs with immunity. If corporal punishment is defined by the regulation of the Board to be simply the trunk, the move sensitive parts of the human body are placed • unreservedly at the mercy-of the 1 flageJlator. That t]is Board never ■ intended to place the unfortunate 1 limbs of bairns at the disposal of the 1 )vielder of the cane few can doubt. ' Our .own opinion is that the regulation ,of the soard would jba tj. wise one if j .carried out, hut is a foolish one w.b.en ( it fa, ft? now, treated as a dead letter. | We are all creatures of habit, and none i mors so than the teacher, fljo acquires ' the custom of carrying a cane hi.his 1 hand and using it in season and out of season. Were punishments registered, we believe that where, the cane is now j us<ed twenty times, it would only be ' applied once. We also are of the !

opinion that the " once", would bo; administered in such a thorough manner that,; in the way of discipline and correction, it .would be worth more than the twenty impulsive and habitual cliust se.lients. which it wp\ild-'super->: scde. ■ : '

Tenders are invited by. Mr S, E. Chamberlain for falling 105 acres of scrub,;. : The Ilev •A. Knell's resignation of his seat on the Grey town Cemetery Trust has been gazetted. Mr E. Hare'proceeded to Wellington yesterday, and tliis afternoon will yive evidence respecting! town acre 42 before the Waste Lands Committee.

■ Mr Warded, E.M., sits at Carterton today.'' The Court sheets for to-morrow's sitting at Masterton are very light ones.

A meeting is to be held at Waihenga on the" 18th in stent to organise the annual race meetingj and to arrange, if practicable, . for. a Lower Valley ploughing match.

Mr Coleman Phillips, we understand, would be; willing to come forward as a candidate at'the coming general election,, were it not'that he beheyes'bneortwo more influential old settlers iil this district are likely to place ;themselves before the constituency.. i A destructive butbreak'of'yellow fever has occurred at Havanna, on tlie Island of Cuba, causing great mortality among 1 the inhabitants, i" ■ ~

A serinus.Jfire.has broken out'in, a large wine house at Boiird'eaux.; No less' than 8000 casks .of, wine ; have been totally destroyed.- ■' i , The prospectus, has been issued of a company called "Rubert 1 Cainpbell arid Sons, -Limited,-"-'-"' with a 'capital of 1600,000, with the object of purchasing land and further sheep farming in New Zealand.;.; ■

' Professor Proctor, tlie astronomer, and Mrs Sallie Crowley, were -miM'ied at St, Joseph, Missouri, May 4th, : 'and loft-fov Chicago. They will sail tor Europe June Ist, and next fall will return to America to I'start on a tour of the world, via San Francisco. '. • .

' kl a meeting of the Wellington and Manaivatu Eailway Company, held on 'Monday lust, Mr G, V. Shannon proposed, " That'the following gentlemen be the Wellington Directory Messrs W. Turnbull, W. H. Levin, James, Bull, Jas, Wallace, J. E, Nathan, J S. M. Thompson, 0. Johnston, J. Plimmer, and James Linton." Mr Hickey proposed the names of some other gentlemen. Mr Shannon said that he had had great difficulty in obtaining nine gentlemen wl)o would consent to act. At first, when it was thought there was to be £IOOO to be scrambled for, tlpp was.no difficulty, hut now it was quite a different matter. Thb gentlemen proposed by Mr Hickey refused to act, and Mr Shannon's resolution was carried unanimously. The fire brigade contest between the Masterton and Carterton Brigades takes places at Masterton this afternoon, and will no doubt attract a large number of spectators. As an incentive to practice contests of this character are extremely valuable", and should be supported by the public, The district ought to subscribe a tnedal .or a belt to encourage efficiency among our local brigades,

The Masterton School Committee hold a special meeting this evening, to consider a complaint of an alleged undue corporal punishment in the school, The next concert of tjje Masterton Winter Evening Entertainment Committee ylll b,e fdven in the 1-jfc. Matthew's school-room torinorrow evening, '' Messrs'V. and W. Wardell invite tenders for falling ljj acres of light bush.

The Masterton .Rifle Volunteers and CVU' ,i r ;n „„ .nwaay evening next in the school play-ground. Wo understand that .early this month there will be a parade at Masterton of the whole of the corps'in the valley for battallion drill, as agreed on at the last review in Carterton. It would therefore be advisable for oi'ery. member of the corps to take every opportunity of perfecting himself in his drill in order that the Masterton corps may hold its own with the Lower companies.

A meeting of tlio members of the ohoii of St Lukes church, Greytown, will b( held in Mr Bock's office to-morrow after' noon at 4 o'clock, for the purpose ol appointing a conductor.

The upporroom of the Institute, Greytown, was .crqwdeil on Monday evening, when the seventh of the series of winter evenings entertainments was'giyeij, and one of the best programmes ever offered to the Greytown public was got through most successfully. Dr H. H. Spratt occupied tlio ohair, The popularity these entertainments have gained n;nst be yery gratifying to the Committee, who have worked hard to make them a success, On this occasion they secured the services of Mr Parker, pianist, of Featherston, who opened the programme by playing " The Blue Bells of Scotland" and other airs, which he executed in a very masterly manner. One of the old Greytown favorites, Mr Mills, sang "The Anchor's Weighed" in a style which shewed that his voice had not lost any of its power during a long rest. In answer to an encore he sapg part of it again, and later on he sang '! Alas, those v ith great effect. Mr McLaren sang a character song, ''The Temperance Band," for which he was encored, and in answer gave " Take, it Bob." He also sang " Going to the Derby," for which he received another encore,, and then gave ,r Kvout's Farewell," his get-up- being immense, and his performance in the comic, husi. ness. being far above the; usual run of amateurs. Mr Palmer gained an enoore in " Mrs McLawley's Twins,!' as also did Misses Udy, Saywell, and Hallard in a trio, "The Little .Farm." Mr.-Avery sang ".The. Pilot," and' Mr Cuff " The British Lion," both being heartily ap-' plaud.sd, A dupt, ''OveitheWave/'by Messrs tJdj and' §aywell, was very well rendered, as also was a cluetpn tho piapo by. Mr? Westgate and Miss-Cameron." Mr Black sang »Jfpcked in the Cradle of the' Deep" in §tylp, and rficeived a good round of applause. '.Mrs Skeet, and Messrs Itonaldson and ,I)r. ;Spratt,: read some first-class seUotions.' each being duly appreciated by the audieuoe, »God Save the Queen" was snng by the. whole company; who dispersed highly, satisfied with the eveniug's amusement.

The recent gold discovery has raised the I'opes of the good citizens of Masterton, and. if these hppes are realised, and people go in for 'luxuries, we would remind, them that' Muir' and I)ixon Carriage iaiftps are the test an'd. cheapest ill the district. And the buggies' aucl cariages tliey turn out are the hasdspmest and most faithfully made in the Provinog Advt,

Schroder Hooper & Co,, announc» in another column that special bargains in Drapery Milinery and Clothing will be offered to day as their monster clearing Sale .is i}oj drawing to a close, We should advise heads o£ families, and others to make an'jarfy call'at tjjp Hall of Commerce, and secure Sonje the jnany Bargain? how being offered. Th'e'%le which is a cenuing one (i?s been a very great success, and we report that.tlje proprietors will not continue it muoh longer. The address is Schroder Hooper & Co,, Hall of Commerce.—Advt,

Mossrs Hipp &Hnre have, we under stand, purchased .tho- business nnd stock--in-trade of Mr H, 'Aulm,; Btorekeepor, Mauricevillo 1 ■

' The Feathers'ton Debating Society did. not meet l:wt evening, in &onße"quence of, the funeral nf Mrs Toogood, which took place tho same afternoon.

;;;Mr;;I),:F, McOaTtKy tlie wolV storekeeper complains that while his premises ar# surrounded by a sea of mud and he is enable to compel- the Borough Council to redress the.injury itido.es"hii business, he cannot , put a washing-board under- his verandah without being brought up in the R.M.- Court and fined 1

A meeting of • the Featherston Local Board was held.on Monday Inst. Present Messrs Cox (chairman), Cundy, Donald, ■Reynolds, and O'Neil. The treasurer reported a balance in the batik of £33 9s 3J. The following account was passed for payment ; James Rowe and . others, for work done, i>l3 6s. The tender of W. Benton for fencing in the Local Board grounds with picket fence at £l4 155,. dressed timber, waß accepted. The

poundkeeper gave in -liia book shewing receipts for July £1 -8s lOd, The collector reported amount of rates collected to be £.'o4 7s 2d, coat of collection 9s 4d, stamps, &c,, 13s 6d. The ordinary monthly meeting of the .Greytown Borough Council was held on Monday evening,- Present:—His Worship tho Mayor, Crs Baillie, Gray, Thompson,

Hammerich, Haigh and Gallagher. Correspondence was l read from Public Works department re taking land for Public purposes; from Colonial Treasury stating that the'sum of LBO had .been placed to the credit, of the Borough fund under the Licensing Act, The Inspector's report for last month was rgad. It was resolved that applications be invited fsr the office of poundkeeper. and that MrS. J. Lewis hold the office ui.til a successor be. appointed. The pound returns for the past month were reported at L 3 7s The Treasurer reported the amount to , credit of Borough fund LIB 43s Ed. Cr i Gray suggested that the attentio l of the committee be again called to the footpaths. His Worship intimated that he would be in Greytown during the.present week and would be at the service of the

Council. Crs Baillie and Gray were unanimously elected members of the Works Committee. It was resolved that as the population of the borough exceeds 1080, exclusive of the outlying districts, the representatives be asked to apply to to the Government for a return to be laid on the table of the House shewing the expense, first of a resident policeman second, the expense incurred aince the removal of the policeman up to the present date, for tha.police supervision of vuiting constables, and that the representatives be urged to do their utmost at once, to get the Government to re-open the Rations in Greytown:—Carried. Or R. Y. Smith waij granted one months leave of absence. The meeting then adjourned, '