The Wairarapa Daily. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1881.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 954, 20 December 1881, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1881.

From q,ll that we can, gather the the result of Mr Lee's annual examination of the Wairarapa Schools is likely to proy® jrery satisfactory/ The New Zealand Department is,, with all its impevfeptigns, doing good work. In this district yeay after year the teachers and the school buildings have made marked progress, The Wellington Education District is fortunate in possessing one of the ablest Inspectors in New Zealand, and to his experience, good common sense, and zealous work, we are indebted for mus of the advancement which is observe. £}\u educational maeliincry is so complicate} 4 tjst oven with a thoroughly .efficient P 1 ' 0 " cess of raising' tke clwacter .our t schools is necessarily ti very gradual j one. The Act is workod out first by

a Featl Office; secondly by Boards; I thirdly by Inspectors; fourthly by sofl/.g}ittees; and fifthly by that noble 9 : r{ny d the teachers, To give ap exa'ovf4? f>f the difficulty of administering the Act case. ipccasiopally ,ocq\ii:3 <>f a 'right teacher in a popg place oy 'aj wrong teacher in a right plgge. If therei were but a single authority such a teacher would be moved within three months; but with a Board, an Inspector, and a Committee to be consulted and to be harmony, it often takes one, two, or three years to adjust a difficulty which ought to be promptly disposed of. The progress towards thorough efficiency in the teaching staff is sure if ■it :be 'slow. We have not much to find fault' with, but still where improvement is obtainable it would be unwise .As.far as.ithe Inspector.

''instanced of 0110 man getting. £loo,a year who. is worth ,£2OO, and another .< man getting £2OO a year who is only worth, £IOO, ; ; Such inequalities arise '( partly from the system on which i salaries are based, and partly from the fallibility of Boards and Committees, It ■ is of great importance that Hoards ( especially should be well manned, but j the system under which members are returnod to them is favorable to the , retention of inferior men, and the infusion of new blood into them is a veiy difficult process. In the Wellington' Board there, will shortly be a , favorable opportunity for returning *' some new members, as in addition to those gentlemen who retire by rotation ! two others—Mr C. J. Phakazyn and Mr C. Pharazyx—are likely to resign. , It may be said of Mr Piiabazyn, the elder, that though he has been a little eccentric in conducting the affairs of ! the Board he lias been very attentive to his duties and has done good service. ' The Wairarapa has reason to be grateful to Mr C. Pitarazyh for the able manner in which he has represented its interests at the Board. We owe him much in Masterton for the support he gave to the project for the erection of our new school buildings at a time when cold water was thrown upon it by another member of the Board who is more oramental than useful at its deliberations. It will be difficult to find a good man willing to take Mr Piiauazy's seat, the best man we. can think of at present would be Mr Buciiakan. It would be very easy to make improvements, not only in the method of electing members to the Poard, but also in the cumulative vote which returns members of School Committees. The Government, however, fear to touch the Act, lest when the door for amendments were once opened the colony might lose as well as gain by the alterations which would be demanded, The Act takon as a wliolo works well, and though the question of the revision of it must sooner or later be faced the delay of two or three years is not very material. We have every reason, as far as the Wairarapa is concerned, to be thankful to the system under which our children are being educated.