The Wairarapa Daily. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1883. COMPULSORY EDUCATION.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1298, 8 February 1883, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1883. COMPULSORY EDUCATION.

The compulsory clauses of the Education Act have been more or less resorted to all over the Colony with good effect, but recently it has been found ihat the Education Act is defective with respect to them, as well as with regard to many, other matters. The Act does not supply the machinery by which the clauses can be carried out to a practical conclusion. It makes school attendance compulsory, but does not provide the machinery for enforcing it. The modus operandi for giving effect to the clauses is to prosecute parents who neglect their duty to their offspring, but legal proceedings of this character involve expense, and the Act does not sanction an expenditure in this direction. Of course the difficulty may be got over by placing prosecutions under the charge of the police, but an alternative of this character is most objectionable. The Government are willing for the public to assist iu carrying out the objects of the Act, bnt it is altogether repugnant to the feelings of the community to make police cases out of educational questions. Neither School Committees nor parents would care to employ constables to hunt stray children as if they were criminals. It has been suggested by the Christchurch Globe that the Act should be amended to onable Boards to appoint inspectors for absentee children. The suggestion is a good one, but there is the usual obstacle in its way, the Government and Legislature aro afraid to open up the Education Act for the purpose of correcting even obvious defects and blunders. They are afraid that if desirable amendments are allowed to be brought forward, that undesirable ones will also be pressed. For this reason bad legislation, which is a disgrace to the statute book and the Legislature, is deliberately perpetuated. How long the people of the Colony will suffer this timid evasion of public duty to continue remains to be seen. It may be that a certain amount of'risk is run in opening up the act, but we think that the public would esteem its Parliament more highly if it displayed a little more backbone, and did its duty by affirming desirable changes, and sternly rejecting unnecessary alterations. The Education Act, though working fairly as a whole,- is literally full of blunders, The cost of working it might be reduced and its efficiency increased if its provisions were reviewed every few years by the house, and such amendments made as had been found necessary by experience. It is unfair to insist upon a glaringly, imperfect measure being permanently inflicted on the colony, and we trust that in the next session of Parliament; members will pluck up courage to revise it.

The usual praotice of the Greytown Fire Brigade will be held this evening. On Saturday next Messrs Lowes and lorns hold a stock sale at Tetiui and also sell the privileges of the looal race ingIn another column will be found the programme of a grand amateur theatrical entertainment which will be given in the public hall, Carterton, on Monday next for the benefit of the widow and children of the late John Floyd by well known aud leadim; members of the late Master* ton Garrick Club. The Volunteer movement in Greytown is not yet quite dead, as it is the intention of several to call a meeting on next Tuesday evening of all ih<>se who wish to join a corps under the new regulations. Considerable' surprise is expressed that the Oompany should fall through aa the regulations affeoting country corps are moro favorable than they were before,The dingy appearance of the present Masterton Court House -has been somewhat relieved by the introduction of a splendid; new state chair for the R M, This piece of upholstery in so gorgeous in its proportions that the bench looks all chair. . We' trust it is the forerunner of a new Court .House, the dimension of which ■ will harmonise with it : " " • Messeifs 'Lowes. ; snd Irons announce for their next stock sale at Miitertoii'on the Slst ihst, 8000 oross-bred sheep, 100 head of mixed , cattle, ten splendid farm hones, a timber waggon, 20,000 feet of timber, and a number of other vsluibli entrioa. / j 'I

■ A seound ilwnd billiard table is advertjaad .for "at in our: wanted column. Sergeant Price left Masterion for Wellington to-day,- and Sergeant McArdle reigns in his stead, . - The Maiterton Highway Board invites tenders for the digging of eighty oliains of road drains. - This is the last day on which property lax for the current year can be paid without the addition of the 10 per cent penalty for orertime. ' The local libraries receive from the. PurlinineaiHry vote ihe following sums ; —Mnstertou £lll3s' 61 j.Carterton iB9 18s lOd; Grey town 12018 a 4d; Featherston £ls 4s 6d.

At a meeting, of thedirectors of the Mf»sterton Investiaent and, Building Society held last evening Mr James Macara was appointed to the-direatory in place of Mr J. Vile who has resigned his seat in that body, A telephone station ,is now opened at Kaikohe, Bay of Islands. Hours of attendance are from 9 till 6, closed on Sundays and public holidays.

Lowes and lorns held their usual stock sale at their yards yesterday. The entries were not large, but all lines sold at satisfactory prices Fat sheep 10s, lambi. Ss lOd to 6s 6d, old ewes 2a 6d, horses from SA, horse, cart and harness £24 The final match between East and|West Greytown " Muff" cricketers was played in Stewart's paddock yesterday, and re-' suited in a win for West side by 38 runs, Mr Player captained the winners, and Mr 8. Haigh the East side, who went first to the wickets, but were all quickly disposed of for 36 runs, with the exception of W. Maxton who hit out freely and made 23 off bis own bat. West side then essayed, and did eonitithing better, making 55, Player being the only one in double figures with 11. The East went in for their second innings, and were again unfortunateonly scoring 43, Maxton being top acore with 9.; The West having 24 to make to win got the number for four wickets, but it was deoided to play it out, and tho innings closed for 62. Of this number Mr Geo. Haigh contributed .27, : no one else getting into double figures, The match olosed with the usual cheers. Refreshments had been provided in a liberal' manner. The West side thus remain victors, as they have won two out of three matches, The "Muffs" have received a cballenuo from the 2nd eleven of the Greytown Club to play the whole of the 22, and havo decided to accept if the eleven will play for a champagne, lunch. We have not yet heard if the match is to take place.

Mr Milner Stephen is now in Wanga< nui.

A deputation of Chinese, introduced by Mr MoOoll; waited on the Hon- Mr Dick to-day and banded him £42 4s 6d, subscribed by the Chinese residents of Wellington and the Hutt towards the support of the Wellington Hospital. In reply to a letter from the Masterton Borough Council re the new Courthouse, the Town Clerk has received a communication from the Minister of Justice to the effect that instructions have been given to cull for tenders for that building as soon as possible,

The Mayor of Christohuroh hns telegraphed to Sir William Jervois that Saturday would, owing to its being market day, be an inconvenient day for hii arrival there, and in consequence his Excellency has decided to leave Wellington on Monday tho 19th, instead of Friday the 16th.

It is highly probable, says the New Zealand Times, that the ships Lady Jocelyn, Waitara, and St. Leonards will sail for' London within a day or two of each other. The former has aboard 3400 bales wool, 585 cases meat, 147 casks tallow, a quantity of leather, 4000 carcases mutton, and 800 quar era beef, She will complete loading ordinary, ourgo tomorrow, but her refrigerating chamber will not be full for about ten days, The St. Leonards haß aboard 2000 bales wool, 200 caskß tallow, SCO cases meat, and 200 bales flux, while the Waitara has stowed o» er 2000 bales wool, 300 casks tallow, 800 cases meat, and 100 bales flax. All of them are likely to be ready for sea about the 18th instant. A good deal of interest will be excited by such an unusual ocean race.

We are requested to intimate that Rapp & Hare have received ftve cases men's kaipoi CLomiNfl. From our own knowledge of those goods, and the low prioes that Rapp is Hare are selling them we reoommend the publio to go to the Emporium before buying eisewhehe. —Advt.'

The improvements effected ot late years in ladies' corsets have been very great, and strikingly beneficial to health, Foremost among these for their peculiar excellencies are Rosenthal's sanitaire and Dr Warner's coraline corsets. The former is constructed to obviate the debilitating effects of the ordinary corsets by relieving the delicate and and vital organs from damaging mechanical pressure, while still affording a Healthful and comfortable support to tho wearer. Tho support to the figure i 3 properly distributed, and the distressing effects of tight-lacing neutralised. Dr. Warner's coraline ooraet is boned with a new snbßtanoe, wiiioh is vastly superior to horn or whalebone, It cannot break but will in every instance outlast the corset, being more pliable that whalebone it adapts itself more readily to the movements of the body. Both these admirable corsets can be had in all sizes and colors at James Sana's Ta &ro Hoosk.-|A.dvt.]