The Wairarapa Daily. FRIDAY JULY 1, 1887. THE EDUCATIONAL OUTLOOK.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2637, 1 July 1887, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. FRIDAY JULY 1, 1887. THE EDUCATIONAL OUTLOOK.

A month ago for some mysterious reason the Committee of the Wellington Education Board, which had visited Masterton and duly inspeoted the sites available for a second school, withheld their report. It was at tho time assumed that an opponent of the Simcox site had ascertained that the committee intended to recommend it to the Board, and that he had exerted a secret influence on a certain member of the committee to hang,the matter up. In Other words, he found that he could :not kill the Simcox site, so he endeavored to kill the seoond school. Had it not been for this malign influence, the second school might by this time have been in a fair way to be erected. The delay is proving fatal to the project. In spite of Sir Robert Stout's strenuous assurance that the educational system is not to be curtailed, the members of the Wellington Board evidently feel that they are on the eve of a ohango which will materially affeot the distriot under their ,care. Indeed, they appeared at their last meeting almost paralysed, as if the Minister of Eduoation had, instead of defending them, menaced' them with a poisoned dagger. Public men like the members of the Education Board read the signs of the times readily enough and are keenly alive to the drawn sword, "retrenchment," which hangs over their heads. It is not Sir Robert Stout who wields this sword, though he convinced his constituents the other day that his ministry had actually made a saving of one halfpenny in the average cost of a policeman and on the strength of this magnificent economy claims to have achieved a substantial retrenchment. Sir Robert does not wave the deadly brand, it is public opinion which with irresistible force is insisting upon a real, palpable, all round retrenehment. In common with most settlers we hope the retrenchment Nemesis will spare our education vote, or if it touches, it will deal tenderly , with it, but in the present position of the Colony we are not prepared to say that any department of the Government shall be deemed sacred, and shall be exempted from the pruning knife. A real, determined retrenchment policy that will spare no person from the Governor downwards is the programme of the opposition as opposed to the sham retrenchment of the Government, which is to oost the colony a quarter of a million of money in extra taxa-

tion. We beh'eve.however, and ; hope that the essential points of our educa-> tional system ■will not be affected by any. economies that it may be'fouiid "necessary to practice, ■'.-"' , ;,; cf '