The Westport Times. FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 1873.

Westport Times, Volume VII, Issue 1054, 14 March 1873, Page 2

The Westport Times. FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 1873.

The Central Board of Education, in considering <the report of the Committee on the question of certain modifications in the existing Education Act of the Nelson Province, have adopted the views of the Committee on both subjects, whereof the report treated. Such subjects were, first, the condition of the education staff, and the best means of improving its efficiency ; and, secondly, the more exact definition of regulations for religious teaching in schools. The former being rendered necessary by the ever increasing demand for efficient teachers in the Province, and the latter, while to some extent necessary to remove a certain ambiguity in the Act, which permits a considerable latitude of interpretation of the clause referring to religious teaching, may be considered mainly as a concession to public opinion. For the opinion has grown and strengthened, that the Board of Education should speak no longer with uncertain sound on this subject, but following the example set by all other Education Boards throughout New Zealand, give a vigorous and unmistakeable decision upon what is, in every essential point, a plain practical question. Eor carrying into effect the first resolution it has been decided by the Board that the teachers of the province shall be embodied as a service, wherein individual merit and efficiency will bo the test for promotion. As regards the details of this plan we cannot do better than quote from a recent article in the Nelson Examiner, evidently written by one having authority: —""The Board recommends that the local committees should retain the right of choosing teachers out of a number of candidates presented to them by the Central Board. Local interest in the management is preserved, and the public are at the same time guarded against personal and local likes and dislikes. The modo of working would be somewhat as follows: The whole of the schools and appointments would have to be classified according to their importance and the emoluments attached to them, and there would have to be further a classification of the body of teachers according to their attainments and efficiency. This duty would probably be performed by a Committee of the Central Board advised by the Inspector. The classification must of course be open to revision from time to time, inasmuch as new schools are continually arising,

and the importance of the old ones is subject to change. The teachers too are some of them advancing in skill, new men are occasionally entering the service, and others, from incapacity or irregularities, are forfeiting their position. It might be proper to allow the Inspector on his own authority to advance any teacher upon due examination from one class to a higher one, but no teacher should be reduced to a lower class except on the direct;authority of the Central Board. The schools and teachers thus -classified, whenever a vacancy occurred in any school the Local Committee would be supplied with the names of the teachers of the class eligible for the appointment. It would probably be necessary to allow or even require the choice to be made from the classes above, but never from those below the degree of the appointment to be filled. The <names of the highest class, containing teachers eligible for any appointment in the province, might be far more numerous than the teacherships available, and it would be but right to advance the standard, and quite unjust to exclude the best qualified men from inferior stations when superior ones did not offer. The question arose during the debate, whether the intention was to close the service against teachers outside the province and the existing staff. So far as the discussion went, there appeared no desire to carry out so narrow a plan. Probably there would be ample protection tor the claims of old servants against undue competition in the necessity of preliminary examinations ; and tests of efficiency before a new-comer could be classified in the upper ranks of the service. We conceive that the classes should be made pretty numerous if the system is to work satisfactorily." The question of greatest interest to the majority of our readers will be : In what respect will Westport benefit by such new regulations ? The reply from every one, who avoiding favouritism or prejudice, and willing to express a dispassionate opinion, cau but be that any attempt to remodel the public school of Westport on a better basis than now prevails will be a public boon and blessing. The need for radical reform is every day forcing itself upon public notice. What have we here ? A school building, good in some degree, but in too many respects deficient; a crowd of scholars within craving for knowledge but athirst; a crowd without, obtaining no education at all, or only such as anxious parents in their scanty hours of leisure may impart; a public teacher who howsoever good in former days should if the report of his superior officer is to be accepted as a reflex of actual facts, now for the credit of the profession that has so long yielded him emolument, retire in favor of a younger and more energetic man. To the Westport community, apart from all others, the purposed reform of the Educational System of the Province is of the greatest moment. Upon the second resolution adopted by the Central Board there is little to remark. This community has cause for exceeding thankfulness that excess of sectarian zeal has never yet stirred up the slightest bitterness of feeling or aroused the clash of conflicting opinions among those entrusted with the supervision of school matters. Thus the action of the Central Board will command hearty approval. The Board has defined that certain school hours in each day must be devoted exclusively to secular instruction, but the secular duties fulfilled, the school teacher is relieved from the grave responsibility of imparting religious instruction, and in the true spirit of Christian catholicity the Board throw open the school doors throughout the province to all spiritual pastors and masters who choose to enter and perform their especial and bounden duties.

At last the blessed rain has come, and pious aspirations doubtless ascend that it may keep coming down for a week. From present indications it does not appear that it will be of long duration, but, much or little, it will prove most welcome. The Hospital Treasurer has received from Mr A. D, Bayfeild a cheque for £l3 Os 6d, being balance of donations from the Exhibition funds, authorised to be handed over to the Hospital by the subscribers. A very seasonable gift in the present state of the Hospital exchequer. A special meeting of the Westport School Committee is convened for to-day. The particular business of tho meeting is set forth in the advertising columns of this issue. As if intended for a standing memento of the contemptuous indifference lately shown by Post Office officialdom towards the Westport public, the abandoned office in Cobden street, which has been of such great public utility, and might have yet rendered good service, is now left open to every wind that blows. A huge opening, where the private letter boxes formerly stood, affording easy egress and regress to all comers. It is a capital harbor of refuge for stray goats and pigs, and perhaps now and then a useful shelter for any wandering inebriate with the key of the street in his pocket and nothing else; but from an economical point of view the present neglect of the building looks very like a waste of Government Droperty. Half a dozen boards, and twice as many nails, would close the breach effectually. Latest news from the Anatori still speaks of a migration of miners from thence to the lvaramea. Jones' store has been removed, and Moffatt's store shifted up to tho lake, where some parties are holding permament claims. Mr Mackay, the Native Commissioner, has lately visited the Anatori reefs, and given directions for new tracks being cut. The great complaint of miners there has been the want of tracks. Gold is plentiful, but the swag work frightens the most brave hearted. Seekers after works of art, or rather artistic topics of works of art, will find at

Mr Vorley's Photographic Studio a rare and choice collection of photographs from original paintings, just received direct from Paris. As also a really unique collection of dainty fixings for photo portraits. All that good portraiture, and general excellence and. newness of design in mountings can achieve in obtaining perfection, are now at the command of Mr Vorley's patrons. The time for receiving claims of qualified persons to have their names placed on the Electoral Eoll, which will come into operation on the Ist of September next, will expire with the present month, and as the provincial elections must iof necessity take place before the end of the year, those who possess the required 'qualification should lose no time in sending in their claims to the respective Registration Officers. The qualification of an electox-is the possession of a freehold of the value of £SO, a leasehold of the annual value of .£lO, or occupying a tenement in town of £lO a year value, or in the country of £o a year. Birds of passage! The Carandini songsters paid Westport a flying visit yesterday. Coming in by the Charles Edward, from Grey mouth, at dusk in the evening, warbling their thrilling lays to a delighted audience at the Masonic, and then making ready to hie away this morning; but have for a while deferred their flitting, and will appear again this evening. In the District Court, at Reefton, held on the sth and 6th instant, Thomas Wilkinson, charged, on two counts, with a. misdemeanour under the Bankruptcy Act, in having obtained, three months prior to his adjudication, by a fraudulent pretence, certain goods, was acquitted in each case. The following insolvents obtained their final order of discharge;— Thomas Woolley M'Kenzie, Robert Preston Bain, John Prentice, Hugh Robertson, Richard Reeves, W. J. Sunderland, Patrick Colreavy, E. V. Kirby, and C. J. Gardiner. It is said that some of the river beach claims on the Matakitaki are paying from £lO to £l2 per week per man. After every flood fresh deposits of gold are lodged on the beaches, some of which have been worked six or seven times over. Mr Rebet, of Fern Plat, has arranged for a day's sport there on St. Patrick's Day, The programme will comprise hack racing and athletic games. Mr Mabille, of the Lyell, is preparing an elaborate map of the reefs, defining the lines and boundaries of the claims and leases on the Alpine Hill and Eight Mile, and also on the opposite side of the Lyell Creek. It will also show the alluvial workings. Messrs Brownlie and Hall, of Charleston, but who have lately been devoting their energies at Wanganui, to the establishment of a trade in preserved meats with the London markets, have so far succeeded that advices of their first shipment have been received at home, and are noticed by the Home News. Tnat journal of the 9th Jan. contains the following paragraph :—" New Zealand corned meat is being prominently brought under the notice of English buyers. There can be no doubt that if the quality of the article were once fairly established, an important trade would soon grow out of it. There is no reason why corned beef and tongues should not come over from New Zealand in the same prime condition in which we receive them from Taxes and other parts of America. Hitherto, however, the samples placed on the market, whether from Australia or from the rich pastures of Taranaki in New Zealand, have been so bad in colour and in flavour as to be almost unsaleable. The fresh attempt to which we have referred is being made by the Wanganui growers, and we understand that an experimental shipment of 300 casks is now on its way to England per Halcione. We sincerely trust that it will arrive in such order as to attract the market, and establish at once what must eventually prove a very important and lucrative branch of colonial trade." The Inangahua Herald of the Bth says : " We learn by telegram that two prisoners escaped from gaol at Hokitika yesterday whilst working in the hard labour gang. One is the notorious Chamberlain aud the other is named Levy. The Inangahua Herald says : —" Nothing has transpired in connection with the recent robbery at Anderson's offering any clue either as to the mining property or the identity of its perpetrators. According to the statement of an invalidfid woman who lives near to the machine house, she heard footsteps between one and two o'clock on Tuesday morning, and on looking out saw a man of short stature making his way in ihe direction of the machine house. Soon afterwards Mr Lockhead, aroused by the barking of a dog, saw two men, both of short stature, making their way by the back of his premises up the right-hand branch of tho Inangahua, each carrying a bundle which assimilated in appearance to copper plates rolled up. The directors, we understand, have forwarded the instructions for plates to supply the place of those lost. The Grey Argus of the 6th gives the following news of the forthcoming races:— "Of the five horses entered and accepted for the Jockey Club Handicap, Yatterina is in Greymouth, and Envy, Harlequin, Gossip, and Prima Donna left Christchurch for Grey last Sunday, while Dick Turpin is expected in the Rangatira. For the Hurdle Handicap, Septimus is training up country, Mozzle is in town, Harlequin and Commodore have left Christchurch together, and, as above, Dick Turpin is expected. The entries for the Goldfields Handicap are Septimus, Harlequin, Yatterina, Slander, Envy, Gossip, Prima Donna, Commodore, Lacenfeed, and, most probably, Dick Turpin and Creeping Jenny. Even if these last two do not come, there is a field of nine for the one event if a good handicap be made. The trotting race is sure to bring a good field together, one principal reason being that horses south of the Teremakau are not excluded, the stewards here not having yet adopted the dog in the manger policy. The number of horses to run on 17th and 18th of March will be twice as great as was ever before present, and their quality is the very best in New Zealand. The five accepted for the big money are all fliers, and the struggle of 1873 is likely to be long remembered among racing events on the West Coast. A correspondent writing to the Lyell Argus from the Upper Buller says:—ln consequence of the low state of the Buller river miners are at present busily and profitably employed in working ground which they otherwise could not. There, is a great extent of bush on both sides of the river which will pay well for cradling, some of it being even rich enough to pay wages by simply washing it with a tin dish. Some new ground has been taken np on a terrace about nine miles from Lyell, which prospects very well, so well indeed that it is the intention of the party to bring in water in order to work it. It is close to Paul and Archey's well-known claim, and is supposed to be the same inside run upon which they are working. There are many similar terraces alone the Buller river, which, if properly tritu, would be found to contain ground capable of paying good wages, as water can always be obtained with a little trouble. '

Westland, according to the Southern Cross, possesses the most complete and correct trigonometrical survey, and survey maps in the colony. In fact it is the only division of New Zealand where so complete and trustworthy a system of survey is to be found. The Cross predicts that lawyers will have ample revenge out of the land litigation which inaccurate surveying years ago is fated to produce in other parts of the colony. At a recent aftfcjng of the E. M. Court at Greymouth, in .several -of the civil cases heard, creditors claimed interest on their accounts at the rate of ten per cent, per annum. Mr lievell allowed the demands at the rate of eight per cent, which in some cases materially swelled the original amount. This is quite a new feature in West Coast practice. The Westland Gazette of the 22nd ult. contains the County Auditor's last report, which shows the Ccunty to be completely bankrupt, while the falling oif in the revenue, as compared with the half year ended 31st December, 1871, is lamentable. The total deficiency for the half-year is £6189 19s Si. The unpaid vouchers remaining in the Treausury at the end of the previous year amounted to .£5917 2s, of which £4OOO was paid out of revenue receivep in 1872. The new County Chairman has an immense lot of disagreeable duties to perform in remedying the errors or carelessness of his predecessors. The Colonist of the 4th says:—With pleasure we announce that there need be no further question as to whether the trout, some time time since placed in the Maitai, are multiplying ; a fine young one, about three inches long, having yesterday morning been captured near the Eeservoir; about sixteen others were also taken at the same time, and for safety removed above the dam.