"OMNE SOLUM FORTI PATRIA."

Waikato Times, Volume III, Issue 115, 30 January 1873, Page 2

"OMNE SOLUM FORTI PATRIA."

THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 1873.

Some very Jitj-Je %reat men succeeded jn getting four hundred Auckland people together to discuss the merits and demerits of the Education Act. It was well known to all who attended that the meeting was cajled for the. purpose of passing condemnatory resolutions. Ip is gratifying to find tnat the designs of the meeting were defeated. The goo.d sense and respectability of fityqse who attended w,ere too much for the pofy ora.tqry of such men as Mr Olphert and Mr Staines. The former gentleman was put in the chair by the motiqn of the latter. It may be unnecessary, but nevertheless we cannot refrain from warning the chairman that he has not got into good company. He who was instrumental in placing him in the seat gf honour is one of those contemptible beings, neither possessed of brains nor education. Mr George Staines is a man who is beneath the notice of all classes of the. community. If there is one man more than another wljo merits the contempt of his fellows it is he who makes a little money and thereby fancies that he has raised himself a stage in the social scale above the class from which he sprang. Thcsq men are always as Mr G. Sfaines — mob-orators(in very bad English) — nominally the protectors of the poor man — actually the condemnpps of everything that is stable and respectable. Tffie shonld npt have dirtiec} our pen by writing the above individual's name except with the object of shewing the class of men who are opposed to the Education Act. How truly absurd it is t*> read the reportec} speeches even after correction by the reporters. The chairman, tyowe.yqr, had evidently gone to the meeting well "crammed " with the clap-trap of the hour. To one of our Auckland contemporaries was no doubt qwing much of the undigested food }]q vomited^ on the occasion. Let us see what lie had to say. He commences by putting three questions to the. meetng. — Ist. Was there a necessity for such a measure as the present Education Act ? 2nd. W-ere the inhabitants of the province ablp to bear an increase of taxation ? 3rd. Was the Act wisely framed and in a manner to meet the Educational requirements of this province ? We will as cursorily as possible reply to tne queries. As regards the first, there is not a man in the province who walks about with his eyes open who is not painfully reminded at every turn that we are not doing our duty. He must be aware that our children are, to a very great extent, growing up in ignorance, The necessity for legislation \a therefore apparent. The cry of excessive taxation, of which his second query is an echo, is beside the question altogether, inasmuch as it oi.ly applies to very few — the poor man without children. The pgor man with children will get them educated at less cost to himself than he can at [he. present time ; and the riuh man, or he who is in comfortable circumstances, can well afford to pay the tax. We say, therefore, that the n?o,p,le can pay the extra demand made on tt^eir resources. With iegard to the framing of the Act, we believe that it is the best that coijld have, been got through the Council. It provides the machinery for educating the people in the shape of a Board, the members of which have almost unlimited discretion, aud those members rank presumedly amongst the most intelligent of our citizens. If a Board, so constituted cannot do its work, the people of this Province are incapable of managing their own agai-rs. We trust that we shall have to comment on no more nonsense talked by men whose only vulnerable point is their trowsers popkete.

There was a full bench at Hamilton on the 28th instant to adjudicate in the case of E. Clarke v. James Martin. Plaintiff in this case was the schoolmaster of the Hamilton school, the defendant being the chairman of the present Board. It appears that the late Board went put of office owing thp plaintiff the mm sued for, £12 gs IQ4- The present Board were under the impression that the funds of tho ichool wero not available for the liquidation of the debt. The Bench were of a different opinion, and gave judgment for the amount of £10, and £4 15s costs. This decision was given on the grounds that the school committee, of which defendant was a member, had each signed an agreement to pay the sum for which judgment was given. We regret that in our last issue the accidental insertion of tho monosyllable "un" should have totally reversed our meaning. We allude to the little anecdote we related concerning the cage pj? R^hi v, Oilmore." It should have read " You have not been truthful " in place of "You have not been untruthful." Errors occur in all ephemeral publications, they therefore only call for notice when they happen to reverse a writer's meaning. We inserted the little story «o)ely with the object ot showing the venality of the plaintiff. Plans for tho construction of tho Provincial Government buildings th,at were destroyed by flro have been in course of preparation for' lome time by Mr Mahoney, architect. Various improy.oinents are suggested in the construction of tho new building, whereby the convenience of the public will be met. Instead of tho pigeon-hole system which has prevailed broad counter.* will run the length of a wide hall which will extend from Shortland-orescent to Fort-street. Frery facility will thus be afforded* for obtaining information «nd the purchase of stumps, *b. Too plana prepared by tho local architect are to be submitted to the Colonial Architect at Wellington for revision, tnd if approved of renders will be at once called for the work. ' " There is likely to be a moderate exodus from Auckland and the Thames to tho'new eldorado the Hikutaia. Already there aro a number of people wo understand on the, ground, and skeletons of buildings aro in course of erection. Hitherto, however, parties havo be,on finding their way there singly or in couples, but yesterday the first" chartered steamer was to leave Grahamstown, In a digger's mind, distance, always lends enchantment to the view, and more' than probably the old adage in this ease may be realised by tho diggers of " going farther and faring wqri^." }t is pretty certain that as yet no claim has been discovered qf sufficient richness to warrant anything like a, " rush." ' ' The General Government have acceded to the representations of the Superintendent and consented to pay the highway TOto forthwith. This is gratifying news to tho Highway Boards as tt will enable them without further delay to carry out projected works. The amounts duo to tho various boards will be paid as a whole. Advantage should bo taken of the summer weathat to push on' th« works contemplated." The first meeting of the mombers or tho Board of Health his boon coi.y «ned by his Honor tho Superindent for Monday next at his osoe. r W> hare been, requested to iuliinate that the memorial agreed to be drawn up tor signature re Railway, can be signed at tlift stores of Messrs Bell and Fitapatriqk of Ngaruawahia. ' «, W, Hammond, Ewfc, made his oath as a Justice of & **~£}Z!T*?1 W ' *»***<**> E**- J- P., at HarnUtx», mm UmSMi ias& iJ^Jv*" *?** Wanted coL'cctor to the of SfMwiralna Datnct &«rd.