The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1777, 24 November 1883, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Equ.il and exact justice to .ill men, Ot whatsoever st.ite or persuasion, religious or political. Here shall the Press the People's right maintain, Unawcd bv influence and unbribed by gain.

SA TURD AY, NO Y. 24, 1888.

I Tiik report of the proceedings of the meeting of the Cambridge School Committee on Monday evening last will, doubtless, have been read with much interest by parents and others concerned in the welfare and sue cess of the High School, which has but recently been opened there under such favourable auspices. The question of remodelling the teaching staff of the school has for sometime past been a matter of serious consideration. AVhen the High School -was started it was considered somewhat anomalous that a superior master should hold an inferior position ; or, to use the words of Mr Sargent's resolution, it was thought to be " detrimental to the best interests of the High School for an assistant teacher to be in a position to give instruction on subjects of which the head teacher cannot direct, examine or pronounce on their merits." Again — and this view was likewise forcibly represented at Monday's meeting — so long as this .state of affairs is allowed to continue, the prospect of c >ns>tant changes taking place in the assistant teacher.ship is cause of alarm. As in the case of Mr Wilson, a man of superior attainments could not be expected to hold an inferior position longer than he could help ; at least, the difference betweeen £150 and £300 per annum is such that it requires, on the part of the individual who refuses the latter for the former, an amount of philanthropy and regard for the public welfare at the .sacrifice of one's own interests seldom found now-a-days. If the committee wish to retain the services of a truly competent man for the Cambridge High School, they must make it worth his while to stay among them by offering both a superior position and a superior salary, but otherwise they can never expect to succeed. Another important matter dealt with on Monday evening was the question of corporal punishment as applied to girls. It was shown that numerous instances of punishment of an uncalled for severe nature had occured, the subjects being girls of a sufficiently advanced age to entitle them to more dignified treatment. Corporal punishment will never touch a girl's sense of right, and if she is so far beyond the reach of reason or advice as to require chastisement of the natui'e complained of, her case is irremediable indeed. In this connection it is only fair to say that the parents of two of the young ladies mentioned deny having made complaints. Their letters appear elsewhere in this issue Since our report of Monday evening's meeting has been before the public, the legality of the action of the committee in taking the step-! recorded, without giving clue notice in writing to its members, and acquainting them of the business to be brought forward, has been questioned. J3ve law 22 of the Education Act, says :—": — " The committee may recommend teachers to the board for appointment, and may also recommend the suspension or dismissal of any teacher, but no such recommendation shall be considered at any meeting of the committee unless notice in writing to the effect that such business is pro- j posed to be transacted has been addressed to each member of the committee three days at least before the meeting." It is quite evident this rule does not apply to Monday evening's proceedings, for at that meeting the proposition concerning the remodelling of tho teaching staff did nob in any way interfere with the appointment, suspension, or dismissal of a teacher ; it merely concerned his removal. There is a matter, however, which the committee, in recommending such a change, seem altogether to have lost sight of. Since it was opened, the High School has been attended with unexpected success, its pupils have made great progress, and the number on the roll has gradually increased. To the untiring efforts and ability of the present head teacher inusfc this be attributed ; and though he may not have attained the educational status required by the committee, the fact cannot be concealed that he has brought the High School pupils up to a standard which even the entire alphabe attached to the name of a college graduate could not well surpass

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between Cambridge and Lichfiekl, fie propriety of petitioning the Government to establish, say, a biweekly mail service between tho above centres ; but as yet nothing whatever has been done in the matter. Within the past twelve months, settlement along this lino of road has increased to a considerable extent, new country has been opened up, popula'.ion has increased, but still no facility has been given the settlers in the matter of postal communication, and the only convenience affoidod them in this res pect is a pissing vehicle or horseman. While the district has progressed in so mo respects, it has evidently retrograded inothnis, as two years ago a mail service to Oxford was subsidised, and a postoffice opened at that place. But this arrangement has now fallen through, and, so far as we can learn, nothing has been substituted in its stead. Some few days back, we stated that the manager of the Patetere Settlement Company, Mr Halcombe, was about to n'.ake the necessary arrangements for the establishment of a mail (coach) service, but up to the present we have not learned the result of his efforts. The road will now soon be open to Rotorua, when of course, a through mail service will be started, but we do not see why the settlers as far as Lich field should be subjected to an inconvenience until then. In the meantime, we have little doubt that the efforts and reprfsentations of Mr Halcombe, supported by those of other settlers, will be successful in procuring the necessary accommodation.

Thews appears to be some mystery about the working of the property tax not by any means easy to fathom. It ia generally understood that property up to the value of £o()0 is exempt from taxation, and that in filling in the returns that amount is deducted. Now two In others in the Te Awamutu distiict, trading as a firm, recently sent in the necessary form, deducting t.lOO from tlit" sum total ot the value of their property. The form was returned with the amount, " £<">00," after the word " exemption," struck out, and the woid " nil" substituted, and the following lucid nota. bone was appended: — "Exemption allowed to individual members of firm." Now if this means anything, it means that each of the brotheis will be allowed an exemption of £'.100, or -fi 1 000 for the both, but as Governments, and more especially the taxation departments, arc not celebiated for their unbounded generosity ; it is difficult to conceive what the note is intended to oomey. Another firm, similatly circumstanced, bave been treated in a like manner, though heretofore no demur whatever lias been m.ide to the exemption of £500 claimed. Perhaps if a polite note were addressed to the Commissioner, the conundrum would be solved.

We understand that the services to-morrow, at >S. Peter's Hamilton, and S. Htophen's Tiimahcrc, will bo taken by the Rev C. AL Nelson, of H. Paul's, Auckland, to allow the incumbent of S. Peter's to visit Nga.ruawnh.ia, Taupiri and Huutly, as they have been without a ckugyin m .since tlie lemovnl of the Xcv H. S. Davies to To Arolia.

We understand that the members of the (Jonms Dramatic Clul) will give theii no\t entertainment at the Oddfellow s' H.ill, on Tuesday, the 4th .December, to honoi.uy members and their fiiends. The pieces to be put in repiesentation aio "Al-uice," a musical drama, written and arranged by a member of the club, and the faice "A Silent Woman."'

The fencing in of Sydney Square has ne irly been completed by Mr Foirest, who is making an excellent job of it. We hear that it ib proposed to plant a hedge of hakea round the ground. This, in the cour.se of a few yeai s, will gh c a fence which will prevent any person outside from seeing what is going on inside, and .so enable the giound to be kept prhate if so required.

Tenders for laying the permanant way of the railway line from Hamilton to Moriinsville eloped yesteiday, and we underhand that several tenders have been .sent in for the woik. We tiust that the delay in accepting a tender will not be as great as ih usual with the Public Works Department in matters of this .sort, or work will not be started before the New Year. It is also sincerely to be hoped that the successful tenderer will lose no time in starting his work, and getting to a successful conclusion as rapidly as possible.

The demand for Te Awamutu cheese, we are happy to hear, has .so far exceeded the supply, that a local merchant has been obliged to get a parcel of Canterbury cheese, as his order to the Te Awamutu Factory could not be executed. All last season's stock, which was of tiist rate quality, has been sold out, and as this factoiy was late in making a start, it will be Clnismas at least before any nioie can be put on the market from here.

The committee of ladies who for some time past have devoted Thuisday afternoon to pieparing, &c, for sale on behalf of the funds ot S. Peter's Church, Hamilton, have now fixed a date, ] )ecenibei 12th, for the sale, and we understand a great quantity of very useful goods will be open for selection. On the evening of the same day a gift auction will take place, and for which the committee appeal to their friends in the neighbourhood for contributions. A good many have aheady promised donations of live stock, daily produce, fruit and vegetables. Nothing refused from an elephant to a bo\ of Holloway's pills.

The following special cable message* to the Vioss Association, dated London, Nov. 21 have appeared in the New Zealand Heiald : — The Fiench Senate, in Committee, by a large niajoiity rejected the piinciple of consequential transpoitation of lecidivistes Avheu not decreed by a Judge. — The French officials are of opinion that the decision of the committee will delay the passage of the recidiviste law for some months, and that the measuie is not likely to pass in its present form. — The Messageries Maritime? mails will in future leave Marseilles every fourth Wednesday. — It is reported that the death of M. de Brazza at Libreville has turned out to be false. — The northern shipowners have approved of M. de Lessens' proposed cnual concessions.— The French spies report that a garrison of 10,000 troops is at Bacninh.

The stewards of the Cambridge Jockey Club met on the stand on Wednesday, and discussed the best means of impioving the accommodation at piesent afforded. It was agreed to do away with the present steps, and carry the stand on down to the ground, this answering the double purpose of steps, standing or sitting room. Both the members' portion .of the stand and the public portion will be treated alike. As will be evident the contemplated improvement is much needed, and should afford sufficient grand stand accommodation for many years to come. It has also been decided to cut down the thick thorn fence at the left hand side of the course in older that an unbroken view may be had of the races from start to finish. Those who were present at Wednesday's meeting will remember how Jedwater's accident to obscured, and no one excepting the rider knew anything whatever about it.

The works at Crawfords Gully are not getting on bo lyell as might be wished. The engineers inform us that owing to the wet weather which we havo lately experienced, the difficulties of keeping the excavations open has been very great. A soft spot, too, was opened out m digging for the foundations, and this has necessitated altering, the, site for t the culvert, which will be removed some eight feet from where it was at first intended- to put it. It has also' been f ound necessary to take down v the temporary bridge 1 which" wasf^erectedj^aaT the ; j made ;grpufld|pns,\vhichjit i-'resl^wast gjvirig^Yayl

round the head of the culvert site, over which horsemen and buggios may pass in safety (providing their horses are staunch). It is a pity that the weather has not been more propitious, as the delay has been a most expensiyo ono to the contractors, Messrs J. Wilson and Co., as also to the board, who have to provide a foundation. It is to bo hoped that the weather will now hold up for some time. If it does so, laying the concrete will probably be started on Tuesday next.

At Thursday's sitting of the Wcsleyan Church Annual District Meeting at Auckland, the following business affecting the chuioh in Wailcato was transacted : — Permission was granted to erect the new church at Cambridge at a cost of £1000; the erection of a parsonage at Hamilton was sanctioned ; leave was given to bell a section of land in Hamilton West, the proceeds to be invented in the purchase of a new site. The total amount raised throughout the district for foreign missions, last year amounted to £133 l!)s sd. This is slightly in advance of the previous year, notwithstanding that a few of the circuits had failed to contribute anything, owing to local claims being of a pi essing nature. A discussion followed as to how the income of this important fund can be materially increased, in view of the increasing claims on the Australasian Wesleyau Foreign Missionary Society, arising from fresh openings presenting themselves in the South Pacific, and the discontinuance of assistance from the British Conference. Messrs Buddie, Hobbs, Edson, Harding, White, together with the chairman, the Revs. Hammond, Oliver, Gittos, Watkin, Bond, Spence, Dukes, and Wills took part in this interesting conversation. Finally it was proposed by the Rev. H, Bull, secretary, seconded by Mr T. Buddie, and carried unanimously, " That in view of the cessation of the grants from the Londou Mission-house, and at the same time the prospects of the extension of our foreign mission work in the islands of these seas, this meeting pledges itself to use its best endeavours to deepen the interest and increase the contributions to this fund in the several circuits in the district.' The secretary read the amounts which had been raised in aid of the supernumeraries' fund ; total, £217 7s. The following contributions to the Home Mi&sion Fund were leported from the various circuits : — Pitt-stieet, £234 17s Sd ; Mahurangi, £10 ; Giafton road, -Clio ; North Shore, £20 2s 2d ; Thomas, £40 ; Upper Thames, £1 ; Coromandel, £-1 ; Manukau, £35 ; Waiuku and Pukekohe, £13 5s ; Cambridge, £o Us 3d ; Hamilton, £11 10* ; Te Awamutu, £7 ; Raglan, £52 ; Kaipara, £94 o< (3d ; Paparoa, £12 3s Gd ; Wairoa, £10 ; Hokian^a, £50 ; Bay of Islands, £(3 7a 4d ; Whangaro.i, £11 7s ; Whangarei, £9 12s 7d ; £20 ; connexional propei ties, £103 9s lid ; interest on inve ->tnients, £112 , sale of Maori hymn books, £14 !K : total raised in the district, £1)5(5 11. s. The estimated income for ne\t year, £9(38 10s. > A proposal to u ithdraw the English minister from Raglan, and leave the work to the native teachers, was negatived. The following grants weie made :—: — (1\ Maori Mission, £854 Ss ; (2) Home Mission .stations, £00 ; (3) circuits, £240 ; (4) parsonage*, £S0 ; (5) furnituio, £80.