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Waikato Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 2654, 16 July 1889, Page 2

The Young New Zealand party have adopted as the chief planks of their politieal platform. 1. Opposition to any attempt to make the colony liable for loans of any local bodies. 2. Careful watching of the Harbour Bill, and opposition to furtlier borrowing by Harbour Boards, in eases where'heavy expenditure does not appear to be warranted. 3. Opposition to any borrowing on the part of .the colony (for a considerable period) and opposition to all proposals tending to create- a ■ necessity for such borrowing. 4. The establishment of a more thorough system of local Government. If the party will add as another plank, the reversal of the present railway poliey of revenue—production to one essentially in the interest of laud settlement, and will aet up to the lines of their platform thoroughly and patriotically, they will win the sympathy of the country.

The reports of the various school inspector's have been presented to the House. The tone of the reports is, on the whole, of a satisfied kind as regards the general work done, but complaints arc made which indicate that the system of instruction is, as yet, Ly no moans perfect, and that the result on the children is too artificial, nut sulliciently capable of permanent benefit. We will leave this phase of the subject to be dealt with more fully at some future time when there is more space at our disposal. In the meantime we cull the followiug extracts. The first is from Mr Goodwin's report on the schools in the southern division of the Auckland Education District, which confides with views recently expressed by us. Speaking of the teachers he says :—I wish I could say that they all possess natural aptitude for the work they have chosen ; u".fortunately some have taken to teaching as a business, " because it seemed as good as anything else," as one remarked to me. Such" persous will never really excel, though by constant practice they may at last arrive at some degree of mechanical skill in lesson-giving and school-keeping. Inspector Ficllcr says:—Some of the schools were in charge of teachers who had had very little traiuiug in the art of teaching. The niauagemeut of some was marked by want of energy, of thoroughness, of attention to detail, etc. Speaking of technical institution, Mr Kidler also says:—Very few teachers take up agricultural chemistry as part of the work ; many art, prevented by want of apparatus. Tl.is dilliculty could be overcome. Mr .T. Grey, of Auckland, has made up complete sets of apparatus and chemicals to illustrate Johnson's Catechism of Agricultural Chemistry, at a tntnl cost not exceeding £3 10s a sot. Could not country committees, where teachers desire to take up this subject, obtain the Hoard's sanction to purchase sets out of the school funds?