THE COMING ELECTIONS.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 2862, 15 November 1890, Page 4

THE COMING ELECTIONS.

TO THE KDITOH

Sill, —At the approaching election contests members ot a conservative frame of mind will very likely have to stand a heckling upon the popular fallacies now prevailing. With your permission I will endeavour, as far as lies in my power, to let a little daylight into these political cries. In this letter I will show that though education is a good thing, it, like every other thing if we have too much of it, becomes an evil. My next letter will bo to show that the popular cry af men instead of sheep is a mistake, and that now we would be better if we had more sheep and fewer men. My third letter will be to show that individually it would add to the people's wealth, and collectively make the country more rich by granting largo estates say of 500,000 acres at Is per acre to rich men individually or to rich companies. As I have already said, I will take education for my subject io this letter. '100 .MUCH EDUCATION AN EVIt,.

Sir, —A man or woman who has no education is much to be pitied, for they are Buffering from a want which cannot bo overcome, and New Zealand, in its great wisdom and justice, so fur as education is concerned, passed an Act that every child should be educated. Now the principle of this Act and the foundation upon which it rested was that every child, without exception, should be elucated. That principle has been departed from, and in its place has arisen a system, and under which system many children have not been educated, not even having been taught the alphabet, in fact many children since the Act has been passed and put in force hava not been taught that A B is A 13. It will be said that I am mad to think that two or three children in an outlying district should have a teacher to themselves. It will be 3aid that the country could not afford it; but I say tho education vote could bo much reduced, in fact there could be great retrenchment in that vote and still do as I say, that is have tlieae tw-j or three children educated. To have those children educated Bay up lo and including tho -Ith standard it would not require a school houso and a teachers' dwelling house ami a teacher at £120 per annum. A small sum, say £10 per year tor each child would do. I say do away with tho higher education and you will be able to do this and still have retrenchment in the cost of the education vote. For every outlying child which would cost Mia i'lo there jure four who are under the present system costing thirty, forty or fifty pounds per year. Mr Editor, tho present Education Act in its inception was that every child should bo educated, but as it now is it is all abuse, and I will show that this luxurious education will destroy and disorganise society. _ What is the primary foundation upon which society lives, moves and has its being? It is production. It is necessary that there be nonproducers—a certain number of non-pro-ducers is necessary. By non-producers I refer to such as are doctors, lawyers, bankers, editors, schoolmasters, and many of other occupations which are not included in the production of the primary products upon which man lives. These are food and clothing. But if there is an undue propoition of these non-producers, these few or many, as may be, aro kept up and supported at the expense of tho producers, and if nearly all, as it now is becoming in New Zealand, bo non-producors, it is quite evident that in New Zealand society would soon destroy itself. T will give you an illustration of how it is now hero by overeducation. Suppose it takes a thousand navvies to make a railway, how could the railway bo made if thero were 999 gangers to one navvy'; Tlwt is what our luxurious education is doinir for us in New Zealand. Eor overy producer wu are going to have 999 doctors, .schoolmasters, lawyers, editors, politicians, not forgetting rogues, who may get up bogus companies and mining indies, fur (.(Inc ited men must live, and if thero are no legitimate employments they will produce illegitimate employinonts, and live liy their wits. There are many lawyers in Auckland, perhaps two hundred. Half u dozen would be sufficient for all the legitimate work that there is to do. The other lill must live by creating work that is devouring us by devilment. These 194 extra lawyers may each have cost the country £100 for their education, so that we, by our luxurious education, have 11) 1 lawyers who are not needed, and who have cost £19,400 to make them lawyers. We have, at the cost of the country, given £19,-100 to men to enablo these same men to devour us and destroy society. £100 for each is not an over-estimate, if £200 is an over estimate, if it now is it soon will not bo so, for I think that it is not an over-estimate to say that Auckland is producing lawyers it the rate of one each month. My cure is stop all subsidies to education above the fourth standard, no matter in what shape or form the subsidies are given.—Yours truly, T-T A I? \T>FT»F Harapepo, Nov. Ith, 1890.