CORRESPONDENCE.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 220, 18 September 1888, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

Gas.—" A Consumer "suggests that Auckland should follow the example of Christ* church arid Dunedin and establish muriioi^al 'gasworks... i; '";. . Techhical) EoriCATION. -r-Mr_ Joseph Culleri writbs expjreEisihg the;, opinion that " The education system as it is now, plabed within the reach of all, has produced a large dependent class, and swelled the ranks .of cierkdbm _'; arid not, as the-founders of the system thought, raised, the masses to a higher and improved social and independent position. The keenness of com^ petition in the gen teel wiilka bi cinlployment, arid consequepb, .dissatisfaction of one's lob in life, give birth: to those bitter class distinction^ arid greater impetus to those pernicious Socialistic dQC; trine_ which are traceable;to the present manner in which education is diflused. Likewise, to the, same causprcan be attributed the absence of the agriculturist—rthe backbone of society. Oiir education system is too bookish, more calculated to raise a people of savants and, drones than prbducers. In comparing the results of our own costly system with that of foreigfri jcouritries, jyp find; ourselves Iri ■ the babk■ground. . We mtiab be pracbical in our teaching, and train the hands as well as [the betid; in a. word, w.e- must introduce technical instruction into our schools, and make ib as •necespary a parb of the curriculum as othor subjects are recognised to be.'* Our corres\Pottderit thinks the technical classes held at the Nelson-Btreet School are a step in the right direction, and the promoters ought not to be discouragbd by thte, paucity in the attendance. He believes the classes iriight soon be made: _elf-Sup-porting .by the sale of the work done by .pUpilS. .;. ' _ _ ,i _~. f ' ;.-. Fb.ee Tbade.-—Mr J. C. Macleod, Opotiki, endorses Mr J. Aitkeri; Connell's remarks about free trade, and BayB:~" I for one should feel much indebted to any intelligent advocate of.protection for* clearly showing the right of : any , person, trade, locality, or production of, "any _ kind 'to special protection,' by which means others wotild'be hancticaipped, if not enbirelyJex> ■eluded." ~.' •' - . t : ;pßE3Eßv__tGEdo3.—''ACbhstaritßeadfer'' , asks some one to furnish him with the best recipe for preserving eggs. The Bankruptcy Act--.Mr jj, t. King declares that '.No Abb lias ever,; been such '. a disgrace to the Statute Book as the present Bankruptcy Act; it is an inducement to society to become reckless, arid it b-fets a premium to every honest mari to become a rogue^ Por no one who chooses to be dishonest need pay hisi debts because the Adt protebts them." He thinks that bankrupts ought to be registered like bills-of-salei and concludes :," A continuance of this Act wi'l destroy morality, bteak down the .walls of. society, aiid sap the ioi!mdation of our Bpcial Bystem to its vei'y bottom." U "

. Whabf 3?o]BT_Bß;r—A Jjasseriger -by :a Union eteatner States :" Gn arrival at the wharf I Wasniuch disgusted with the rbgulatione on the:wharf, with handcartmen, expressmen, and hotel touts bawling arid singing out,- which is iibb- allbwed in any other port in the whole of the colonies;- -71 | think the Harbour Board or pplice'pught to pub a stop to it!," ■ ' ;''' ;..;: Pollok ~Settlement ;—A. correspondent whohas made a ehoft ,etay. in the above settlement, iot the benefit of his/ health, writes : '•;" I believe itwbrild; bb d_fnotilttb find a more healthy place;" He defecribbfe the pleasu-b he derivbd: frorii? srieridirig an evening with the lbcal Mutual Improvement Society. ScpMOF ApOKtfANi).—^'Not Orio of, the Scum " writes warmly from Eern Flat, Mon-' gonui; with regard to the strictures, made m-the Houso of Representatives: bj» Mr R. Thompson on the village settlers. He isays :—" Now, sir, I. dbn'b know Mr■ : R. j Thpmpsonj bub I will, tell him this, that there are men, in the settlement from; -which I write this'who aro .quite aS respeotible as Mr;R. Thompsbn is himself, arid that when he atbempted. tb brand . the settlers in the way he did, he exhibited bis ignorance of the; subject he was eipeakirig abbut, arid his stupidity;, in maligning people whom he never know, arid doesn't know'anything at all abouti" , ; r|

'-' Olp Mkn's Refuge.—"Common Sense" observes: "Havingbeen.reading with a good deal of interest the letters arid abcounts .of the n-eetihg-re Old Men's Refrige; 1, beg;td' say that the present site: is extremelyvun: •suitable for'varibris reasons in riiy humble opinion. It has often come to-my i personal knowledge that some of the inmates sit aboub- in the Dbtriain and beg frorii passers-by, arid in timo get enough to go on the spreo ; returning, tney are an annoyanco bo all concerned. Wow, if a ■farm could bo established about five mileß from town (on the Kaipara lino, as land is cheap arid aodeusible tbere) ( would it not be better! in : all respects than either of the E resent sites in view ? A farm might also b isbarted.in this neighbourhood as a sort of wdrlthbuso farm for men unable to. obtain employment for a,t. me» andi so do away with bagging or hawking from ,door tb dbor, or starving;! ■: ■