The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo. MONDAY, JULY IS, 1910. EDUCATION AND THE STATE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 168, 18 July 1910, Page 4

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo.

MONDAY, JULY IS, 1910. EDUCATION AND THE STATE.

Wot the cause that lactca assistance, For V.ic icronr/ mat needs For the future in the distance. And the aood thai tbe cea, da-

We have received from the Mayor of Ohristchurch a copy of a report recently presented by him to the Hoard of Governors of the Christchurch Technical College, of which lie is chairman, dealing with a matter which should receive the earnest consideration of all interested in educational affairs throughout the Dominion. Vila technical classes tin Christchurch have been very successful, and as additional buildings are required, the Governors of the College recently applied to the Education Department for a special grant. The Minister for Education's reply was to the effect that in his opinion the time has come, to throw part of the expense for public education upon Uie lfK-al rates. Mr. Fowlds suggests " the gradual adoption of a pound - for - pound basis in respect of grants in aid of building for technical instruction," and though

lie apparently is not yet prepared to apply this principle everywhere, he thinks that Government has already done so much for technical instruction in Christ-churc-h that lie is justified in declining to give further assistance.

Now, the meaning of this communication from the Minister to the Mayor of Christehnrch is quite unmistakable. As .Mr. Alison says, the policy it sets forth is new in two respects—firstly, it makes the future prospects oF Technical Education depend chiefly upon the willingness of the local authorities to levy rales to maintain it; secondly, it differentiates between Technical Training and other forms ol Education as to the support due to them from the State, and it leaves the amount of this support practically dependent upon the arbitrary will of the .Minister in charge. We agree entirely with Mr. Alison that it would take a great deal of argument to justify such radical changes as these in the

Education system of which we New /jcalandexs are justly proud. So long a3 it is an accepted principle of our public policy that the State should provido educational facilities for the people, we can see no reason or excuse for the course that Mr. Fowlds now proposes to adopt as Tegaxds this special form, of education; and the discretionary power that he has claimed in this matter would certainly introduce a highly objectionable and dangerous feature into our departmental administration.

•So far as the value of technical training is concerned, we agree with the Christehurc-h Board of Governors that such institutions as Technical Colleges deserve the utmost encouragement that our limited means will allow. The importance of technical colleges and the beneficial effect they exercise upon tho commercial and industrial prospects of the communities that establish and support them, 'have been generally recognised throughout Germany, America, and England; and we cannot afford to fall 1)0111™! the rest of the world in the race for general efficiency. It is therefore hard to see why Government, which is showing a highly commendable desire to assist higher education in all its forms here, and has given or promised generous'aid to the University Colleges at tie four chief centres, should make this arbitrary distinction between such institutions and the Technical Colleges. As 'Mr. Alison points out in his report, technical classes arc aH-important to the workers and l to the great mass of the people to whom, the academical side of Universitytraining does not appeal. Why then should the State divest itself of responsibility for this extremely important -'and farwrea-chung dfrrm s*f education?) As to the suggestion that Christchurch, I for example, should tax itself to keep its Technical classes going, at must be remembered that the classes at the Technical Colleges are drawn from all parts of each provincial district, and it would 'be impossible to adjust any system of local rating so as to throw an equita/ble share of the Tmrden upon each portion of the district benefiting by the outlay. But this phase of the question, is of small importance compared -with the general principle that the State having taken up the duty of providing 'Education in all its forms for the people should not discriminate against any single type of training, more especially so valuable and important a feature of the system as technical training- And we need hardly add that Mr Fowlds' proposal is, in our eyes, rendered even more objectionable 'by 'his •intention -to vest in the Minister for Education the right to say that Government has done enough for technical training in any given town, and that it will do rio mor^-