ANGLICAN CHURCH SCHOOLS.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15731, 26 October 1916, Page 9

ANGLICAN CHURCH SCHOOLS.

TO THE EDITOR OF "THE MESS."

Sir, —As tho resolutions arrived at by tlio Synod of tho Anglican Church regarding tho education of her children and the training of her clergy have a deep interest, for overv section of the community, I make no apology for drawing attention to a letter bearing on this double-barrelled problem in education which I contributed to tho Bible-in-Scliools controversy just before the war broke out. Tho letter I refer to you woro good enough to publish in your issuo of July 9th, 1916. In it I commended tho suggestion that tho Bible-in-Schools question was to bo solved, not by imposing tho burden of tho instruction on unwilling State school teachers, but by securing the loving service of a body of Sundayschool teachers duly qualified for their high office by a suitable course of training in a Normal Training College, an<i I ventured to express the opinion thievery minister of the Gospel should, as a necessary preliminary to ordination, give evidence of his ability to teacli Biblo lessons to young classes. To tnis expression of opinion I added tho proposition that if tho Churches were ever to regain their hold on the life of the people it would only be brought about by devoting a much greater portion of their labours to tho education of tho young. I further said it seemed as if there was some advance in this direction at Home, for it had been determined that the Anglican clergy shor.ld now bo taught elocution and reading without tears, and I supplemented this .statement by quoting an item of new-? from "The Times" to the effect that in r. recent Convocation the Right Rev. Prelates of the province of Canterbury, at the instance of tho Bishojts of. London and Bristol, carried a resolution requiring that, the proper uso of the natural voices should bo made a necessary preliminarv to ordination. Evidently New Zealand is alive to the new development in the Old Country.— Yours, etc , L. B. WOOD. Fendalton, October 2oth, 1916.

Tho expense of administering German Xcw Guinea for the year ending Juno 30th arc returned at £110,000. This is an item that calls for soinoexplanation (says the Sydney "Daily Telegraph"). Tho sum seems exceptionally heavy, and ii it is to go on there will soon be a big debt piled up against this acquisition that may largely discount its value to the Commonwealth. But how is all ihe money being spent? Certainly we are now in forcible occupation of the territory; but tho Germans havo at present no more chance of retaking it than they will ever have. So, if it costs this much to hold tho place now, when may wo expect materially to reduce the expenditure? Papua has just begun to pay its own littlo way, because it started with no debt to speak of; but if tho other part of the island, with the adjacent territory, which is to »?omc to us as a war legacy on top of the expenses of its capture, is to heap up debt at the rate of £110,000 a year with interest and compound interest, ifc will mean- that we have captured another tropical white elephant. AVe arc not saying that any_ of the expenses incurred in connexion with this small clearing in a big jungle havo been unnecessary or avoidable, but it- is certainly time that a thought was {riven to the question.of keeping them down until we have some more definite idea of how the place is to be settled and what we mav expcct for the money."