THE SCHOOLS A WEAK SPOT.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1792, 3 July 1913, Page 4

THE SCHOOLS A WEAK SPOT.

HIGH ; TELEPHONE CHARGES. Mr. Selwyn Chambers writes from Kopanga, Havelock North,, directing particujar attention to the room for improvement in the education system. He says:— i I.—Many of the schools are good, and doing pood work, but, I think tie education given shonld turn out mor© practical men and women. It seems to me the ; training in the public schools tends to make too big-a proportion of the boys and girls look down upon manual labour. The girls do not [get sufficient training in domestic economy to make'them fond . of home life; consequently, when they leafe school, they ;think they are moro suited for office work and telephone exchanges than foT life in the hoipe or < on the farm. Too'many..boys'go to the towns, and take office work or do duty brftind the counter. Almost anything but "dirty" their hands. It is surprising how few can write i a good letter. 2.—'The returns are good, but would probably be better , with better distributing facilities. I am only speaking of,live , and dead stock. ; 1 ' 3.—The railways might bo better, and if run oh more businesslike lines would probably oret more: to do. If the public, school syllabus included the teaching of civility it would be very useful to somo of the railway servants. The roads in this district are, on the whole," good, and in some cases traction by road competes with t.he railways. 4.—The postal service, is very good indeed.. The telephones are very good also, but very expensive. I am just five miles from a good exchange, and am usintr about 21 miles of Government wire and 2i miles of private wire. I pay £10 a year for the use of the.telenhone and 21 miles of . wire. The .cost of erecting 21 miles of wire on posts strong enough to carrv a dozen wires was only about <£35. The charge of .£lO per annum seems too high: ; 5.— I The shows are of direct benefit. I think more';.'machinery should, 1 b? exhibited. - fi.—The Agricultural Department oertairlv has been of very great Benefit, but I think thsre are hundreds of farmers who do not make (food use of the Department ; in fact, know verv little about it. I think, the many excellent publications the Department furnishes are not well enough known. . Could not many of these publications be on sale at country post nffices? 7.—Co-operation is doing a great deal. There is room for better organisation. B—go f ar as I know the renters of farms her? ar'e all doing well, with ■ the exemption of some of the settlors on one settlement— Tongoib. ' 9, —great deal less, cropping has been dona In recent years, because of tho sc' T citv of suitable labour. 10.—So far as I know the conditions are good, .and reneral living rmditions hav improved of late years. Wages aro Educate th« youn>» country people in such a way that they will want to Temain in the country districts. Tench them to love the country, and country life. Show them how t.hey oan increaso their incomes by properly working even a snail section. Teach .thenu, to make the land nrodnce as many of th» necessaries of life as it is possible to get out of it. and buy as little as they can. If we all took advantage of what the land. ■ will produce, we should not complain so much about the cost of living.