The Daily Telegraph. WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 1890.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 5890, 23 July 1890, Page 2

The Daily Telegraph. WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 1890.

It is exceedingly difficult (nays the Now Zealand Herald) to arrive at tho actual exI peuditure on education iv the colony, on nccount of the way tho accounts are kept, Instead of tho education report containing a clear and definite statement that the total expenditure on education is so much, divided amongst primary schools, secondary schools, university colleges, and tho University of New Zealand, tho accounts of the primary schools are given in one return, that of tho secondary schools in another, tho University of Utago in a third, the [ Canterbury College in a fourth, thu Auckland College in & fifth, the native schools in a sixth, and tho University of Now Zealand in a seventh. It is not for a moment to be supposed that this multiplicity of accounts is for the purpose of baffling and puzzling plain folks, who "want to know" how much we spend, but it has that effect. Taking tho expenditure ■ of last year we find that tho primary schools) cost in , round numbers £365,000. The inaome ' derived from tho High School endow- ' moultj is stated in tho Minister's report J {E—l, f. xvi.) to bo about £2.j,-iOO. The New Zealand University received a grant of £3000. Tho uativo schools cost ■ £10,770. Thu income of tho Otugo University from reerves, endowments, and interest wo xnnko £9150, but it may be a little more, as wo cannot understand some of the items. This does not include the ' Museum Reserve, nor is the income for this purpose included in that of Canterbury College. Tho accounts of Canterbury College arc mysterious, and so divided and subdivided that we do not pledge ourselves to accuracy, but as nearly aa we can discover tho receipts fur rents and interest amounted to £H,oS<>. In both Otago and Canterbury there are large arrears of rent due, ainouutu,sr to several thousands of pounds. Auckland receives a grant of £4000, and from other sources £700, making a total of ,€47 OiL The uross total amounts to . C 135,027. It costs every man, woman, and child in tho colony more than fourteen shillings per ;unnim for education. It costs as much as the property tux, j the beer duty, and the registration and other fees produce, for education alone. We ra-y often hear of tho bloated officialism that rufes tho colony, and there .ire unquestionably too nutiiy officials, but the whole of the Colonial Secretary's department, of tho Minister of Justice's department, and of the Postmaster-General's department (including telegraphs and telephones) are only estimated to cost as much this year as was spent on education last year. That is to say wo can work all tho apparatus of tho post olfioo, including the subsidies of ocean mails, all tho innumerable offices centred in the Colonial Secretary's department, and all the courts and jails, for tho same sum that education alono will cost us. Tho taxpayers of Great Britain pay about httlf-u-crown each per annum for education ; we pay between fourteen and fifteen shillings. Wo have not included in this the cost of reformatory schools, because we look on them as rather part of the apparatus of justice than fnirly to bo considered educational. Our Auckland contemporary then exposes the extravagance and folly of maintaining some of the higher educational institutions of tho colony, us follows :—Something considerable might Le saved by coloniulising all the endowments, &c, now employed in .subsidising tho High Schools, Colleges, and University of Otrtgo, and devoting the proceeds to the reduction of tho vote ior primary education. But there would be great difficulty iv doing this. The howl That would arise from Canterbury and Otago would bo enough to appal I be Htoutest-hcartod statesman. They would, probably, threaten separation, and petition the Colonial Oflico to be erected into tin independent colony. No Ministry lms_yet held office strong enough to face a muted Otago and Canterbury opposition. And it v/ouid be united. Not v. man would dare to vote on any mtet-tiou with a Aim:.-lr.\ that should commit suoh an atruoiuii:' act <-i wickedness as to lay their baud* «« Education endowments of tw«» JUl .' > iru >-t few non-matriculated pupils. 'ihere i s ' a class for mineralogy, mining, mining geology, petrography, determinative mineralogy, ami gouem geology. They havo also classes for zoology, anatomy,

biology, practical biology, physiology, and I botany ! Now how the lecturers in these various subjects manage not to intrude upon each others province, is a curious sub- ■ ject for enquiry. It would be interesting to know where the lecturer on physiology ends aud the lecturer on biology begins, and where ho draws tho lino between practical biology, and biology which may bo treated as unpractical. Tbo salaries of the professors are six hundred a-yoar, class fees, and a beautiful house, for six months' work, und six months' vacation. It is distressing to find such paltry pittances given for such grinding toil. The Canterbury College men share the same hard fate, but have considerably less to do. On one occasion, it is related, a visitor wished to see one of tho professors, and was solemnly informed by the porter that tho professor waa giving his lecture to his class. Expressing a wish to hear the lecture, the visitor went up to the class-room, and found the professor lecturing to one student!