TOPICS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume LXXXV, Issue 51, 1 March 1913, Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY

"Diplomacy failed dismally in its halfhearted effort to hinder Nations the outbreak of the at Grips. ■ Balkan War," wrote Dr. Dillon in the December issue of the Contemporary Review. "But the wind that blown out candles fans the fire, and it was precisely in consequence of that failure that it will now succeed in presenting a European conflict which would have assumed the dimensions of a world catastrophe." Since these words were published the war has taken various phases. There are now two campaigns '.— (1) The visible war, the Balkan League v. Tun key ; (2) the mostly invisible diplomatic struggle, of 'which the public receives only occasional peeps. > Austria is still keen to restrain Servia 'from anything like independent control of an Adriatic port, and Servia's latest reply to the Austrian attitude is a decision to send a strong force to aid the Montenegrins in the siege of Skutari. It is also reported to-day that the Porte, through Russia, has "tentatively offered to negotiate for peace with Bulgaria on the basis of the surrender of Adrianople." The Bulgarians are very anxious for this cession, especially as they must eventually yield some ground to Rtimahia, as the price of this well-armed State's neutrality, but the alteration of boundaries is not the only difficulty between Bulgaria and Turkey. The question of money indemnities will not be settled off-hand. Meanwhile, Rumania is pressing for Silistria. In a note nu the boundary line between Rumania and Bulgaria, Dr. Dillon wrote some weeks ago: — ''That such a frontier needs rectification is self-evident. Rumania would be sati'sfied^ if, besides the town of Silistria, she might annex the strip of territory enclosed between hey present southern frontiers and a, line drawn from the right bank of tho Danube, south of Silistria, to Kavarna, on the Black Sea. The villages on this territory contain no Bulgarians. They are inhabited exclusively by Turks, Pomaks, and Rumanians." lit Bulgaria settles with Turkey and Rumania, how will Greece fare in relation to Salonika ? Who will win in the larger tug-of-war of the Powers, the "pull" of the Germanic force against the Slav? The Powers themselves can only guess at the last stifle of the Balkan trouble. A few days ago ifc was feared that young folk, though Children and eager, as all boys and the Carnival, girls arc, for the fun and excitement of any Festival, were not doing a fair sharo in the preparations for the Easter Carnival. To-day the citizens are able to pass a vote of confidence in the younger generation, for yesterday nearly six hundred pupils of the State school's met in tlio Town ITnllto rehearse various pleasant exercises for a demonstration in Newtown Park. The little people, of largo enthusiasm, deserve praise for their response in the invitation. They promise to give one nl! the best F.nsler' "turns,"' and they will have tho hnppy consciousness of helping in one of the best causes, an enterprise lor their own benefit. Wo are very glad that the promoters mo taking pains to interest the children and to encourago them to cheerfully work with men and women fo? the common good. One cannot say too often that the bust result of tho carnival will not be ;t turn of monry, howc\rr large, for flip nwdud improvement ot public ie-eru'«. Tho best powible i. j .stir will be tin 1 l.iibin^ ot fi innct of fprvoui, UocfHl jiticlp oj pinci', \\ oi Iby dlizeiiship Uaca this pnirit is ci cited ou a large

scale, aid for sane projects for the public advantage will never be lacking. Wellington will have citizens glad to help : they will nob wait nor stand on ceremony ; they will conbider themselves unworthy of the term citizen if they do not make a stir for their city. This is the view to put befoio tin; 'boys ancl girls, the ratepayers and rentpa-yers of the future. Wellington has two well-known second- ' ary schools or colI he i Frec,-Placa legos— one for boys Problem. and the ottar for gills. Both institutions arc controlled by tht onu Board ol Governors— a board, which hn? a financial problem. The effect of thp fireplace system is naMually to iili both schools with pupils, who pay no fees. The Stale allowance is £10 a, head psr ! year, and this is not enough to ensiue thotougltly good secondary "edw&t;on in schools that arc nmlcr-stafled. Thp Wellington colleges a.ro helped by endowments, but it is contended tha*, with the gradual elimination of the "paying pupils" (whose fees, by the way, do not cover the cost of their education) the capitation, with the addition of other revenue, is not .sufficient lo ensure thorough instruction and training. The Boys 1 College has 448 pupils, "of whom are holders of free-places. At, the Girls' College 271 out of 347 pupLU.h-ivo free-places, anel ifc is complained that at lsa?L one girl, who was entitled to ft l"reo» place this year, was denied an opening till her _ parents agreed to pay. The authorities, with tho onus of keeping up the best _ possible educational standard, have their financial difficulty increasing from year to year. By present aig.is, the time seems neat when all the plucks Will be "free" (that is, wholly a cha^e on the general taxpayers). For the present the whole scheme — the examinations, the methods of application, anil financing — appears to us to be in a condition of muddlement. for which We certainly do not blame the Board .of Governors. A new order was fastened on the old regime, end the makers of ,the now order (somo years ago) did not provide for all the difficulties. A ( s soon as the Minister of Education (the Hon. James Allen) returns from _ England he will have this subject to give him some, busy days. Tho grossly anomalous relation' ship of t the primary to the secondary schools in the national system of education demands radical reform, i