CHRISTCHURCH NOTES.

Evening Star, Issue 13016, 10 January 1907, Page 4

CHRISTCHURCH NOTES.

[Special to the Star.]

January 10. The grass fire on Glcnmark Estate, North Canterbury, was only subdued in the nick of time. Had it crossed a watercourse nothing could have saved the homestead. About 500 acres of grass and tussock and some 300 sheep were destroyed. The proprietor talks of claiming damages from the Railway Department. The "rainfall for last December (99in) is below the average of the previous twentyone years (1.70 in). The numlier of days on which rain fell was three only, about onethird of the averago number, and is the lowest- number of days recorded 1 during this period. The mean shade temperature (61.1deg) is about the average temperature for this period, and has only been exceeded by seven Decembers during the past twentyono years. Mr H. W. l'eryman, wlm> for twenty-six years was a member of the Education Board, has returned from a visit to England. He visited a numter of Schools in Wiltshire and Cornwall, as well as several in London covering ordinary public schools and church schools. He did not see that North Canterbury and New Zealand wove behind in any important particular. In some respects they are distinctly ahead. He saw no school buildings tliat were better suited for their purpose than our buildings. Some of the buildings were right up to date, but the furniture and interior fittings were not up to date at all. The schools were not using dual desks, though in some cases these were about to bo introduced, and they were behind our schools in tho matter of the supply of maps and such-like appliances for instruction. The methods employed by teachers did not seem to embody any now ideas of value. H© thinks fairly extensive alterations will be made in the English Education Bill. The Government will have to give way on some points. He took Home copies of the annual report of the Canterbury Board of Education, and a person, associated with educational matters is taking steps to place the salient points of our system before tho bishops. He supplied nil tho information he conld in regard to the powers ttnd functions of school committees and other details.