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Evening Star, Issue 17032, 1 May 1919, Page 4

As a result of the Great War a spirit of unrest and lawlessness Education: seems to have taken More and Better possession of the world. Education. From all quarters come reports of strikes, riots, rebellions, and revolutions. In some countries these disturbances are accompanied by pitiless cruelty, misery, hunger, starvation, and wholesale murder. The masses seem to be groping in darkness, seeking for something, they know not what. From this almost universal state of chaos how is order ever to be evolved? There is but one answer to this question, and it is that every country must, as speedily as possible, provide its people with more and better education. Had Russia enjoyed it he benefits of free and compulsory education, even for a quarter of a century, together with a reasonable measure of democratic government, that once great empire would not be in the pitiable plight we find it 'to-day. And had uofc Germany taught in her schools the devilish doctrine that "might is right " there would have been no World War. Slow as this process of universal education may be, we can see no other way of securing a universal and permanent peace and the longed-for brotherhood of man. The tidal wave of democracy now slowly flowing across the face of our planet can never be brought to a permanent standstill; it can only be temporarily delayed. The opposition of absolutism, militarism, capitalism, clericalism, or any other force can only temporarily stay the flow of this all-embracing and irresistible wave. If, then, as we firmly believe to be the case, the future form of all governments will be "of the people, for the people, by the people," the safety of the world depends upon the creation of educated democracies. By more education we do net mean that more subjects should be added to the curricula of primary school systems. Already there are, in most cases, too many. What we mean is that school education snould cover a longer period of the life of everyone capable of taking advantage of rfc. Education should be free and compulsory, not to fourteen, but to eighteen years of age. It should also be free beyond that age for those who can qualify for the privilege. Every help and encouragement should be given to the formation of branches of the Workers' Educational Association and to University Extension lectures. By better education we mean that there should be provided an adequate supply of highly educated and thoroughly trained teachers—men and women who will not bo satisfied by simply passing examinations and gaining degrees and certificates, but who will continue to be enthusiastic students and workers in the cause of educational progress. Classes must be reduced to a reasonable size, buildings and furniture improved, and ample playgrounds provided. All this requires money, and much money: but this in- I creased expenditure must be faced, nnd the money necessary must be found. England fully realises the urgent neces- J sity for more and better education. Last I year, in the midst of war, there was passed by the British House of Commons the greatest and most progressive Education Bill ever known in the history of the Mother Country. The effect of this liberal measure may be shown by the following few figures : —The estimates of the Education Committee of the London County Council for 1919-20 amount to eight and a-half millions. The salary bill for London primary echools alone amounts t0,£4,193,680. Dr Scott Liggett, speaking on these estimates, is reported as saying: "I glory in tho expenditure of eight and a-half millions on education, and I have no halting apologies to make." Another member of the committee, a well-known educationist (Mr Headlam), said ho wished to emphasise the need for not only a liberal but a lavish expenditure on education. In nearly every State in America largely increased expenditure has been authorised. France is paying special attention to educational reform and improvement. " To come nearer home, New South Wales last year voted £50,000 for the purpose of bringing the salaries of teachers in the smallest of schools up to a minimum of £156 a year. Since then a further vote of £IOO,OOO has been made, and a new and more liberal general scale has been gazetted. New Zealand cannot afford to lag behind anv other country in this important matter. Let everyone, therefore, who has at ' heart the welfare of our Dominion help and encourage the Minister of Education 1 in his efforts to provide more and better education from the kindergarten to the I university. _______

At 5.10 p.m. yesterday the City Fire : Brigade received "a call to a four-roomed house in Melbourne street, South Dun- , odiu, owned by Mr C. Le Page and occupied by Mr I>. Adcock. It appears that Mr Ad'cock was putting petrol on a fire, when the flame shot back to the tin. He succeeded in kicking the tin outside the i door, where the flames slightly charred , the outer wall. The South Dunedin. Brigade -turned out smartly, and were ' first on the scene, having a shorter distance to go. The damage is "estimated at about £2. The City Brigade received a call at 4.8 this morning to a fire in Messrs R. Hudson and Co.'s factory. A number of cases in the yard had caught. The flames were quickly extinguished and ' ho serious damage was done. I The Eastern Company regret that for the present all commercial traffic from the . United Kingdom is still much delayed, owing to interruptions of cables, causing ' congestion, but they have arranged that Homeward full-rate cables from ISew Zea- ' land will arrive in the United Kingdom • in 2A hours. They hope that delays both II ways will soon fce normal..

r! The returning officer (Mr Q. A. Levin), 0 his deputy (Mr R. A.-Johnston), and all I e their, staff of assistants deserve a mark of ; , thanks for the promptness with which the j results of the four elections were an- i " nounced last evening. It was a big undert taking, exceedingly well envied out. The 3 scrutiny and recount of *tlte votes commenced this morning, and it will probably j be next Tuesday before the official results , are given out. Tho Mayor-elect (Mr W. j " Begs) will take up the duties of office next 1 Wednesday. r to the shipment of frozen meat, it is stated * that for April, May, and Juno some 50 - steamers with insulated space will be c placed at the disposal of the Dominion. The aggregate insulated capacity of these steamers is 9,000,000 cubic feet. Tho " Prime Minister is careful to state, howB ever, that the allocation of this spaco is s provisional, as the movements of vessels are uncertain, owing to strikes, quarantine, and other delays. j A first offender brought before Mr N. 3 Dodds, J.P., at the Port Chalmers Court i this forenooii vas convicted of drunkon.ness and discharged.. Nurse Torrance, daughter of the late Mr J. A. Torrance (for a long period agent 3 for- the Patients and Prisoners' Aid So- * cicty), has been appointed by Knox Church - to do nursing work amongst the. poor of s the Citv under the direction of tho Rev. R. Evan Davies. She is to have an office in Knox Church Sunday School building, : and will probably begin her duties m 5 June. The money for the maintenance of - this scheme is provided by a bequest of I between £4,000 and £5,000 under the will of the late Miss Dalgleish. The voting at yesterday's City municipal elections was much lighter than two . years ago. Yesterday 1.1,920 electors exer- " cised their votes, as against 14,919 at the 1 previous eloetion. Two years ago Mr J. . J. Clark polled 8.571 votes and Mr Isaac Green 6,179. This year Mr W. Begg polled . 4,804 votes, Mr It, S. Black 3,626, Mr ' R. Gilkison 2,699, and Dr Macdonald 788. At the previous election for council Mr ' J R. Shaddock headed the list with 8,316 votes, Mr W. Begg being second with 8,027 votes. Yesterday Mr J. J. Clark was on top with 7,932 votes, Mr D. Larnach being next with 7,029. In the City Police Court this morning, before Mr Widdowson, S.M., William Grant Spiers, for whom Mr Irwin appeared, pleaded guilty to using obscene language in a public place. Senior-ser-geant Murray said that the language was used in Princes street to Alfred Armstrong, manager of the Strand Tea Rooms, by whom he had been formerly employed. The explanation was that defendant, who was not ordinarily a drinker, had indulged on that day, and used the words unthinkingly. He had no grievance against Armstrong. His Worship said he would take all the circumstances named by counsel into consideration and fine the defendant £2, in default 14 days' imprisonment. The Conciliation Commissioner (Mr W. H. Hagger) will hear the Dunedin Fire Brigade- employees' dispute on the 15th inst. and the storemen's (wholesale merchants' branch) dispute on the following day. In the City Police Court this morning a man pleaded guilty to having attempted to commit suicide. It appeared from the statement of the police that the accused suffered from depression following a severe attack of influenza. The Rev. Mr Gumming suggested that in all the circumstances Bis Worship might request the Press to keep the man's name out of the papers. The Magistrate (Mr Widdowson) convicted the accused, and ordered him to come up for sentence if called upon within two years, conditional on his keeping in touch with Mr Cumming and paying the Hospital expenses. With regard to Mr Cumming's suggestion, His Worship said he thought it was a reasonable on©. The act had been committed after an unfor- , tunate illness. Ho would ask the papers to refrain from publishing the man's name if they could possibly see their way to do so. We have complied with His Worship's • request. The coal miners at Green Island are still on strike, and the-'c seems no prosi pect of an immediate settlement of tho , dispute. A meeting of the Miners' Union l was held last night, when, it was decided that the men would take no action till a conference had been held with the em--1 plovers. So far there seems no inclination : on the part of the employers to grant this conference, and tho deadlock continues. Detectives are to-day investigating a robbery which is alleged to have taken place at the Milton Post Office. It is said that the keys of the safe were abstracted from a pocket in the postmaster's clothes during last night, and that the safe was ; opened and a considerable amount of . money stolen. Shopkeepers and others are warned to ! be careful when accepting Bank of New : Zealand pink ten-shilling notes, as a forged note of that kind has been discovered in ! Dunedin. It was paid to the proprietor of ! a private hotel a week ago, and-it was not ■ until it reached the bank for deposit that i the forgery was discovered. Tho first . thing that should bo looked for is tho , watermark, "Bank of New Zealand," •which is always present on the genuine notes. Everything that can be thought of by ' the officials and committee of the Otago > A. and P. Society to make tho coming ; Winter Show a success is being keenly discussed, and several new features are . already adopted. For one thing, grain and seeds exhibits will be shown not in ' the sacks of commerce, but dn small * white baps such as a shopkeper would : make a display with. Hopes are enteri tained of having an interesting show of , manufactures in process, the machinery running, and the operatives at work. The wool section will certainly be more 1 attractive than .usual. Fruit, too. is ' being given special attention. Exhibits are coming from Hastings, Roxburgh, Alexandra, and other places. i The shooting season In opened • to-day, and many gun-men were away yesterday to various promising snots, r,o as to be ready for a shot first thing this morning. It is reported that ducks are • plentiful in most districts, the Clntha being named as one of the most likely. , Only licensed persons may shoot imported game—mallard duck and Californian quail —and the number of native game (exclu- " give of black swan) that may be killed by any one person is 25 head per day. One result of the abnormal gardening ' season which we have experienced in New i Zealand is that persons who are accus- . tomed to grow their own soeds have not t been able to ripen them. This is peculiarly so in regard to vegetable seeds. ' Hence there will be an extra demand ! upon the seedsmen in the next spring. One gardener who is in a big way is as [ a stand-bv keeping some of last season's seed, taking care to pack it in airtight ' tins. A responsible contributor who should ' know the subject writes: " Poultry - 1 keepers are complaining about the quality ■' of pollard at present on the local market. s They have a just cause to do so, and it is certainly up to the millers to give these struggling producers a square deal in this matter." As the result of inJ quiries bv us, it appears to he proved 1 that good pollard is made and can be ■ bought in Dunedin. It has not, of ■ course, the flouriness of the pollard made b in -the days when stone mills letthi-ough ' a high percentage of the flour. The very 3 purpose of up-to-date milling machinery 3 is to take from the wheat all the Hour, if 1 possible. Nevertheless, floury pollard is 1 made. One miller has been grinding for 3 pollard a lot of wheat screenings, thu3 I giving a very nourishing article. ". Tho staff of the Public Works Department in Dunedin are in the midst of a i "flit/ting" from the rooms over the Cus-tom-house to the second floor of the New i Zealand Express Company's Building, where they are to. occupy three largo rooms. Th'e vacated' premises are to be L ' used for an extension of the Telegraph ' Department's space. t According to a cable message in the t Australian papers 3,000 Australians were - to have left England on March 28 by the l Port Macquarie, the City of Poonah, and 1 j ihe Karoaj the last takirig invalids, in-

I Mr Paulin's forecast:—Strong N.E. j wind, and fine ; barometer fall. \ The mails which left New Zealand on • March 22 arrived in London on the 29th ult. The suggestion that tho observance of Anzac Day should lie transferred to »St. George's Day, April 23, was mentioned by Bishop Averill at the memorial service in tho Auckland Domain. He said no doubt the suggestion had been made in the best interests of Anzac Day, but he thought it would be better to transfer the- observance of St. George's Day to Anzac Day, and so maintain the day of days which was enshrined in tho affection and sympathy of all_New Zealanders. Returned soldiers, parents, and wives of fallen soldiers and .citizens had the right to make such a request, and demand that Anzac Day should be observed as a day of national commemoration, thanksgiving, and inspiration. Bishop Averitl's remarks were greeted with loud applause by the returned soldiers present. Watson's No. 10 is a little dearer than most whiskies, but it's worth it.—[Advt.} "There is nothing succeeds like success," so say the delighted users of "No Rubbing" Laundry Help. Is pacl;<?t sufficient for seven weekly family washings. Hunter and Ethericlce, Ltd.—TAclvt.] The Peaco Celebration Choir will meet fOT rehearsal in Burns Hall to-night, at 7.30. The attention of the members is specially directed to notification that no one will be •admitted 'to the hall without the souvenir programme. The programe is their passport. Ladies recommend Martin'* ApioJ and titee\ Pills. Sold by all chemists and stores. se» tou get he Genuine. —fAdvt.l Good digestion spells happiness. Watson s No. 10 whisky aids assimilation, makes life brighter.—[Advt.]