The Premier.

Hastings Standard, Volume IX, Issue 5147, 14 March 1906, Page 2

The Premier.

'Pr.r Press Association). Foxfon, March 11. Mr Seddon attended the banquet to Mr John Stepens, member for Manawatu, last night. In the course of his speech he said the debt of the colonv had increased by £85,000.000. He would allow that, but the public wealth had increased by £70,000,000. New Zealand was now pop capita the wealthiest country m the world. The wealth was £305 per head for nmu, woman and child, while in the Mother Country it was) only £BOO. The wealth of the colony was put down at three hundred millions, and the Government Railways, which bad cost sixteen millions, would realise if placed on the market to-morrow more than half the national debt; The postal and telegraph services, gauged on the market value were worth the whole of the National debt. For live millions lent under the Advances to Sectlery Act the State had securities valued at nine millions. Dealing with infant mortality he said the Government would not stop until they put trained nurses within the reach of every soul in New Zealand. There ought to be thousonds more nurses, and that would mean a thousand positions for deserving women, and the Government was going to do it. He had already asked the hospitals hew many probationers they could take iu addition to their present number. He would consider the colony was justified, if necessary, in advancing money to hospitals to build nursing homes, so that a doctor, finding a nurse was wanted anywhere, could 3end a message ti the home and get one. Every adult in the country was calculated to be worth between two and three hundred pounds. Touching on flax grading, Mr Seddon said those who, in the past, bad injured and almost exterminated the business should be compelled to give a reasonable product ; in fact he would go so far ay to say that in the interests of the industry the colony should prohibit the export of flax unless it was of a given grade. It might be a drastic remedy, but a necessary one. Referring to education, Mr Seddon said that during the three years from December 1002 to December 1905, the number of public schools had increase! from 1708 to 1857, or by 149; the average attendance from 1.12,232 to 117,831, or by 5599 ; the number of adult teachers from 2967 to 3135, or by 178 ; the number uf pupil teachers had decreased from 717 to 678. This latter was a satisfactory result, and had been bsought about by the operation of the scale of staffs Jirsfc enacted in 1902. Under the scale provided by the Ttachers Salaries Act the amaunt paid this year would be £191,506, an increase over 1902 of £72,911. In addition, the Teachers Superannuation Act would enable deserving teachers to retire at a salary of not less than a pound a week. During 1905 the sum of £1407 had been paid as subsidies on voluntary contributions for secondary and District High Schools. District High Schools had increased from thirtyeight to fifty-eight. Ihe National Scholarships were for children of parents whose income was not aver £250 a year. There were now eightyfour current (as well as thirty-three Queen's scholarships), so there were nearly 120 places open for boys and girls, no matter what the position of their parents, The number of school cadets in 1905 ■ was 11,115, against 1851 in 1902.

Discussing the question of the appointment of teachers, Mr Seddon said there was a conflict between a Board and Committee, and he waa not sure that in eome instances there had been breaches in the recent Act. Thelawsaid that when there was a large number of applicants for a teacher's position the Board should send sis in their respective order to the Committee. If not a large number four should be sent. Board's now said it was not eoinpqjsory to do this. He had no hesitation '8 Stating that be would refuse to pa? % paries of teachers who had been appointed. The Government would Sitaau by Committees, and carry out the law.