Hawke's Bay Herald FRIDAY. MARCH 25; 1870. EDUCATION AND EDUCATIONAL RATE.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 14, Issue 1138, 25 March 1870, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Herald FRIDAY. MARCH 25; 1870. EDUCATION AND EDUCATIONAL RATE.

As the time approaches for another meeting of the. Provincial Council, it is proper that subjects likely to engage the attention of that body should previously engage, the attention of the various constituencies. on© of those subjects will, undoubtedly, be .that, of education. So many intricate questionsare involved in that word, (more especially; since the necessity for an edncation rate arose) that our local legislators have hitherto shrunk from facing them, ami have contented themselves with passing a temporary; measure. That temporary measure was upheld in the columns of this journal at a time when an attempt was being made to override it by unconstitutional means, but we did not the less think it a very imperfect expedient, which should be set aside the first opportunity. A session of the Council has since taken place without anything having been done to repeal or modify an enactment, which, experience has shewn to be. most partial in its operation, pressing as it does most unju3tly upon portions of the community. We trust that another sessionwill not be allowed so to pass; and, with tint view, we invite intelligent men in the community each carefully to devise a scheme and forward the same for publication, hoping that, out of the various suggestions offered, a plan, having a really sound ba&is, may be formed and finally "adopted. The objections raised are not so much against the original Education Act, which, while public money lasted, was very fair in its operation, as against the uniform rate since imposed for the support of education. That rate is levied in some districts where there is no school at all, in others where a much less sum than that raised would suffice ; aud, being exacted from rich and poor alike, it presses, in other districts, so hardly on the latter that, in many instances, the ! householder, after paying his rate, is unableto pay school fees, and thus derives no benefit from his previous contribution to therevenue. In many other ways the ratepresses unduly. It is not easy to devise a remedy. ijt rate must be levied, if existing schools, or the larger proportion of them, are to be kept open ; and this, in the absence of general legislation, must be done by the Pro-

vmcial Council. . .How. can such a rate be levied fairly, and, when levied, how administered — these, apparently simple questions, are in reality attended with much difficulty. A graduated, in lieu of a uniform house rate, would involve a system of valuation, attended with trouble and expense ; although in many respects, it would be the fairer of the two." JBut perhaps the best plan of all is that adopted at Taranaki. That province is divided: into school tricts. Each district, at a meeting of rate-> payers, decides whether a rate is necessary, and, if so, how much. The inhabitants of any particular locality are made judges of their own requirements, and are' given, by means of a local -committee, the management of the school for which they pay. The rate there is a uniform house rate not to exceed £1, but perhaps something better might be substituted. We shall wait anxiously for suggestions on this all-iinportarit subject.