CURRENT TOPICS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCIII, Issue 10651, 11 May 1895, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

The notice published in histoey of these columns a few days ago new of the official history of New ZEAiiND. South Wales has inspired one of our country school teachers —who wishes for the present to hide his identity under the now, dt plums “ Patriot ” —to prepare a very useful outline of the settlement of this colony. Hia object, wa understand from bis introductory remarks, is “to foster a love of country among the rising generation of Now Zealand,” and it certainly deserves to be encouraged by those who are entrusted with the education of our young people. At present colonial history is almost entirely excluded from our public schools, and there are probably not more than a dozen sixth-standard pupils to bo found in the whole of Canterbury who could give the barest sketch of the prominent events in their own country during the past forty or fifty years. And on this subject the teachers are as ignorant as their pupils. “ How many of them," to repeat “ Patriot’s ” inquiry, “ know which of the provinces was first founded, who was the first Governor, when a Constitution was granted, when responsible government was introduced, in what year the first Parliament sat, and what were the provisions of the Treaty of Waitangi?" Wa venture to say that there is not a single teacher in the colony who could answer the whole of these questions correctly without refreshing his memory by a reference to such text-books as are within his roach. “Patriot” has done something to remove this prevalent ignorance by compressing the leading incidents of what are now generally known as the “early days” into two short columns of ordinary print. He has, we judge, gathered bis facts from the most reliable sources, and has presented them in a way that is likely to create an appetite for more. We trust that his modest effort will attract the attention of the Minister of Educatiop, md that; Mv Beeyea wiU N

seriously consider the proposal to eubstttnte colonial for English history in cur primary schools. The former could, happily, ba taught without introducing any, of those sectarian stumbling blocks which seem inseparable from the latter.

The Government has, we hospital learn from our Wellington inqtjzet. correspondent this morning, appointed a Eoyal Commiemission to inquire into the management ofi the Christchurch Hospital. This is the beginning of the final step in an agitation that has occupied the attention of the public for several months, and it now remains for the people who have made grave imputations against certain members of the staff of the hospital to collect their evidence for presentation to the . Commission. * The Commissioner, Dr Giles, is thoroughly well qualified by long experience aa a stipendiary magistrate for the task he has undertaken, and he may be trusted to get to the bottom of the various charges without delaying the proceedings by the admission of a mass of irrelevant evidenced It would be a great convenience to all concerned if a committee, consisting of two os; three gentlemen who have made themselves familiar with the subject, would; taka the supervision of the case for what Mr Perymau calls the “restive public,’* We presume that such a committee would ba recognised by the Commissioner and afforded facilities for collecting evidence and examining - witnesses. The members of the hospital staff, who are practically placed upon their trial, will, of course, receive timely and proper notice of the charges they are expected to" answer,. It is of the first importance that no. one should ba left at the conclusion of the in-.’ quiry with an excuse for complaining of the manner in which it may have been conducted.

The live cattle trade cbethe tainly was not contemplated peethshiee when the Intercolonial, cattle. Stock Conference • formulated the Regulations which at present sheet imported cattle, and there may have been diplomatic difficulties in the way of dealing with the new and dangerous trade in the only effectual way—by prohibiting it altogether. This step not having been taken, and infected cattle having arrived in our porta, it seems to us that the power and ability of the authorities to deal with the case should have been demonstrated by the prompt exercise of the right to slaughter the whole of the infected shipment. Had this been done it would have proved to the English authorities that Hew Zealand was in earnest in its determination' to remain, along with Iceland, a " clean country ” in their eyes. (New Zealand and Iceland are the only countries in the world from which live cattle are at the present time admitted to the United Kingdom without having to be slaughtered at the port of arrival within seven days after being landed.) The action in the Perthshire case must be regarded as weak, as though diaeaaa was detected the power of dealing with the diseased and infected cattle was not exercised, and the responsibility has been passed on to the Home authorities, who may taka a very unfavourable view of our timid conduct. Having thus got rid of the Perthshire difficulty—for good, we hope—steps should immediately be taken to prevent this colony being invaded by a similar danger in the future, and to this end those Australian colonies in which an disease of cattle exists should bo treated as other countries in a similar position ace treated, and the importation of their stock absolutely prohibited. To maintain an effectual quarantine of stock on board the large cargo vessels while they are in New Zealand waters, with sometimes hundreds of hands employed in stevedoring and other work on board, is simply impossible.

One of the real grievance* prohibition under which publicans am suffering was brought into prominence at the Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning. It appears from the .evidence adduced before Mr H. W. Bishop, S.M„ that a “ prohibited person ” named Nixon went to one of the principal hotels in the city, where he was entirely unknown, and obtained a small glass of beer. It was clearly shown that the barmaid who supplied the liquor had no means of knowing that Nison was the person mentioned in the official notice served some time before in the nans! way upon her employer. The man went to the house sober and well-dressed, and gave his order with the easy confidence which belongs to the ordinary well-to-do customer. It naturally never occurred to, the young lady in charge of the bar to ask any questions, and Nison drank his beer and walked away. A moment later a younger man entered the bar and announced that Nixon was tbe subject of a prohibition order. There was no doubt that a technical offence, for which the unfortunate publican was responsible, had been committed, and in due course an information was laid. When the case came before the Court, tie facta were admitted, but Mr Bishop, exercising the discretion with which ho is invested, refused to convict. Members of the extreme temperance party will probably find fault with this decision, but a large majority of the community will doubtless agree with the Magistrate that it would have been grossly unjust to punish the publican for an act which no amount of care on his part could have avoided. The publicans’ grievance ia that there are Magistrates who, unlike Mr Bishop, make no allowance for defects in the law.

The annual banquet of the the Thirteen Club, which thirteen was held at the . Holbontv club. Restaurant, with all the usual uncanny surroundings, six or seven weeks ago, appears to have been a more sober affair than its immediate predecessor. . There was a large at* v tendance, including a number of “distinguished visitors,” and the proceedings took quite an instructive turn. The banqueting hall was prettily decorated with Japanese lanterns and scrolls, peacocks’ feathers, counterfeit presentments of black cats and owls, and other things of evil omen. Among, the items the guests had to cheerfully tolerate under their very noses wore miniature skulls and skeletons and salt-collara shaped to resemble coffins, but they had been braced for the ordeal by the experience, which none could avoid in passing from the reception-room to the dining-hall, of walking under a ladder. The President stated that the Club existed to stamp out superstitions, and to assist charities, and ho pointed proudly to three gentlemen present—Hr Joseph Hatton, ■ Sir A. Dent and Mr Candy, Q.C.—to indicate the influential support it received. The honorary Secretary supplied further . testimony under the same head. He read a letter from Professor Huxley, in which, the famous aavaijt Risked to be allowed to assure the Pwsideat and Cgmaxittee pf fria

1 j— - - ." hearty eympatby ” with their programme. The Rev E. J. C. WelldoE, head-master of Harrow, wrote; "I sympathise with the objects of your club. Superstition has been the bane of human life.” He was, he continued, accustomed to make a distinction between superstitions which were only irrational, and superstitions, like the objection to thirteen, which might be said to hare some historic or intelligible origin. “The latter have,” the letter added, “no doubt, more tenacity and life than the •former, bat it is a good work to expose the folly of both.” Two other letters were read. One was ‘ from. Sir Robert Eeid, M. P,, the Attorney-General, who wrote:— j* f The objects of your club have my sincere aympathy, and, if my arrangements had permitted, nothing would have afforded me jgreatar pleasure than to have dined with jthe President and members of the Thirteen plub.” Sit James Linton, president of the OEtoyal Institute of Painters in Watercolours, wrote that he thoroughly endorsed the programme of the club. Altogether fthe promoters appear to have won a good Ideal of sympathy and support from gentlemen who might have been expected to regard the organisation as a rather question|abla joke.