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New Zealand Herald, Volume VII, Issue 1923, 16 March 1870, Page 3

Oua remarks on the desirability of utilising public lands given for the purpose of providing fur the education of certain clauses of our youth, would not be complete without a word or two respecting the educational endow ments made by the Provincial Government for the Grammar School aud for common schools in the Province. A very considerable ijuautity of Provincial land in various districts lias been reserved for educational purposes. On some portions of these- reserves are flax land, and applications are being occasionally made for leasing them. A small income is obtained in this waj, and under proper management it may be expected to increaso year by year. But judging from the past, there appears to bo no one whose special business it is to look after theso numerous reserves aud endowments.

Is it not advisable that some of the officers of the Provincial Government should have charge of them, whether intended for the benefit of the Grammar School, or of common schools ? What is now everybody's business, and therefore not properly attended to, would, under such a system, become the duty of a particular individual, who would be responsible for discharging the duty imposed upon him. Heliable information about all these reserves would then be easily obtainable, and the Government having it at hand, would be able to see that the best returns were got from the property. There may be circumstances constantly arising, which would be favorable to leasing particular reserves for a term. This is evidenced at the present moment by the progress of the flax industry, and good management would be ever ready to seize such opportunities for utilising this or that portion of the public estate, and the limited funds which can be appropriated for the objects for which these reserves have bean marie are so small, that there is a necessity for not permitting them to be lessened by baa management of the endowments.

The various local Highway Boards may possibly have something to say as to the disposal of any income arising from the reserves in their particular district. They may claim that

it should be spent in their district} but as the reserves are the lands of the province at large, and not of any particular district of it, this claim, though it might in time be acknowledged as a matter of convenience, cannot be regarded as a matter of right. The principal point now required is a thorough supervision and good management.