DUNEDIN NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12326, 20 July 1903, Page 6

DUNEDIN NOTES.

[BY TELEGRAPH.—OWJT COJBEESPOSTDENT.] : Dcxedd.', Saturday. EXTENDING SECONDARY ' ';;} , EDUCATION. •' The Ofcago Education Board have taken a

wise step in the direction of extending the

.privileges of scholarships to children who,

so far, have had little opportunity of i profit-

ing by them. At the last meeting the Rev. P. B. Eraser moved that the scholarship regulations be amended with a view to offering for competition annually two scholarships for pupils attending schools where only one teacher is engaged, and that the sanction of the Minister for Education be sought to the alteration of the rules accordingly. His idea was that the whole of the scholarship fund should go tc provide scholarships for children beyond the reach of high schools and district high schools, but to .do that in the present transition stage of secondary education might inflict hardship on some children. Until it was cleat what : the Go-

vernruenfc was going to do with the secondary schools, he did not think it would be wis© to divert the whole of this sum. It might imply that the high schools were properly equipped, which was not the case. They had not yet had full justice- done to them by the Government. , Be thought his proposal would do some measure of justice to the small schools. . There were four counties in Otago in which tho children had not taken a scholarship, and there were very few schools with only one teachei that had received scholarships. The scholarships went to the clever teacher l not to the clever children. Ho hoped the Board would not bo disappointed to find that scholars in small schools ; did not get a very high percentage of marks, ! but ho trusted it wouJf grant the scholarships ! if a reasonable number of marks were ob- i tained, such as the inspector considered a fair i percentage. The idea met with general ap-j proval, and the Board agreed to the motion , unanimously, Mr. Eraser being congratulated 1 on bringing it forward. • . . <. ~ , ■''.•■• I AN INDUSTRIAL.SCHOOL MATTER, ! Public attention has been drawn to the case of a lad who, in June, 1898, was com- t mitted to an industrial school in consequence of his having been concerned in a small theft at Oamaru. He was at that time nearly 11 years of age. An uncle of his yi tlio North Island, against whose character nothing is suggested, has offered to take him into his home and to bring him up to a trade. An application for the boy's discharge was, with this offer in view, addressed to the manager early in February last. The Secretary for Educationreplied a few days ago that the Minister in charge of ; the Department." is of opinion that it would not be wise, to allow the boy to leave the school for some time to come." The Times has taken the matter up, and has expressed the opinion that the reasons advanced for keeping the boy in the , school are inadequate. j ACTIVITY IN THE BUILDING TRADE. There is considerable activity at present in the building trade, and new houses, most of them largo and substantial residences, are being erected in large numbers in and about the city. The suburbs also seem to be re- J ceiving an influx of population, as new resi- \ dences are rapidly springing up in all direc-; tions, a fact which is attributed in a large : measure to the near completion of the electric tramways. One syndicate has purchased a large block of land.at Musselburgh, which wall be reached in. a few minutes by the new j tramway route. . . j PROHIBITION IN MATAURA. So far (says the Mataura Ensign) no information has been laid by the police against Mr. Whittingham, brewer, of Gore, who endeavoured to bring on a test case recently by selling liquor to a local resident, subsequent to the enforcement of no-license in the district, in order to got his position undor Jho ■ Act definer 1 by the magistrate. > Mr. \ Whittingham is still manufacturing beer at his brewery, but, of course, is "-'selling it within the Mataura electoral*