With Exceptions.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 849, 8 June 1888, Page 27

With Exceptions.

While we regard Mr Ormond’s notice of motion on the financial policy of tho (Government as useful and welltimed, y(e cannot by any means give unqualified support to bis proposals. These are—(l.) That tho school ago be fixed at six years, so that the saving named by tbe Colonial Treasurer, v'z , £25,000, may he thereby secured. (2) That the payment of subsidies to local bodies bo abandoned, in order that a saving of the duty to be raised ou tea may be secured. (3E) i,n the present of the Colony, tfie <pf additional revenue to tbe extent of 4?58,0Q,0 1 for two years, by the imposition i of a prim.age clu/3a >1 inexpedient, • and' tfio deficit for last year j should be added to the funded debt. 1 Now it appears to us that as to the first two of these there is much to be said ou both sides, but that the is distinctly objectionablq. Wo only deal to-day cf the proposes, leaving ifie question cf focal. Bnl?sfd,iea tea-duty for \ future considerati^y u | ypoasgSi <u the desirableness ol 1 curtt\ifiujj the present enormous expenditure on education, we need hardly say wo are enhrely at one with Ormond. We have urged the point over and over agsfia in tihese columns. But ifc fp, fairly arguable whether 4 t%e mode of retrenchment indicated by the Premier, and adopted by Mv OrmOnd, 1b the best that CAB ’-Sp de-_ vised. 1 Tfc may provq uaayoidable, as a measure of- acoaomy, to raise the. schqbfogs, but the step js only justi r fiable on'tliat’ground, and ou as-, .sumption that no less strip gent retrenchment wm au&pe. The argument, used, support of raising the scho.o.l i it go —that children ought begin school studies earlier s.fjiyep,years old, and ths\ arq injured, physi, Cfffiy mentally by an, earlier hegr,x-. | ping, may be dismissed i would apply if of the infant were, similar to that of : the schools. That would, pX 1 pourso bo opjectionable. Bt\t tsb.P qb' j ( ect of properly ec,Jxd T A^ infapt ‘ schools,, is la upfleijstood. Children dp | pot go therp tQ, learn and ' geography, and ati,d, ai;i,th- : m.PtHV 0(1 though they ma.y, a,u.d doubtjlesis do, pick V<p A 1 ft fie of each during , theis?, infant school course. The m.isi sion of these schoola, is to prepare the. for stuffy in the future to

teach them habitsof obedience,of order, of observation, of discipline, of good behaviour generally, and to teach these things in a pleasant and attractive manner. Children who have been through a kindergarten course can scarcely fail to have derived much benefit in man" ways. They learn to use their senses, for one thing. And tho exercises train their bodies as well as their minds, so that instead of them being, as some seem to fancy, turned into prematurely-aged bookworms after the pattern of Dr Blimber’s “ young gentlemen,” so touchingly described by Dickens —they are in reality much more like “Jo’s boys” as sketched by the late Miss Allcott. That is to say, they undergo no studies which can overtax their immature brains or sap their physical health, but what they do learn is imparted throughthemedium of processes which aie more like games than tasks, and are, no doubt, just as much enjoyed by the children as if they were ostensibly at play. It is quite true that infant schools are “ State nurseries,” but none the less is their function a very useful one, especially in this Colony, where parents generally either cannot or will not exercise adequate supervision over their offspring. so that iu many instances, if the children were not engaged iu pleasant and healthful exercises in the kindergarten they would most likely be grubbing in the gutter, damaging their clothes, their health, and their morals. If, therefore, the Slate is compelled for economic reasons to discontinue infant schools, the educational system of ihe Colony will undoubtedly suffer a loss. We should greatly prefer to see the plan adopted of charging a small fee iu all ihe State Schools, except Avhere tho parents are unable to pay it. Tho whole question, howsver, ought not to be decided without 'the moat careful consideration.

As to the last of Mr Ormond’s proposals, however, we hope that there will benohesitation at all. We are entirely opposed to the proposed funding of the remaining deficit, and we heartily commend .Sir Harry Atkinson for his courage in resolving to pay it off. It is surprising to find those who are the loudest denouncers of borrowingyet supporting this proposal of Mr Ormond’s, which, in plain terms, amounts to this : That a further sum of £128,000 shall be added to the debt of tho Colony—in other words, shall be borrowed in addition to all other loans. Such a plan seems to us quite indefensible. More than three-fourths of the total deficit has been already added to th.c permanent debt; less than One-feurth is proposed to be paid ofir, and the paying-off process is to, occupy two years. the so-called, “ p.ma, age ” bp the b.est vyay oj doing it is another; question— in fact, of detail. Q,Ticjje may he some better plan, siaggosted, or there may uot, but the principle of paying off a deficit instead of funding it is so thoroughly sound that it ought unhesitatingly to, be adopted by the House, and trust that the Gfovernmeat atrm.d firm, ou this point.