THE EDUCATION OF THE PEOPLE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 999, 24 April 1891, Page 34

THE EDUCATION OF THE PEOPLE.

MR G. FISHER’S BILL. Mr Fisher has forwarded us the following correspondence for publication ; “ Invercargill, 24th March, 1891. “G. Fisher, Esq., M.H.R. “ Dear Sir, —At the last meeting of the Southland Teachers’ Institute the following resolution was unanimously passed : “ That the Secretary be instructed to write to Mr Fisher informing him that the general principles of his Education. Bill receive the support of the Southland Teachers’ Institute.” “I am requested to ask if you intend bringing forward your Bill daring the coming session. “ Yonrs, etc, “C. A. Strack. “Hon. Sec. Southland Teachers’ Institute.” “ Wellington, April 15th, 1891. “Sir, —Pray thank the members of your institute for the complimentary terms of their resolution regarding my Education Bill. “ To your question regarding the reintroduotion of the Bill, my answer is that the Bill, if reiatroduoed, should be a Govern, ment measure, for no private member could hope to get through the House a Bill dealing with such a large and intricate qnestion, and one involving such important issues from what I may call its policy aspect. “ The present 'Government to a certainty will not take it up, for the Minister of Education (the Hon Mr Reeves) at the recent meeting of the Canterbury Teachers’ Institute declared emphatically against the abolition of the Education Boards, and the abolition of the Boards was the basis and groundwork of my Bill, which in their place built up an educational Bystem better calculated to perfect the education of the youth of New Zealand—for it proposed to take all capable and competent pupils from the State schools through all the secondary stages, and on to the University—and to place the teaching body of the country upon a satisfactory footing, a result impossible of attainment under the present system. “ What I may do is this; I may reintroduce the Bill next session, merely for the purpose of getting it again printed and circulated, so that the attention of the new Parliament may be directed to it for, of course to many of them, the contents of the Bill must be more or less unknown—and public interest in the subject revived. “ I trust the Educational Institutes will continue to take an interest in the future of the measure, for I am sure it will, one day, become the educational law of New Zealand. “ Yours &c., “ Geo. Fisher.” C. A. Strack, Esq., Hon. Sec. Southland Teachers’ Institute.