TOPICS OF THE DAY.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXIX, Issue 3677, 1 March 1899, Page 5

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

THE NEW 5 INSPECTOR-GENERAL ; OF SCHOOLS.

The positions of Inspector-General oh Schools and Secretary™for Education, rendered vacant byrthe death of the Rev W. J. Habens, have been filled by the appointment of Mr George Hogben, M: A., of Timaru r High ■- School. Mr Hogben is about 1 forty-live years of age, arid his qualifications are such as to command the respect of the scholastic profession and to give assurance of efficient work in the public interest. The now Inspector-General of. Schools holds the Cambridge degree of M.A., andiwas ari “exhibitioner” of St. Catherine’s College/where he took his B.A. in 1877 among the. wranglers. For the three years following that date he was engaged in scholastic work in England.* From 1881 till 1886 he was mathematical anld science master at the Boys’ High School, Christchurch. In 1886 he was appointed Inspector of schools for the North .Canterbury Education District; arid after three years’ work in that capacity he received the appointment, of headmaster of the Timaru High School, which ho has hold until the present time. -Besides his experience as inspector of schools and of the practical work of teaching, Mr Hogben has an intimate acquaintance,,.with the views and aspirations of the teaching profession—having befen president' of the North Canter bury Educational Institute for three yeiirs, while in 1886 he was chosen president of the New Zealand Educational Institute.

FOG-SIGNALS AT SEA. In the “Otago Daily Times” a few days ago appeared an article finding fault with the Government,, for failing to provide a system of fog-signals ■ in connection with the lighthouse services/ and assorting that even in Wellington nothing had been done in tho direction of supplying the want. Our contemporary must have overlooked or forgotten tho experiments that some months ago were reported to have taken plate at Pencarrow Head, at the entrance to Wellington Harbour. The fog-signalling apparatus did not yield quite satisfactory results on that occasion, and the authorities have been waiting the advent of a fog to allow of further experiments being made. As the apparatus is costly, it is not advisable to order sufficient for the whole colony until its suitability has been proved. The Government is in the meantime making inquiries into the use of detonating rockets, and into the development of wireless telegraphy. Tile latter system, if It fulfils expectations, - will doubtless prove invaluable as a 1 means of communicating with ships in distress; but the cost at present is too great for its adoption, as every vessel would require to carry appar t-.-n.s. The Minister of Marine believes that, for the purpose of communicating in times of, storm between, the mainland and lighthouses on islands, the laying of a cable line would prove more economical and

satisfactory than an installation of wire less telegraphy ; hut he is awaiting reports from England on the subject. As soon as there is a fog at Wellington Heads, further experiments in togsignalling will he carried on, and guided by the results of these, arrangemen s will be made for an effective ,-system of fogsignals being established in connection with the lighthouses of the colony. VANCOUVER MAIL SERVICE. The Premier, before leaving Dunedin .for Timaru yesterday morning, received a cablegram stating that nothing definite had been arranged by the Queensland Government with reference to the Vancouver service. In response to a cable sent to the headquarters of the Cana-dian-Australian • line in London, Mr Gibbs, general manager of the New Zealand Shipping Company, has received a cablegram to the effect that so far nothing is definitely settled with the Queensland Government as to the proposed alteration of the Vancouver route whereby Brisbane will be made the first and last port of call in the Australasian colonies instead of Wellington, as heretofore. *I A ' . i THE GOVERNOR’S NORTHERN i TOUR. His Excellency the Governor, and suite leave Wellington in the Government steamer Tutaliekai on; Saturday oh a tohr of the North. They reach Kawhia on Sunday, stay there on Monday, and arrive at Auckland on Tuesday., They leave there the next day, and Visit Helensville, after which their dates .will be : —March 9, Dargayille; March 10’and 11 ; , Hokianga; March 12 and 13, Mongonui; March 14, Wbangaroa; March 15 and 16, Russell; March 17 and 18, Whangarei; -March 19, 20 and 21, Gisborne; March 22, Hicks Bay and White Island,' March 23, Opotiki; March 24, Whakatane; March 26 and 26, Tauranga ; March 27 and 28, Coromandel; March 29 and 30, Thamesarriving at Auckland on the evening of the SOth. Thence Lady Kanfurly goes, on Easter Monday, bn a visit to Australia, accompanied by Lady Constance and Mr Hill-Trevor. On April 9th, His Excellency and Captain Alexander go on a visit to the Cook Islands in H.M.S. Mildura. The party will meet again at Auckland at . the beginning of May, and will stay there until just before the opening of the session of Parliament. His Excellency will be accompanied during a portion of the trip , by the Premier, and from Auckland by the Hon Mr Can-oil, and will attend a big native meeting at Russell, Bay of .Islands. THE SAN FRANCISCO MAIL ; SERVICE'. Now that there is some doubt as , to our retaining the • Vancouver mail service, the San 'Francisco service once more assumes its old important basis as the shortest and only trans-American route from this colony to the Old Country. Some time ago mention was made that this service was to be altered with a view to shortening the transit of mails l between Auckland ‘and London, and at the time it was stated that the mailboats would probably leave Auckland on Mondays instead of Saturdays, as at'present. The Chief-Postmaster of Auckland has now intimated that the new departure will come: into operation this month, • commencing With the R.M.S.. Mariposa, which is time-tabled to .leave Auckland for Honolulu and San Franciso on Monday, the 20th instant. .This alteration must necessarily entail a change in the running of the steamer which usually 'leaves 'Wellington for Onehunga with the bulk- of the southern portion of-the mail two days before the rnailboat leaves Auckland.- No permanent arrangement has, so far, been made by the-Union Company; but to connect with the Mariposa, the Rotoiti, which goes I right through-to Lyttelton that Week with the inward mail, will leave 1 hat port on Friday alid Welling-on on Saturday (instead of Thursday, as at present), reaching Onehunga on Monday morning." .Nothing,' howeYer, is ;definitely fixed, but this will probably Tiecolne tho casual running of tjio Rotoiti during the San Francisco mail week; •