PASSING EVENTS.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXVII, Issue 5372, 3 September 1904, Page 10

PASSING EVENTS.

fKroill tie-. “Xcv; Zraland Mail.'J Hiatory is philosophy Uacuine by eiamnlea. —Thucriiidaa. Lord Itrei-bery nas been culled upon to explain his .statement that tho entente cordlale between Franco and Great Britain iv. t?- likely to load re disastrous rc.-.ults in the relations of both nations. Wc do not see what Lord Rosebery secs. No man has exactly Iho same view of any public question as his neighbour, because his standpoint may he different; and even if two men see exactly the same thing their character, their ability to draw intelligence from what they. ;-ro, may enable them to express different opinions on the same subject. Carlyle used to say that although ail men may see, only a few can tell what they see. Now Lord Rosebery may be a seer, and none will deny his possession of tho power to declare what he sees. It is quite possible that Lord Rosebery’s prognostications with respect to the French anil British people may come true. Lord Rosebery may have discovered a cloud no bigger than a man’s hand on the horizon c-f tha nation'. 1 ' history, and in it ho sees a gathering storm. If, however, wo are to regard the spirit that animate., there people:; in their social and commercial intercourse, the cloud that may be visible to the cyo of Lord-Rose-bery may bo dispelled.by the sunshine of mutual und-erstundiug. Both nations now seek peace and would pursue it. The popular hatred of the British during the Boer war was dissipated in tlio French capital when the Parisian people discovered that the withdrawal of British visitors from tlio great exhibition seriously affected its success. “Wc cannot do without British trade, and to got it-wo must:bo agreeable,” was the common talk of tho French merchant-. The King’s recent visit to France strengthened tho nations’ good feelings towards each other., Then, the visit last month of tho British trades union delegates to Franco has created an excellent impression. Diplomatically the difficulties concerning dual control, have been overcome; and M. Paul Gambon, tho French Ambassador, claimed ; that in laying the other day the last stone of the new Folkstone pier;.he was in cementing that stflne cementing the good fellowship and friendship that existed between tho two peoples. Lord Rosebery ought to say what is calculated to cause a rupture, for then the' good sense and feeling of these peoples would bo directed to satisfactorily adjusting it.

If anyone were in search of evidence for establishing the truth of New Zealand’s prosperity ho might be directed to the annual report of the Labour Department. When a country is progressive and private and public enterprise is active, the demand for labour increases, and the employment of more labour is in itself an assurance of a country’s progress. So rapidly has development been proceeding in Now Zealand that we have absorbed as many as eighteen thousand of Australia’s population during the past two. years. What may happen when private, municipal and state undertakings have been completed it is not possible to say; but at present there is no appearance of a cessation of a spirited development of the country’s recouroes. Settlement must progress, roads have to be made to open up new lands, rivers have to bo bridged, railways constructed, tramways laid in cities and growing towns; and while all these works are incorapleted and so long as capital is found at reasonable rates to execute them, the demand for labour will bo unabated. Tho working classes have found the Labour Department of great service to them in providing employment, and industrial workers have reason to be grateful for the watchful care the Department has shown in their interests. Yet.it is reported that discontent has been expressed with tile administration of the Department, and the ether day members of the Labour Bills Committee had to listen to some adverse criticism of its conduct. The gravamen of Hie charge was undue interference and inattention to complaints, but the'story of the Department is that more tact and less foroefulnoss has been exercised and that complaints are actuated by personal rather than general motives. Nevertheless, the Department reveals a satisfactory state of labour. The workers have largely shared in -the prosperity of the country, and they have rebutted the charge of intemperance and extravagance by adding cMormously to their capital accounts in the Government savings Bank.

The laying of the foundation stone of Victoria College by Lord Plunket was the most important function tho Governor lias taken part in,and it wan made tho occasion of much seasonable speech. Tho chairman, Dr Prondorgast-Knight, narrated the history of the College, spoke of the difficulties under which the work of the professors was being carried on because of their having no recognised place of -abode, and of the determination of the masters and students even under adverse conditions to earn honours for themselves and their alma mater.’ It was an encourag tig and -hopeful speech, and it afforded a text for the Attorney-General and His Worship the Mayor to revert to “tlio battle of the site” and its final issue. There was certainly a touch of humour in the claim of Colonel Pitt that the Premier had saved tho Victoria College from the Mount Cook site, a matter for which the public ought to be thankful, and in the Mayor claiming that there was a larger measure of praise and thankfulness due to tho City of Wellington. inasmuch as the Victoria college was given its present site by the city corporation. This was coming dangerously near to party politics, ■ which on all occasions of this kind should be carefully avoided: but the audience enjoyed tlio sally and the compliment to the citizens of Wellington was appreciated’. His Excellency delivered a happy and agreeable address. Having laid tha stone “well and truly,” Lord Plunket spoke of the usefulness of higher education, and trusted that the efforts being made to adequately endow the college would be abundantly rewarded. Tliat a university course should have for its .aim the equipment of tho student for tho battle of life was emphasised by Mr Aitken, supported by Professor Eosterfield and Sir Robert Stout, who is thoroughly at home in discoursing upon any educational theme.’ All will agree with the Chief Justice that Jveumgton ought to have had a University college, thoroughly equipped and adequately endowed long ere this, but now that wo have a college let the people of the Middle District see to it tliat it is properly so as to enable it to become more useful in its operation and more successful in its results.

There are sumo parts of the education report that command attention. Perhaps Hie most gratifying and the most outstanding feature of (he deliverance this year is that dealing with the large increase of pupils at the secondary .schools of the colony. The .special facilities offered by tho Secondary Schools Act of last year have been taken advantage 01, and it n.iir-l lie pleasing to all who de-irc the' benefits ol a sujK-nor education to be as v.hi tv spread as po-dblo that the provisions of that Act have enabled over sixteen hundred young people to attend our secondary schools. We all remember what a hue and cry was raised throughout- the colony against tho proposal to liberalise the secondary schools. It was said that tho building accommodation was not adequate in several instances to the number of pupils then attending, social distinctions would have to bo made as between paying and free pupils, and the work of carrying on tlie schools would bo considerably hampered. In two or three schools tho accommodation had to be increased, and in most cases the advent of free pupils from the primary schools has been the moans; of imparting a new leas© of life to several high schools that were languishing for lack of pupils. On the whole we arc gratified with tho result, tho more so because wo urged that the country was not obtaining all tho return it ought to get in educational results from its well-endowed secondary schools. Besides this reform has enabled these schools to divide dearly ninethousand pounds in the way of grants in aid. Another feature of the report is that pertaining to the average attendance. This is not increasing, and from that point of view our primary education is unsatisfactory. In a young country like this the children fit to attend school ought to exhibit a proportionate increase to that of the population. In respect to average attendance we have concluded that where the parents most value tho advantages of education there the percentage is highest, and that is in Otago.