THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 1892.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 9383, 24 March 1892, Page 2

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 1892.

The Otago Education Board at its last meeting determined, on the recommendation of a specially appointed committee, to appoint a tr.uant officer for a period of six months. The urgent necessity of making an attempt to secure the attendance at school of a large number of children who at present spend their time in the streets has long been recognised. It may be estimated that fully 500 children of school age now frequent the streets of the city and suburbs during school hours. It must not be supposed that all these children are the offspring of vicious or criminal parents. On the contrary, most of them have homes which their owners would vigorously object to have called other than respectable. Their parents or guardians are neglectful, that is all, and are unwilling to make the small sacrifice involved by sending them to school. Experience elsewhere shows that the most trivial excuses suffice for this : neglect. The children are detained ': from school to nurse smaller children, or to run messages, a certain proportion are genuine truants, that is, they are absent without their parents' know- ' ledge, and the residuum consists of those whose parents do not care whether they go to school or

not, or are too poor to clothe them decently. The appointment which the Board has made appears to be a kind of compromise between enforcing the compulsory provisions of the Education Act and letting things go on as they are. It has not been formally decided to bring compulsion into operation, nor doeß the appointment of the truant j officer contain a formal investiture of j; the legal power of compulsion. It I appears to be thought that the inspector, by his influence, his vigilance, and his tact, will minimise the evil. The Board has been fortunate in securing the services of an officer who will show whether the possession of these qualifications will prove efficacious. Should it be necessary for the inspector to invoke the aid of the law an initial difficulty will have to be surmounted. This consists in the provision in the Act that only the clerk or a member of the school committee in the school district in which recalcitrant parents or guardians reside can take legal action. The truant inspector at Auckland, which is the only place in the colony where an inspector has, so far, been appointed, obviated this difficulty by getting himself appointed clerk to ail the committees where his jurisdiction extended. What are known as the compulsory clauses of the Act only come into force in any school district upon the vote of a majority of the school committee. It will be necessary, therefore, for each committee, before action can be taken against the contumacious, to formally decide to adopt sections 89 to 93 inclusive of the Act, and at the same time bestow the necessary locus standi on the inspector for which the Act fails to provide. It is absolutely impossible to say exactly at present how many children are not given the advantages of education. The census returns, when completed, will say how many children of school age there are in the city and suburban school districts. Education at home or at private schools will account for a certain number no doubt, but it will be necessary to see that that education is efficient. Mere perfunctory attendance at a school not under the system must not be allowed to operate as an excuse. The Act is explicit as to exemptions, and the danger is that the inspector may be put off with the mere allegation of nominal attendance at schools or institutions other than those working under the Act. Moreover, the initiative of procuring an exemption certificate lies with tho parent or guardian, who must satisfy the com mittee of the existence of specified grounds for such exemption. As has been already pointed out, the appointment made by the Board is tentative, and the chairman said that, at the expiry of the six months the Board would be in a position to say whether there was a necessity for providing special accommodation for truant children. It is for many reasons earnestly to be desired that the experiment about to be tried will make the discussion as to the establishment of a truant school superfluous. It has obvious advantages over the method nominally brought into force in 1880, by which the police were enjoined to ascertain "cautiously" whether children within school age were absenting themselves. That method was one which did not come within the sphere of police duty, was an unfair tax on the department, and mi»ht have proved the cause of needless irritation. Practically it has been allowed to fall into desuetude; except, perhaps, in some country places, where a threatened visit by the local constable might be sufficient to awe notoriously negligent parents, and where all the circumstances would be generally known. The Board had before it for its guidance the experience of other Boards. The Auckland Board had appointed an inspector and provided at tho same time special accommodation for truants. The Wellington Board favoured the idea of instructing the police to serve notices on " blue" paper to the parents, and the Ouristchurch or North Canterbury Boad, after consulting the chairmen of school committees, decided that no appointment of a truant officer should be made. There is, therefore, only the example of Auckland to be guided by, and the information before the Board included an extremely interesting report from the Auckland truant officer, and a still more interesting one from the master of the truant school. While the Auckland Board does not_ recognise any difference between this particular school and any of the others, while it makes the same regulations apply to it and expeots the

same results, the master finds the work of a special nature. He classifies the pupils under four heads : —(1) Truant players; (2) children beyond parental control ; (3) children whose parents lifglected to send (hem to school—in mauy cases that they way make use of them either at home or for tho purposes of gain; (4) children, of parents whose poverty will nob permit them to clothe them suitably. It will be observed that there was no power to compel the attendance* of children at this particular school, and. yet the class for whom it was intended gravitated to it. The term " truant school" was bestowed on it by the press, and the appellation, with its significance, appears to have been accepted, although the Board officially recognises no distinction. There were at the time of reporting 176 pupils, anale and female, at this school, and they consisted, according to the master's classification, of the residuum to which we have previously referred; and by far the greater part of them would have drifted into the ranks of vice. But the scheme 13 obviously inconclusive. Attendance «annot be enforced after the age of 13, and, released from discipline, the children may return to their ways of idleness. Several of the boys have been with the consent of their parents placed with farmers in the country, and a night school was opened for those employed in town. The training at the school is special, inasmuch as it contemplates the existence of bad habits in the pupils. It; is as much a reformatory as a school. We do not think the conditions which make such a school necessary in Auckland exist in the same degree in Dunedin, and trust to find that the experiment about to be made will prove that the streets can be cleared of children who are idle, and therefore in danger of falling into actual vice, with the existing machinery, thus cutting off the main supply of criminals at the fountain head. That an inspector can materially lessen truancy is shown by the report submitted to the Auckland City School District Committee. During the year 1890, 718 neglectful parents were visited and warned; 538 of these had to be formally served with notice, 75 required a second notice, and 10 a third. Twenty-five were proceeded against, convictions being obtained in' every instance, although costs were not given against three of the defendants because of their poverty. One ■result of the inspector's efforts was that the average daily number of absentees fell from about 21 per cent, to about 16, to which must be added the number for the first time drawn into the educational net.

The Railway department were again unfortunate in having very unfavourable weather for the cheap excursion trip to Waihola which was offered to the public yesterday. In Canterbury these excursions are popular, frequent, and remunerative, but in Otago they have not so far been successful. The elements seem to war against the department, and a railway journey in bad weather is too dull a means of entertainment even for people who are said to take their pleasures sadly. It was rather surprising indeed that, as was the case, nearly 200 excursionists left by the special train for Waihola in the morning. The trains were run with punctuality, and the return trip was completed shortly after 8 p.m.

The new Baptist church at the Kaikorai will be opened on Sunday first. The Rev. Mr North will preach in the morning and conduct a children's service in the afternoon, and the Rev. Mr Hinton will preach in the evening. The building is substantial and commodious and occupies a splendid position in the most thickly-populated part of that growing district. One peculiarity of the development of this piece of church work in the Kaikorai is that it is entirely in the hands of laymen, there being neither clergyman nor missionary engaged in it. It is, of course, an offshoot from Hanover street Church, and retains its fellowship with, the central body, but the work of two services each Sunday, a Sunday school, and week night meetings is carried on with increasing success by voluntary efforts. It sprang out of a Sunday commenced about eight years ago in the Linden Schoolhouse ; then a Sunday evening service in the same place about five years ago ; and for the last year or so the Sunday morning services have been continued, and the congregation has at length so prospered as to be able to build and pay for a comfortable church in which to meet for Divine worship. The opening tea will take place on Tuesday evening. It is intended shortly to add three class rooms to the rear of the building for the use of the Sunday school and other meetings.

The Wellington correspondent of the Lyttelton Times says he would not be surprised if the penny inland postage, promised by the Government, is not brought into operation at all. This is somewhat significant.

The Tapanui Flat appears (says the Courier) to have got the lead in this district as regards getting its produce ready for market. Messrs Mackenzie and Brownlie have been hard at it for over a fortnight, and now we understand the most of the flat farmers have " threshed out." So far the only report of any big yield which has reached us is that of Mr Daniel Robertson. On a 20-acre paddock of oats Brownlie's mill threshed 108 bushels per acre and only for the damage done by the weather to the crop it would have far exceeded that.

The Estates Gazette of January 30 contains a review of the land sales effected in 1891, from which it appears that in England there has been a great falling off in the returns, more noticeable in several of the Home counties than elsewhere. The average price per acre is however, only L 2 short of that of 1890. In Scotland and Wales there was a most decided improvement in the number of properties sold, although the average prices are very low, in the former country especially, due principally to the sale of two very large estates, one of which of some 72,000 acres in Ross-shire only realised about LI 10s, pin- acre, which, of course, had the effect of materially lowering the averages. The following is a statement of areas of land sold and the prices realised per acre:—ln England, 49,592 a3r 29p sold for a total of L 2,106,683, an average of L 43 per acre; in Scotland, 98,457a_0r 14p fetched L 425.062, or at the"rate of~L4 an acre; in Wales, 8663 a 2r 15p realised L 163,337, equal to Ll9 per acre.

A phenomenal trial crushing of 2W£ tons of stone from the brilliant reef, which has been intersected in the Victory mine at Charter's Towers, Queensland, has yielded upwards of 14920z of gold.

An extraordinary scene occurred at the Colonial Secretary's office at Brisbane on the morning of the 16th inst., when a crowd of women, many bearing infants and most of them accompanied by children, invaded the premises, demanding to see the Colonial Secretary. He was absent, but the women collared his secretary. It appears the Government had transferred administration of relief from the hands of the Relief Board to the Labour Bureau, but the latter had proved unequal to the great amount of extra work, and hence the commotion. The Under Secretary to relieve distress gave instructions that in future relief should be distributed at the Immigration Bureau.

"Dr Bill" was produced at the Princess Theatre last night for the last time, and, despite the exceedingly inclement weather, there was a very good down-stairs house, the dress circle being fairly well patronised. The comedy went off as merrily as formerly, the audience being kept thoroughly amused during the whole of the evening. To-night "Jane will be placed on the boards for the first time. It will be preceeded by the charming little play " Barbara." In order to give country people an opportunity of attending the theatre, there will be a late train to Balclutha and intermediate stations,

There wns a cleun charge sheet at the Police Court yesterday morning.

The New Zealand Times states that a large loan company connected with the Argentine Republic as well as with this colony has given instructions to its agents hero to call in their mortgages upon the expiry of the terms, with the intention of retiring from the colony and throwing in their lot with the Argentine,

Mr John Thompson will sell sheep at Lawrence on Saturday.

The annual meeting of the Otago Football Association will be held in Watson's Hotel this evening.

llic handicaps for the Taici'i Amatour Turf Club's meeting will not bo declared till Saturday. Messrs A. Loric and Co. will sell on Friday a consignment of harness, whips, &c. Mr L. Maclean (for the Mutual Agency Company) will hold a sale of sheep at Balclutha on Friday.

John Hislop, "Watchmaker and Jeweller, 74 Princes street. The oldest established house in town. Repairs of all kinds. Good assortment Watches, Clocks, and Jewellery. Spectacles to suit all sights.— Advt Marriage Presents.—G. and T. Young notify the arrival of three further shipments of new goods. Their stock of novelties is the largest in the colony, their goods the best, and their prices the lowest. Inspection invited. —[Advt.] We understand that Frank A. Coxhead, assisted by Mr John Beauchamp, is now taking enamelled cabinet portraits at the small price of 10s 6d per dozen, for one month only. A free invite to all to inspect his magnificent premises in Princes street, opposite Colonial Bank. Take the elevator. —[Advt.] Eden George and Co. (Limited), the leading photographers of Dunedin, who produce by far the best work in New Zealand, take one dozen beautifully enamelled cabinets in any position or style, for 15s. One price list adopted, and no extra charges are made to visitors from the country.— [Advt.]

Established over a quarter of a century. Of other soda waters that have conic under our notice and take a very high place in Australasia, we would be remiss if we did not mention that of Messrs Thomson and Co. • Dunedin.—Brewers Journal, 1890.^-TAdvt.]