LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14457, 25 February 1909, Page 4

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

THE RAILWAY POLICY. SIK,-And so the Hon. ,1. A. Millar mate it known at this time of the. day that our railways do not pf»y en a distance br.ms at I<l a mile. Allow me to slate that this is what, I e.vid wlhii, this system first came into operation, I tool; a great deal of trouble at that time lo work the matter—or, .shall I say. the price?—out from a very large all round standpoint, and I could find r.o way whereby such fares would meet the expenditure.—l am. etc., D. Nlt'ol,.

THE FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY. Rib,—The Public Library will no doubt take some tils? to gel into proper working order. A groat, number of children at present find their way lo the library, and occupy papers and magazines, wilh no intention of reading them. A man, having a few minutes to snare in his lunch hour, may go to the libiary, bit the chances are that lie will find the magazine or paper he wants to see in the possession of Echool children. I have seen in your columns from limo to time the number of persons visiting the library, but. I would like lo fice separata numbere kept of adults and children, and I venture to say ih.'t Ilia latter will predominate. I osrtainlv think that mil il such limo as the children's room m opened no school children should l:c allowed in before 4 o'clock. This would give the children who wished to make proper use of (ho instituto a chance of visiting the rooms while, being alter 4- o'clock, those children who seem to regard the rooms a.s a novelty would have no desire to do so.—l am, etc., R.VTKI'AYKH.

THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC. Sit.,—This is the heading of a letter in this morning's Tinus, over the signature of "Catholic," which is very misleading, as it would infer that, a Catholic, cannot bi a teetotaller, and that is wroirg, as this will prove. I am ono of a very large congregation that stood in St. Joseph's Cathedral,' Dimedin, and repeated this pledge, after which each one went, to the altarrails and received a badge (a cross), with tho following inscription:—"l promise, with the grace of (Jod, lo abstain from all intoxicating drinks, and discountenance their use as far in possible." If all that tnade that sacred promise fulfilled it, at election time the gain would bo for prohibition. Unfortunately, Ihe majority of the Now fcilae.d Catholics arc too much influenced by the liquor trade, as has been proved to their disadvantage. There is no nation more badly influenced b.y drink than tho Irish; hence so many convictions. They arc brawled for ever as crimia2.ltf, while othere, committing graver crimes, go unpunished, as they are rarely delected. Yet wo lead letters upholding the trtule, signed by "Catholic."—l am, etc., Catholic Total Abstinence Leacus. Dimedin, February 23.

THE UNEMPLOYED. ' Sin,—l read with interest your leader on the unemployed. Editors; scent, without offering idea; for removing the great industrial evils of the time, to combine in denouncing the professional agitator. But while you have humanity siufcring from tho disorder of unemployment you must expeet flic usual symptoms. Ycu can't muzzle the agitator. In many cases he has been unemployed himself. The experience has made a busting impression on his fertile, if shallow, mind, awl every wave of unemployment will throw him bubbling to tho top. J Jut it U wrong ro speak of a v;a.vo of um-mploymcut. 'Jhcro is liitlc of natural order in unemployment. It can be traced to artificial causes vory largely. And what if there should he a germ of prophecy jn the blatant '.-peeahes of Iho agitators? They dream dreams of a better time. We arc growing tired of the ha;ihward features of iiuliiswral Hie.

It is not neceft.xt.ry- to de-.-.'l.roy incentive nor to annihilate ihoM conditions which develop grit, individuaiiiy, aixl talent; but it is iwcc-cviary t-hac Ilm vast army of workers, the rank ;ukl iiie, w1'.0.-e humdrum toil must iili tlw world's needs, should be provided with a continud market for tltair labour and with a fa.ir cK.-ha.iigc for the work they do. A fu'.urc generatioii.Tvill Icok back in wonder to <j. time when iiKiiwiriaJ ali'.tirs wore regulated by laisse faivc—when the law of the land t ai<! 1

"Then shait not sk-al nor bcig," but did noi provide nx*:uis for honest living. Modern legislation and modern iiulusrriniisin liav-j hroughi us some mighty problems which call loudly for settlement.— I am, etc., ; Young Nkw Zealand. Gore, February 22. THE LICENSING COMMITTEE ELECTION. i Sin,—Lest tiro [mum- .-ii'-ibd forgo;, it is well liiut a icKii.-i.ioi' Si.oc.ltl Lv puulished l-liiil the jjiuwiil committee was soietteii by "Hie iruue'' m urn lirsi, plate in iiiiX), and tlieielurc does not neeo selection by a over again. It is aiitiounceu very plausibly "thai "die trade' is not going u nominate any persoiis for a commiiwo lias jear, bu„ that if ine present committee is re-L-ieetoU it will be ijiule satisiicil." 'Hie fact that "the trade" says it will Le quiie satisfied if the Inemoeis of the present bench sue re-el:cied should be the hna! condemnation of t\iu moderate couiniittee in the eyes of eoitiniomseuso people. II is ids.) manifest, that tiie whole mailer is being arranged in conjunction with "(lie trade," am! it is absolutely absurd to suggest that the so-called moderate cominitio) is not standing entirely i'n the interest of " the trade" and against the iiitwcih of tho 10,912 paoplo who voted reduction. An understanding of some sort must have been onto lo regarding the number of licenses to bo refused, or the Liquor party would not sit down and leave matters to run as they liked. Why is the public not informed of the intentions of tho committee in this regard? It is public properly about the town also that several members of the "moderate" committee havo declared that they would not stand for the pesiyon again. Pressure Irs evidently been brought to bear upon thorn. From whom? I warrant it has not been from the. temperance people. The inemhere of the " moderate " committee are noi; open enough lo say how many licenses they will refuse; they want, to be. elected on an open ticketIs it not. far more sensible when you want, a body of men to control a dangerous and lawless trade to see that you get fearless and independent men Ihan to pbco in power men who are selected by "the trade" itself?—l am,'etc., Close Tex Bars.

TOTERrRKTA'TION OF TI'E PRIMARY SCHOOL SYLLABUS. Sib,— -May I draw your attention to 6oma columns in the Journal of Education for this month which ecem to mc to contain matter of soma concern, not only to teachers but to parents and ofliew who probably do not read that publication? I refer to the scheme of work in arithmetic and composition—why not '•grammar"?—oommonoing on. _ page 258. The scheme i 6 imcutiwl w assist icadiro who finds a difficulty in interpreting the svlhbus; and such teachers will doubtless wefcomo this opportunity of obtainin.' assistance from such an anthorative source. The 'preface sututils that schemes of work in arithmetic itml composition present "to all teacher*; the greatest variety of interpretation." This being so, it follows that "most teachers who already ha.vo a. eoheruo of work of their own, or who a.ro constitirtioutdly critical, will not nocKKtrUy accept litis 'now variety of interpretation us either a (kakablc or a fair one.

To many teachers the scheme )will appear not only -as toa ambitious, fait as pretoribing work which no one striving for a fair interpretation can find in the syllabus at all. Take, for instance, the followu'g tables from the suggest-cd scheme in arithmetic for >Siajidard I. '' Second term: 'Tables to 10 times to bo kept up.'" Evidently the infant cki-sses have done well! Then follows: "Learn 11, 1?.. 13, .14, 15 times.'' Thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen times! To mast ieachcrs,these, ami ail tables above 1?. time.?, except 20 times appear to ho excluded from Standard 111 and rlie tower ct&sscs. But lcok at rho scheme for Sicir-dard JIT. "Learn 16. 17, 18, 19, 20, and 25 times!'' Does this mean thai children of 10 or 11 years of age should know their tables up to 20 times 20, or even to 12 times '20? It seems to me thai a reasonable interpretation of the syllabus precludes either suggestion. Take the following quotation from pajo 20 of the syllabus fcr Standard 11 (arithinctip): "Tiic four simple rates, multipliers, and divfccm being confined to the numbers 1 to 12 and 20.'" Observe that tho 'numbers 13 to 19 are expressly excluded. Again, pages 20-21 prescribe Lire requirements for Ftaiulaixl 111 (nrithmctiol; "Simple and compound rules (money), multiplier.* and divisors in money sums noi io exceed 09. multipliers if ovor 12 to Ijc reducible to factors not over 12. . . Then, teach multiplication bv numbers 13 , , . S3: c.£., by ii—lc,

80 times plus 6 times." Now, if tho 13 times table were, supposed to bo lea rived, would it be logical to proscribe a, method of multiplying by it differing from that prescribed for t-ho tables up lo 12 times? Again: "The first exercises in long division should be as simple as possible— e.g.., 26 divided by 13. 260 divided by 13, 2633 divided by 13, and so on." Why is the syllabus so explicit, as to the number 15? Clearly became the syllabus docs not intend lire tables to be taught higher than 12 times. The number 13 is the first of a scries of Humbert; too hi;'h to be used in short division because the 15 times table is not. expected lo be known. The syllabus, both impliedly and explicitly, guards against cramming young children with tallies higher than 12' times, 2C tinus, being tin; only exception. The suggested scheme in the Journal appears to go to the etui ol its tether in search of tram tables for SrandsiKls 1, 11, and 111.

.Now, what is the object of all this oram? Have the old orthodox tables to 12 times 12 been found insuiiioielit for commercial ami iscKNitiiio requirements? h it essential to a child's progtts iii aritlilnelie or lo his future citizenship that lio should memorise these extended tables? 1 tun quire aivaro that these are utilitirijwi questions. Bet out a row of figures from 1 to 20, or oven li-om 1 to 12, promiscuously, tints -2, 13, 3, 11, 1, 11). 0. a. t, 7, b, a. How .many ictuiiers, aeccuntanls, mathematicians, or graduates will rhyme oil' these IT or 19 limes tables? How many of the few who can rhyme them oh' will trust themselves to apply these tables freely to ordinary calculations of any importance. Ave modem ixtys mill girls able lo assimilate mere than their ancestors!

There is no part of school drudgery more djtested by children or more nerve-racking to teachers than grinding up tables, So diflicult is it to secure the perfect, memorising of tables up lo 12 times 12—for an imperfectly learned table, like a blunt tool, is useless—that inspectors have lo watch time-tables lo cheek over-anxious teachers who apportion an inordinate share of time to this kind of work. Five hours a week is I lie time almost universally regarded, as the maximum allowance for arithmetic. The memorising and repetition of any new fable must be taken out of the live hours. Would not the lime of the children be belter spent in learning lo apply the ordinary tables up to 12 times 12? Most infant and junior class teachers and teachers of small schools—especially solo tcacltcra —(iitd it lakes them all their time to do this without exceeding the prescribed hours. Hence the surreptitious and even tho open filching of odd minutes lroni time set apart for other work.-often under the pretext of ''co-ordination,"—hence wholesale detention, excessive homo lessons, and corporal chastisement to insure, delivery of the talo of bricks. All teachers have to adopt some snail coercive measures more or less. Is ,1 deniable lu add another straw to the camel's hack? It is all very well for a head master, ambitious to achieve brilliancy, to ply his senior pupils with up-to-dat? experiments. It is all very well, when he is confronted by the imperfect assimilative powers of his pupils, to blame the system liiat did not compel his pupils to tackle his experiment at an earlier age. But when ho proceeds to foist tho brunt of the burden on to the shoulders of the infant mistress, Ihe junior assistant, and indirectly the solo teacher it is lime to orot'est. " And don't let us forget that the worst of tho foisting touches tho brains of children seven to 11 years of age. Let a vote be taken for or against the extended tables from infant mistresses, assist ants in charge of Standards I, Jf, and 111, and sole teacheis. The firs!-hand, continuous dailv oxj-.eriance of those cla-scs of teachers 'should give social weight to any opinion they might express on such a question as this*. And as the question is one of increasing the mental cram demanded from children seven to 11 years of age, doctors and parents should have something lo say thai ought not. to be ignored. Should this appeal lo s. me of your readers, possibly others may see a way to deal wilh oilier points in the scheme deserving .notice. I am, etc., Geo. YY'm. Cauiukgtox. St. Leonards, February 22.

THE GOVERNMENT SERVICE. Sir—Tim Lake Wukatipii incident and ils heai in;; on tho conditions of Govcninio.'il employees remind ins of the old saying that there is no one l so badly shod as tho shoemaker's wife and the blacksmith's pony. Xotwiiivst--.iin.Unj; all that has been said and done on be-half of ihe civil service, it would appear that its millennium is not yet. 1 have travelled oven- a good deal of NewZealand, and have come into conlact with, all grades, from the highest to the lowest, in (he service, and yet I have never been struck with that emacialed and toil-worn appearance which is generally associated with over-work and oppression. As a class the civil servants are so ir.oelc and longsuffering that we \ery rarely hear of a member leaving the service lo work for a private employer. It is true, that we hear occasional complaints from the railway cooperative workers. And was it not at Addington that MrjM'Culio'.igh graduated as a champion of down-trodden humanity? From what I have seen and heard of the coopera'ivo workers, their lot must be hard indeed, aud loose who have survived must be on the verge of collapse as a result of over-exertion. But with the knowledge that champions in every cause are liable to exasperate, I am not without hope thai the Addinglon inquiry will show that there is one place at least in (he service where it is possible !o enjoy seme measure of fair play. To quote from a correspondent in an up-counlry paper: "In 1903-1905 there were 450 employees of ail ranks lo work 1940 miles of railway; to-day there are 12.3-1S employee?, with only 52.3 additional miles of railway to control." If these figures he correct, it seems that the strain must be very unevenly distributed, otherwise it, is difficult to imagine, where oppression comes in. There must, be some inducement, judging from the cvei'tincrcasing number of those who are not only willing, but anxious, to join Hie sei-.'ice. I'erhnps the steady employment and sure pay, with holidays, and insurance against, accident and want in old age. are the factors which eleoide them in their choice. Although my sympathy are with the horny-handed sons of (oil, I can only fay in this connection that things could very easily be worse, and I have a doubt about the immortal truth of man's inhumanity to man being applicable (o New Zealand.—l am. etc\, g. c. e.

TJTF, b.\kt:\T, trade. Sin,—For way.? that arc dark and tricks that, arc vain Bret Hallo's heathen Ciiinsn could not hold a candle to some of e.ur modern employe;*. It seems to mo thai; Mr il. Hutehi?on, of Tiinaru, belongs to that class, judging troin his letter commenting on ioino opinions on the abovo subject, which I gave to your reporter. Mr lluichkon, or anyone else, is quite at liberty lo comment a.« much as ho likes, so far a,s ,1 am concerned, so long as he will slick to the truth, and not. try lo mislead 13io public. According to him, the baking trade i* all that, is desirable, toys at 18 yea re of age receiving 45s a week; good men gutting as high as 90s, and even 105s, a \vo.ik i the work of a baker, who is employed [or 50 hours a week, being just enough to develop a boy's muscle and keep him "in good health, etc. Now, Sir, had Mr Hutchison not been in the trade. I could have excused him on the plea of ignorance, but, knowing that Mr Hutchison has boon in the trade for a number of years, and for some time in this city of DiiiNxlin, J can come to no oilier conclusion than that ho is wilfully misrepresenting facto. In the first place, it is im-pos-iblo for any youth of 18 years to be a journeyman. Under the Factories Act ii i»y is not allowed to slaii work before a. quarter to 8 o'clock iu tlic morning until ho is 16 years of age, and he % therefore, cannot 1m put to the trade until he of that age, as lukcrs' hours of starting work are 4- o'clock a.m. on four days a week, and 3 o'clock a.m. on the other two days. Yet', Mr Hutchison would have us beiievo that bv a little gentle physical exercise, for four years a youth of 18 years would bo a journeyman, setting the full rate of pay. Does Mr Hutchison know of any? I do not, and I claim a good many more roars' experience in I ho trade in New Zealand than Ire does. But I know a goodly number of men of all ages—■ married men,.with large families some of them—getting the full and munificent. iss per woe!;. ;>Vji. so does Mr Huichiron. Ho also wants to know what (liabilities apprentices in the trade are put to. Well, if a boy has lo rise from, his bed at 3 in the morning, lie can never nave any evening's n-muMmont, the same as other lads have. Boys arc nowadays not talJu? any of that ajieiew, medicine of all work and no play, and I den't blams them. Mr Hutchison

GP«rai) to think it would throw some light on the subject if it wag known what wages I received from my kite employers, I don't think so, but I can assure, him it was a. long way under 105s, or even 90s, a week, and that for the position of foreman in tho largest bread baking: business in the Sotttll Island, and after serving 20 years at the trade.

I would like Mr Hutchison to tell us where the men are who are receiving 90s or 105 s a weak. One would think from Mr Hutchison's loiter that these high wages were as plentiful as butterflies in summer time, yet tho'journeyman never ecems to have heard of tiiem so far as i know from my own experience and.that of others. Certainly Sir Hnlohison never phi so high a. wage in Duncdin, and if he is doing so in Timaru I sav good luck to him! I have my doubts, however, but perhaps (lie ability of the men thero is greater than that o'f the men in Dunedin. In conclusion, I can assuro Jlr J. Hutchison, of Timaru, that tho opinions I expressed to your reporter are based on solid facts that I have learned by years of- mtiro solid labour. They are opinions which 1 have .hold for years, and have not been afraid to express at every opportune time. Had 'tli» Master Bakers' Association, in whose interests Mr Hutchison evidently writes, taken into consideration, even iii soma small degree, the bettering of the conditions of tho working journeyman, instead of trains its combination to bolster up profits and keep down wayes. it might not be suffering those little inconveniences, such as tho apprentice question and others, that it is suffering from to-dav. As I do not want to trespass at Ico great length on your space I have the other items of Sir Hutchison's comments to answer themselves. If he will calmly read over his letter again I think ho will ccmo. to the same conclusion as T have, thai ho has done bis intelligence an injustice.—l tun. etc., Dunedin, February 11. J. W. Stono.