THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES TUESDAY, MAY 6, 1930. SHOULD BOYS BE TAUGHT BY WOMEN?

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21018, 6 May 1930, Page 8

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES TUESDAY, MAY 6, 1930. SHOULD BOYS BE TAUGHT BY WOMEN?

A "recent cable from England states that the National Association of Schoolmasters at their annual conference unanimously passed a resolution declaring that boys should be taught by men., The conference also deplored the fact that there were 7000 women teaching at boys' schools,, and that since the war the number of men teachers had, decreased by 700. The arguments that were put forward in support of the resolution must, if well grounded, effuse considerable anxiety among the public, for it was asserted that a boy under the influence of a woman teacher could not become "a 100 per cent, he-man," and that if the teaching of boys remained feminised the whole nation would become feminised and would sink below other nations. If one ignores .the odious phrasing given in inverted commas above,—evidently an echo of kinema sub-titles—one sees the gravity of the statement'. Effeminate boys grow into effeminate men: vigour j manly- courage, -■ readiness to accept hard knocks without whimpering, excision of sentimentality, and the encouragement of a hardy and enterprising attitude to life and its difficulties,— these.are some' of. the qualities we look for-in boys leaving school. As to the statistics of male' • and. female teachers it is not difficult to-get information. In England there are'sooo.more women teachers since the war. In America the primary school teacher is commonly spoken "of as " she," both-in conversation and in text-books. A weii known New Zealand educationist who lately visited New York tells how.in that city he was shown over a school where the presence of a male teacher ! was referred to as an unusual phenomenon. What is happening elsewhere is happening in New Zealand. The .report of the Otago Education Board for 192$ shows that there were in that year in the primary schools, counting both adulfc teachers and probationers, 703 all told, 269 being males andfemales, —or of the adult teachers 100 males to 153 females, and 1 of the probationers, 100 males to 350 females. For the whole of New Zealand for the same year the report of the Minister of Education shows that in the primary departments of the public schools there were 6341 adult teachers,—men 2243, women 4098. In addition there • were 572 probationers, men 142, women 430. In the secondary schools under the State Department the report shows .a reversal in the magnitudes of the numbers,—there being 340 men and 283 women. But. against this the number of boy pupils in secondary schools is considerably greater than that of the girl pupils, and this is so in every type of secondary school ex-, cept in the 45 private secondary schools and the third year pupils of-junior high schools,—in both of which girl pupils are more numerous. In round numbers' there are in all types of secondary schools in New Zealand 15,000 boys and 14,000 girls. In the boys' high schools the teachers are, of course/men: in the mixed schools boys, are often taught by women. When one makes a transition to the statistics of influence of women on boys as against that of men on boys, one is in a region where opinion takes the place of accurate data. And opinion in this field is, as everyone knows, a judgment too often based on prejudice, traditional practice, or dislike of the irruption of women intospheres so long held by men. There does seem to be evidence,—rather untrustworthy be it said,—of a biological nature, concerning electric radiations from males and females. Some biologists arc said to hold the belief that the male unconsciously radiates certain waves of electricity, which, if they remain unabsorbed, tend to the maintenance and development of masculine energy, but which, if in constant contact with opposing waves of electricity diffused by the other sex, become, equally unconsciously, absorbed thereby. This absorption, it is claimed, would naturally be most strongly felt when the female is in a position of teacher, and the male in that of learner. Until the biologist can elevate a belief into a demonstrated causal relation, the public can rely only upon their own

experience, and that of their children and of the teachers. Co-education, despite British reluctance to adopt .it beyond the primary stage, . seems natural. Yet who is to be teacher? If women make boys feminish, do not men make girls mannish? Many experienced women teachers themselves assert that all boys of eleven plus—i.e.,. in the secondary stage as riow understood—need the inspiration and the disciplinary direction of a man. But men of ability and energy cannot be dragooned into teaching. They go where the imvard urge drives them,■ and where the rewards are greatest. For good or for ill women have come most decisively upon the scene as teachers of boys of all ages. They also are at the lecturer’s desk in universities. What type of character will evolve none can say. Perhaps Goethe was right,—the woman soiil leadeth us upward and on. ' ' ■ 5

THE COTTON INDUSTRY. It may be asserted by many a conservative male that the womenfolk’ are being allowed to assume a position of too great prominence on the national and international horizon in all things professional, industrial and political. The apparently ineffective blandishments which Mr Baldwin and Mr Lloyd George lavished on the , possessors of the now,, “flapper vote ”■ at the last British' General Election caused misogamists, and those who' still dare maintain that the woman’s place is in the homo, to deride the intellectual capacity of the female voter and to deplore the position of importance she has assumed. The inauguration-of a “ Cotton Week ” in Great Britain, however, serves to emphasise the rapt attention with which even hardened Lancashire spinners, study and pander tc woman’s whim. . The chairman of the campaign, with a .daring' that deserves, to win victory for the manufacturers, has attributed \ the cause of the sluxhp ;on the cotton market to the short skirt and the absence of the petticoat from the feminine wardrobe, and presumably one of the aims of the cotton, campaign will be to lengthen the former garment ’ and reintroduce the latter. At Ascot, it ,is suggested, the first effects of the reform-will be ,at least partially visible when Royalty and the stage Will appear—in cotton creations, while hats a yard* wide,, reminiscent of the “Merry.' Widow,” days, will'reappear in all their trailing glories of muslin " and ostrich feathers. But while' the. attempt to invigorate;,-Great Britain’s home cotton trade has its lighter side, - the actual prospects in the industry are somewhat gloomy.' .At the beginning of last, year there 1 were ■ hopes that' cotton spinners and Lancashire would experience relief from the severe depression which has existed since the boom of ten years ago, but the last year’s operations have;been described as in tnany’respects' the ' worst 'yet experienced. There was a considerable amount of reduced' time and irregular working, causing serious; unemployment for, the operatives, apd further trade was lost to competitors.- The export’ trade in piece goods has shrunk in value from £107,298,462 in 1928 to £99,263,987 for the year .recently ended, trade with the principal markets in India, the Far East'and Egypt havihg djeen - though the dqminions lent 'manufacturers some support. The interests arc faced with the necessity of producing : goods which can be marketed on-the same terms as those of their competitors, a development, experts* state, which can be achieved only by the establishment of a two-shift system and the use of a -larger number of automatic looms. Markets must- be found if increased production of cotton goods is t;o revive the industry, and it is satisfactory in this connection to have the assurance of Mr H. Norman Bathgate that the demand for; cotton is steadily increasing and that, as the British Empire already produces nearly a quarter of the world’s output of raw cotton, and its in British colonies and protectorates is still merely in its infancy, those countries which require cotton and cotton goods will gradually be forced to rely .more and more on Great Britain to supply their needs.

Dunedin was literally a city of. darkness last night. So serious has the position become owing to the shortage of water at the generating'station at Waipori that it was ■ decided .to institute economies by refraining from switching on the street lights, commencing from last evening. In addition to the saving of power, and the ensuing saving of water, which will result from this measure, it is hoped that the general public will be brought to realise the necessity for every possible economy in the use of electricity. Fortunately last night the sky was clear, and the crescent moon east a certain amount of soft light over the city, but should any night this week be dull or should the present restrictions' still be in force after the moon has waned, the lights will again'bo switched oil. At the rate at which the water in, the lake at Waipori has been lowered recently, it is estimated that a fortnight's- time will see the city’s supply of current in* danger of being very sharply curtailed, but with the co-operation of all users of. power it is hoped that the water no.w in the lake will be so conserved that it, will enable the requirements to. be fulfilled until heavy rains are experienced. Some of the larger industrial consumers are already assisting the. Electrical Department by curtailing their use of power wherever possible, and so are' some of the shopkeepers, but instances are still occuring where premises arc being left after closing hours with the lights on—a course that is-opposed to the general interest? at the present time.

The postal authorities advise that the steamer Marama, which is dud at Wellington on Thursday from San Francisco, is bringing 185 bags of European, American, and Canadian niails, and 30 pared receptacles for Dunedin. The mail is expected to reach the 1 local . Post Office on Friday afternoon,, and the parcel portion on Saturday..

A member of the Auckland Tramping Club, who took part in . the recent excursion to Tongariro National Park, sends to the Auckland' Star a description of the volcanic wonders which were seen. A close examination of the crater of Tongariro was made. The Ketetahi Valley, with its boiling mud and water and fuming blowholes, was very active.- One member, who is a constant visitor to the park, stated that it >'s now more active than at any other period since. 1921, The crater lake ton Ruapehu has also been reported as becoming warm again, so'it seems that the activity is increasing all round, except in the \ Ngauruhoe' crater, which is still, quiescent!,

“Buy from *tlie .customers who buy from you! ” is a good, business motto. New Zealanders spend more per head than any other people in the world, so that the best customers anyone in business in this country can have are his fellow New Zealanders. la it not “up, to” everyone in New Zealand to buy the goods made .by our local work people? Our secondary industries employ over 80,000 workers, making with - their relatives a ; large buying power for New Zealand-made goods. The fourth annual “ Made ; in‘New Zealand .Week” .will begin to-morrow, when an examination of the goods displayed in the leading .windows will show that for quality and'value “ New Zealand-made goods are-second" to none.” ■

The following - are the returns of infectious diseases-in the Dunedin and Fever Hospitals for the week, ended at mid-, day yesterday:—Scarlet fever —admitted none; discharged- 3, remaining 6( . .diphtheria—admitted 5, . remaining. 9;-erysipelas—-admitted 2/ discharged 1, remaining 2. ■ Private- : advice has been received ,iu: -Wellington -‘(states' a press Association message)-that "the London Observer, in a leading article," states that New Zealand scrip is popular in financial circles -because the Dominion is free-from-indus-trial troubles, and because of. the con-servative-management of its finances. ; What appeared to he a mine, moored in the Puk'ahi estuary, MangerC, subsequent to the! Auckland Aero Club’s pageant; lafet month, ' Caused some misgivings to. local residents. Officers of the Defence Department ■ and • the Aero Club; investigated the 'complaint (says the New -Zealand Herald), and, satisfied the local dwellers that sisted 'of• an empty kerosene box, A mine had been .laid for part' of '.the pageant display and the box used as a float - tp ! mark the place. - On the "day of the' pageant, .however, it was decided, not to explode the mine, as conditions yrefe unfavourable, but. the explosive contents were removed and. the box left floating, i ■’ “ Not a wprd! Not a syllable!was the reply of Mr W. A. Kellow, president Jof the Matter Bakers’. Federation, when asked, by. a- Dominion.reporter, on Friday- whether! hie could say any thing with regard .to -.the termination ,of ’. the . arrangement bCtwebn the Health Department and; the-Master-Bakers’ Federation which; had'-enabled-bakers to sell- loaves of various weights.-less than -2lb. ■“ There has been quite enough said already,” added. Mr about fancy. loaves, possible changes' - in equipment; or itjie' 'master bakers’ policy in general, - Mr Kellow still" would not speak.'. .“Beyond, haying seen i.t>in the paper,” he' said,: “ nothing hits' been, done yet about the -matter. We can’t-talk about it until we’ve-'thought about : it, ian'we? ”added, <f thfere’il be a meeting; of . the! federh,tipn,,T suppose. , We may be. able, to' make’.Some statement - ,next - week,..but, until .then, I - am; hot" saying anything.” - • > ■ - . | A fine'collection Of.‘ship's figureheads is the - proud possession. of the cpnimiiiiider’ of'.., HAI.jS., Philomel, the npyal! .training Vessel stationed at Auckland. . The figureheads have been deposited in the Auckr iarid naval base for safe custody. ■ Recently the Philomel’s commander Was ;presented with the figurehead‘of . the old-time barqiientine Ocean Ranger by, Captain Hi! Hooper, nautical'adviser - to . the- Government. The - OCean ~.Ra!uger.-‘has; been, I ,a familibr sight-in; Gtago,Harbonr'fopmany years, as coal hulk." She was originally a-trim little'ship, arid was built air Liverpool in: 1867. For many years she! was engaged -in the, intercolonial .and vcOastai trade, and in the ’eighties and .’nineties sailed - in and out of .Otago Harbour on many bccasiopa.-Her usual - trade; was from 1 Qfeymputh,-to Sydney with timber cargoes,; returning to New. - Zealand' with coal. from Newcastle. About ■ the year 1896 the’ late .Captain D, Hanning" had command-.of-'her,and'‘on .one occasion, he created i something; of- a stir, in - shipping circles on 'arriving, from the ; West Coast by bringing the Ocean Ranger up to ,the Dunedin wharf under full sail! • The :ship met with ■ several -mishaps when . engaged in,the coastal trade.' When crossing the Greyraoutb - bar on. one .occasion -she.-was struck by,'a’.heavy sea, 'which damaged the rudder.- post to, such an extent that the vessel became practically unmanageable! She .was .towed back to the .Greymouth wharf ah hour or two later. On another occasion! -when bound' from Greymouth to Lyttelton, the Ocean Ranger had all her sails blow to shreds and most of .the deck-cargo. of timber, washed overboard ■ when .she. encountered a A heavy storm. The ; vessel commenced .to leak biidly, and the pumps were manned. She reached 1 Lyttelton after the gale had moderated, .with only a few rags of canvas. The Ocean Ranger’s subsequent career was somewhat chequered until she was cdqdemned - and by" Messrs John Mill anfl Co., of ‘Port Chalmers! The ship was converted' into a hulk' over ’SO years ago." Her hull is of, hardwood, and the old vessel was a good model, and a. fast'sailer in smooth water. An old-world' feature of the Ocean Ranger was the figurehead referred to,! which consisted of’ a - seaman"in the- attire - of Nelson’s day., .’Owing- to the -ever-increasing demands -upon the original! supply from. the.Silverstream, the Moegiel Borough .Council, two years ago, was forced to look about for a means of augmentation, and was fortunate’in discovering what appears to be a never ending supply—from a ' well put down in the Factory road. . Before adopting this scheme, the council made exhaustive tests, as to quality and quantity. In-the first case, the. water , was declared by both the Government analyst and the Government bacteriologist to -be absolutely pure,, whilst, as regards quantity, 31,000,000 gallons have already been pumped, and- no , matter how dry the weather’ conditions may be, the level of the water ■ never . disminishes below four ■feet- in, the well after. 150,000 gallons have been, pumped. ■ “The fly, in- the amber,” was,- however, that the water was “’hai!d ’’ as compared with, the 'Silyerstream supply, and therh have been all sorts'of rumours as to its harmful effects upon pipes, some even asserting that’ it ruined.their service For the third time, since it has been in use, the ‘council had ’ samples submitted, to the -Government analyst, and in doing so asked for an expression of opinion - from him, as to its effects upoh cast iron and galvanised iron .piping. - His. report, which.'was sub...mitted to the .council at its. last, meeting, discloses a very high degree of purity, and he states emphatically that it is not corrosive to' either cast iron or to galvanised piping. The report was received with considerable gratification by the council, setting at, rest a much discussed theme in the borough. ' Four hours’ shooting by the GovernOrGeneral, Lord Bledisloe, and party on'a small ;lake on. Mr, J. . T. Drinkall’s farm, near To' Aroha, yielded a very fair “bag,” of ducks' (says the Auckland Star), and his Excellency was well pleased with his first experience'of shooting under New Zealand conditions. The party set out at 4 o’clock in v the morning from Te Aroha in four motor, cars, and on reaching the vicinity of the lake began a steep climb" up the ranges,.torches being used to follow a winding way through the scrub. When daylight came it was seen that there were several hundreds of ducks on the lake, and when shooting commenced after 6 ■ o’clock there was a general! scatter. From a barrage of-10 guiis posted round the lake the birds got a , torrid-time, and they were" soon winging their way to quieter parts. Then the shooting on the plains,; miles away, began to send other ducks towards the ranges in search, of the lake, which at other times 'of the- year is . a sanctuary. They came in pairs, tens, twenties, and even larger numbers. On arrival they got a hot reception. Lord Bledisloe observed the English style - of taking high shots,! in'contrast with the average New Zealand method of letting the birds settle Mu a group and. then - “potting’.’ them. -The opinion of the Auckland visitors was that his -Exqelleqcy . is an--exceptionally good, shot, whose, ’sporting tray of giving the ,-birds a fair! chance -’was ; an., object lesson* ' '

The' Minister of ‘Labour (Mr W.' A. Yeitch) arrived at Rotorua on Friday, and , called on Sir, Jospeh Ward. Oa Saturday he met the officers of the Publie Works Department, and decided to put 100 men, on the Rotorua-Taupo road construction work. ‘ Inver viewed by tha Mayor and councillors in respect to a title for an aviation ground, he said ho would give a favourable report on , the matter ■ to the Minister of Lands. A jury was enipannelled at the Supreme Court yesterday 1 morning to assess th® amount of damages in a case in which Jonathan" Hodgson -is - petitioning for a divorce from-Amelia; Julia- Waitara Hodgson, Alexander Coster-being' cited as corespondent. On" account of an unexpected "adjournment-in a previous case, Mr E. J. Anderson, who- appeared for the petitioner, did not have his witnesses present and was unable to proceed.’ The case.was, therefore; adjourned"until 10.30 this morning:' 11 Mr J. M. Dickson-has brought to a close the period of . comparative .rest- - for which he came to New Zealand a year ago (the Church'-News states), and has. now gone back to England. lr was his hope to settle’ in Auckland, but it -is uncertain now whether lie will -be able -to do so. ' Mr Hickson has sent out- a message "of to each of the. bands of intercessors ..Which .he has been instrumental in fbrming throughout New ’ Zealand for spiritual healing. For the two’ vacancies on the Otago Electric Power Board.-.te -represent’ the combined Maniototo-Strath Taieri district,- -the' following, nominations were ‘received. on -Saturday Thomas Adlard Lowds, Alexander M'Ktnnon, -and Edgar Thomson Shand. The. nomination of. Mr Thomas. Carruthers-’ was received by.; the returning officer,: but was not accompanied:-' by the required deposit,.-and wds therefore' informal..'.. The- election will’ take place on May<ls.

Shelter -was given,, to 47 men when the new “doss; house” controlled by the Auckland City Mission -was'-opened- on Thursday evening. • 'Pr actically-every-bed installed -was .'occupied,' and it -isexpectcd (says the New; Zealand Herald)! that' a larger number of . men w.i'll apply, for shelter this year ;than. during, any -of.--the three .previous .winters in which the-mis-sion > has run •- a- shelter! ■ Provision; will be ’ made for -.; about XSO - men. • The - , majority of the men were'waiting when the shelter was officialjy; opened.by.tiie. Rev. ’Jasper Calder, wild, said’ if was a pity that such 'an ’ institution Was necessary. He 7 appealed to’ the, men to respect- the facilities provided for fhem-and to show by their! good conduct that- they -appreciated- them. -The ages; of the-men who were 7 admitted‘range‘from 25 tq-,75,, and, 25 of 'them’ Jdkve had war service; Supper ■p-as, given to man .‘and, a breakfast was supplied L in! the inorhing. .The men. are, bqing provided; with sheets-and .everything - is made; as! comfortable; as possiblefor ‘them. !" i' !' . . ; ■ '

The.third annual' meeting, of‘the New Zealanfl! Institute! of , Foresters - (Ihd.) i was held in Wellington on [Apijil, 124.: ' Flic annual, report and,balance shflet, were 'presented..’ . The--report referred fto. the incorporation. qf the. institute !;under tlie Incorporated Societies Act, and to the increase. : ia-; tn«atl«(Blup..!;C6'; 42.'-,’ -The changes '• in the . constitution ■ made -last year Froade’ning th'e of the' assoclnte had resulted in several hptplications for admission, but .'if was desir? able that. to this matter,- ( so that - - alFiiai-feqtis'.interested might ‘be made < aware- 'ndw conditions. - 'The election bf 'ofiicere for the.efisuiing term resulted as 'follows; —Meesr 6 C. E.-' Foweraker "'(presideht) j - ’ T.j.W; Foster (vice-president)F!H; Hutchinson, (hon. i secretary)... Bie. council! has', yet to .be elected. - Mr F. W. Foster presented a professional! paper .qh “The Height .Growth of Kauri' Seedlings,” dealing with intermittence 'in! growth and the length l of ■ the .growing season!

■ W. -V.' Stur.mer, ‘O.S.OX. optician. , Consulting rodm,- ; 2 r Octagon. Dunedin. • .Mbaf modern scientific mentrfor sight'testing.—Advt. : > A. E. J; Blakelejr and VV. B.’: Bagiey: dentists. Bank, ‘of Australasia. corner oc Bond and Rattray; streets. ■' (next Telegraph’ Office!. Telephone 12-359;—Advr. S. E; .Ferguson, qualified’‘optician and refractionifit, G’.P'o;C.,' 45 George' street. Twenty years’ in eight-testing and.spcctacle s 1 trouble you 'consult us, , Doctors’ ,prescriptions carefully attended tp.—Advt. ■ . . Winter time is radiator - time. Get yours -tb-day from' Barth:- Electrical- Supplies, “Ltd., 90 Princes street,' Dunedin.— Advt. • • ; >. j ;■ • We make’.a- special feature,of high-elaes bmhyrare; • ' Tooth. . Brushes, , . Shaving Brushes, and ?Sair Brushes.: -If-yon ; w£nt something really ‘ good "go - to Sprosen’s, Ltd., .leading .chemists,, corner Octagon and George street.—Advt. -s . - ’ Choice Jewellery.—Compare pur values. Just lacked, large selection:: Diamond Rings, Reliable Watches. Jewellery. ,and , Silverware.—Peter Dick, the most reliable' jewellers, watchmakers, and opticians,- 490 Moray -.place. . Duped>m— AdVt.