THE OTAGO WITNESS. Dunedin, Saturday, May 28, 1859.

Otago Witness, Issue 391, 28 May 1859, Page 4

THE OTAGO WITNESS. Dunedin, Saturday, May 28, 1859.

The proposed Education Ordinance is exciting that amount of controversy which was naturally expected. The columns of our contemporary last week were full of the opinions of correspondents ; and much of our space in our present number is devoted to the same purpose in another form. It is much to be regretted that this question, which is of so much importance to the well-being of the community, cannot be discussed without a number of writers rushing into the controversy with bitter personal feelings, and, instead of arguing the points at issue, indulge in mere invective personal animosity, and abuse. Of the letters which appeared in our contemporary of last week, that dated from the Taieri Manse is the only one which, from its style and tone, is worthy of notice ; but even that is written in a tone of bitter irony, not likely to facilitate a calm deliberation on the subject. We need not, therefore, be surprised that in its comments upon the proposed Bill, that measure is caricatured, and its provisions represented as having a bearing which they have not. No person could possibly expect that any educational measure could have the effect of making carpenters' or labourers' wages cheaper, or that it would in any way reduce the cost of a building and fencing. But the writer of that letter will scarcely deny that the fact of buildings having to be paid partly out of an assessment raised in the district benefited, would tend to check extravagance or unnecessary expense. We will not discuss the question whether the ! expenditure has or has not been extravagant. The published returns in the last annual Report of the Education Board, will speak for themselves. The estimated expenditure on salaries and contingencies, exclusive of buildings, was £1686 ; whilst by the last statistics only 437 children were at public schools. The second question put is equally fallacious in its answer as is the first. We should think that very few persons of sane mind could doubt the fact that much more extensive powers are given to the local committees under the new measure than they possess under the existing law. It is needless to argue this question ; we should take it to be a slur upon the common sense of the public to do so. The power given to the Commissioners is really nothing compared with that held by the present Board. There is no " when they shnll see fit " in the new Bill. We have only to refer again to the instance of the dispute of the Dunedin Committee with the Board, to show how utterly powerless the School Committees at present are. That the change in the law will effect an amendment ! in the expenditure, and in the powers of the local committees, there cannot be a doubt. For these advantages the various districts will have to contribute to the support of the schools. It is for the public to consider whether the advantages are worth the price. They may rest assured that if the Provincial Council continues to supply the funds, the Government of the day will retain the control over the educational institutions of the Province. An erroneous view appears to be held as to the necessity of imposing an assessment.

The Bill gives the power to levy an assessment, but it does not make it imperative. If any district chooses to raise its funds by voluntary contributions, it would have theright to demand from the Government pound for pound for its contributions. Such a course would obviate all the difficulties raised as to the expense of collection ; and a very slight acquaintance with, the history of this Province will show that what was done towards education beforethe passing of the present Ordinance,, was done by voluntary contributions. We remember well when the Taieri had itsschool, when there were schools supported entirely by voluntary contributions and> fees in Dunedin, the Green Island, and the North-east Valley. In those days, such a proposition as the grant by the Government of pound for pound raised, would have been hailed with satisfaction by all ;. and if an argument were wanted to show the mischievous effect of people having; everything done for them by Government,, it could be found in the change of opinion which has taken place in this matter, from the fact of the passing of the existing Ordinance. In the position we have taken up in this question, we feel that we have an up-hill fight : we have to recommend self-denial and the discharge of personal duty ; whereasour opponents have the advantage of the popular side of the argument, and the strong position of an apparent saving tothe individual pocket. " Murder a man's wife and family, and he may brook it ;. But keep your hands out of his breeches pocket,'*' If not an elegant, is a very true couplet, and one of which the opponents of the proposed Ordinance do not fail to take advantage. The writer of the letter from the Taieri Manse assails the taxing clause with some justice. We alwayshave objected and still object to a polltax, and we certainly think that a variety of modes of assessment is objectionable. We would make the assessment on householders and freehold property, but this is a matter of detail, the arguing of which tends only to confuse the principle of whether an assessment shall be raised or not. The same may be said of the objections raised to the payment by the Government of the Rector's salary. Whilst the Dunedin Committee have the Rector's services for their local school, they ought to pay his salary, or a proportionate part of it ; but if a High School, such as is contemplated by both the present and proposed Ordinances, be established, then the inhabitants of Dunedin alone should not in our opinion be called upon to support it. We have next to notice Mr. M'Glashan's letter, published in this journal, and his speech made at the meeting held in the North-east Valley. In his letter, he corrects an error into which we, and no doubt the majority of the public, had fallen, of taking the votes to be the expenditure. No one hut the Secretary to the Board could correct the error, and we presume he is right. We are glad of it — it will render the adjustment of previous expenditure the more easy ; but we by no means see the force of the argument of dividing the amount by the number of years which the settlement of Otago has been founded. Five shillings per acre was then received for religious and educational uses, and whether sufficient or insufficient for the purposes designed, it bore a large proportion to the land funds •, and for some years the New Zealand Company supplied the funds, for a schoolmaster's salary, and for the building now in use as a church and school. As to the speech, we trust we may be excused for saying that the gentleman was for the most part fighting the air. No one is denying the advantages of education, to which nine-tenths of the speech are devoted — arguing the superiority of free schools over cheap schools. But freeschools mean schools without fees, not that they are supported without assessment. We write under correction, but we are almost certain that the free schools in the New England States were supported by local taxation. We are led to believe that in this particular we are right, from Mr. M'Glashan's quotation to the effect that it was ordered that every township should appoint a teacher. If this be the correct view of the matter, then the whole of Mr. M'Glashan's arguments are for the Bill, and not against it, as the whole glories of the American system of education were dependent upon the self-denial and selfhelpfulness of the people. We are acquainted with enough of the nature of colonization, and of the early history of the New England States, to know that no endowment could have sufficed in the earlier days of their existence to have provided

funds for the purpose ; and the very eloquent appeal of Dr. Charming, quoted at the end of the speech, shows that endowments to a full extent were a recent improvement. Surely Mr. M'Glashan must have forgotten himself when he made the -following remark : " That any measure for imposing a tax ought to be resisted until at least Government has devised and established a system of educational endowments." Why, his own measure proposed a tax and yet provided no endowment. He •ft ill be for rotting in gaol next. An endowment should be created (we advocated it three years since) ; but we all know that that is not sufficient for our present wants. Where has the money come from that has built our schools and maintained our teachers ? It has been borrowed, not directly for that object, but a deficiency created by this expenditure has had to be made up by borrowing. This system cannot continue. The land funds are not revenue in the ordinary sense of the word ; they have their destined objects — Immigration, Roads and Public Works. Stop thesa funds from flowing into their legitimate channels, and such a course will react upon the funds and upon the prosperity of the whole colony. Our share of the Customs was less than the last vote for education. The present system of supporting education may go on for a few years, but it cannot last ; and when the change comes, woe be to the men who counselled the people to give up their habit of subscribing for a mutual benefit, and thereby sapped the self-Teliance of their national character!