CORRESPONDENCE.

Otago Witness, Issue 399, 23 July 1859, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

The following letters have been handed to us for publication :— Correspondence on the preparation of the ' ' ■ Education Bill. ', <•' - Superintendent's Office, Dunedin, 22nd March' 2859. Deah Sir— The resolution of the Executive of yesterday's date,' embodying a request that you would prepare a, Bill "in conformity with the. Resolutions of the Provincial Council on the subject of Education, has been transmitted to?™. together with the Bill drafted by Mr. ■rr^ ian > and other documents which led to the'requpst thus made to you. *♦**♦** —I am," &c.,' The Hob. . J. H., Harris, Dunedin. [Extract above referred to.] Extract from the MinuUs of the Executive Council rt . 2\st[ March 1859. , ' * *-* *'"Th«* draff of the new Elation Ordinance having been submitted to the Executive by Xhe Provincial Solicitor, .and'bein* found-not in accordance with the Resolutions passe&b^the Provincial Council^ spd, further Jt;Mi??gi|inpQßsiblefor the Provincial Solicitor

to draft a satisfactory Bill, founded on said I Resolutions, to which he himself is decidedly s opposed, resolve — ' That it is expedient, under such circumstances, to call in other profes- J sionai aid, and that the Hon. J. 11. Harris be t therefore respectfully requested to prepare a c draft of a new Bill, embodying the wishes of 1 the Provincial Government as expressed in i said Resolution.' " j Dunedin, 24th March, 1859. J Dear Sik — Your leiter of the 22nd instant, and the documents to which it refers, were duly delivered to me by Mr. Logan, and they shall have the best attention that circumstances , enable me to bestow upon them. 1 much fear, J however, and in this instance regret, that lam not at liberty to perform any act having a locally political bearing,- at the same time, as the resolutions of the Provincial Council, to which in your letter you refer, were intro- ■, duced by me, and carried (I think) by the < unanimous consent of that Council, I feel ] bound to do all that I consistently can to give ] honest ettect to their declared views. To this - end, although I feel precluded from preparing j the Bill as you appear to wish, I will, with , your approval, place the matter in the hands \ of a professional gentleman, who will, I have ( every reason to believe, deal fairly with it. — , I remain, &c., ( John Hi'deJlakkis. j His Honor the Superintendent of Otago. Superintendent's Office, ] Dunedin, 30th April 15.59, ■ Dear Sie — Owing to your late position in \ the Executive Government, it was at your hands that the Resolutions on the subject of Education were prepared, and unanimously ; passed by the last session of the Provincial * Council : may I therefore beg the favour of your opinion as to whether the Bill drafted by Mr. T. B. Gillies, and of which a copy has been sent you, giy.e3 a fair and substantive embodiment of tho'se'Hesolutions —I am, &c, W. Caugill, Superintendent. The Hon. J. H. Harris, &c. &c, Dunedin. Dunedin, 2nd May 1859. Deak Sir — In compliance with the request contained in your letter of the 30lh ult., I have collated the resolutions of the Provincial Council on the subject of Education, and the Bill as drawn by Mr. T. B. Gillies. It appears to me, that excepting section 16 of the Bill, which requires modification, the Bill fairly embodies the principles set forth in the Reso"lutions, and that it is no further inconsistent with, although with regard to the High School it goes somewhat beyond them/ In preparing the Resolutions for the Executive Council, I purposely excluded the High School from forming any part of the proposed scheme for general education. This I did, as I afterwards explained in the Provincial Council, because I considered that that proposed Institution should be deait with under a separate enactment, and that the present School in Dunedin should be held to be what at present it really is— a District School. If this plan, which 1 still think the right one, were adopted, it would perhaps be necessary for the Government (until a permanent constitution for a High School shall be in operation) to j relieve the Dunedin School Committee from the payment of a Rector's salary. I beg to return to you the copy of the Bill, and remain, &c. l j TT . T , , John Hyde Harris. ! I His Honor the Superintendent. * j •In consequence of the abote opinion, clause 1C I of the printed Bill, as it then stood, WM blruek out. Superintendent's Office, Dunedin, 1 Uth July, 1859. Sin,— Referring to my letter of 11th April on the subject of the Clutha navigation (in reply to yours of 31st May), I have the honour to inform you that having lately visited the Clutha, accompanied by tire Civil Engineer and a competent paity as to nautical advice where they remained for four days in order to j substantiate the remaining facts as to the nature of the bar, how far <i place of call could be established for the Get-long in the vicinity of Mr. Shand's, or as near as possible to the Clutha ferry, and failing which, at such other point or points as should he found practicable ; and also the' state of the river in regard to ; snags. D The report will be published at an early date, but, meanwhile, I beg to state that the i difficulties at the bar were found too formidable td .warrant the .entrance of any sea-going stea- • nier or othqr regular trader, saving perhaps a * vessel of 100 to IJO tons cargo with au auxiliary screw. Mr. Kay, who erected the Mataura bridge, an intelligent tradesman and working engineer, has been left with necessary appliances to insei t the proposed beacon on the ledge of rock if fowid possible, and buoys will also be placed > on two rocks in the yery centre of the channel, ,ifi a line with each other, and bare al low i water. - :jThe approach towards Mr. r Slew's ww f 'Jound to be impracticable, by reaeon of certain ' «s, except by a steamer specially, con- , structed and lor river sen ice only* when the ■ trade may le such as to call for it. This

branch of the river is also stated to be full of j snags between Mr. Shaw's and the ferry. ! The other branch of the river is navigable | as far as the coal jetty at which the Get'long ' took in coal* by a plank from the jetty to her j deck, and this branch of the river could also be navigated for about tv.o miles further up if there was any object in it ; but the only . places now fixed upon for regular call arc the I mouth of the Pucma creek and the coal jetty- i You will, no doubt, be glad to hear of the very favourable aspect of the coal field. I have the honour, &c, J W. Cargil;,, Superintendent. ' Major Richardson, Clutha. i i i Superintendent's OiTi?e, Dunedir., i 15th July, 1359. | Sir, — I have the honour to request that ' you will communicate to Mr. Calder, for himself and other parties to the memorial referred to at the meeting of 4th instant, that a Bill h being prepared for giving a Municipality to Invercargill, with similar powers to those held by the Town Board of Dunedin; that the metalled road made through Invercargill, and to terminate on the north "bank of the Waiopi, can alone be done at the expanse of the Provincial revenue; and tint all the orher streets or side roads in Invercargill must be made, iv in Dunedin, at the expense of the inhabitants I A reserve has been made of certain nroperties in Invercargill to constitute a Municipal Estate, and of which a map v. ill be f:*nt by this mail from the Chief Commissioner to Mr. Pearson, which estate will be held in aid of local assessments by the Municipality. It has been found advisable, under the report given in by the Civil Engineer, in conjunction with the- nautical achisew that accompanied him in his late vHt, to substitute, for the proposed cutting at Pooni Creek and a detached stage, a jetty, at the extremity of which the Geelovg might deliver and receive passengers aud cargo, and at a point to be fixed upon near to where the Geclo,ig was anchored, for which purpose a sum will be placed upon the estimates. It has also been determined to substitute a metalled horse-path for the proposed dray road through the marsh at the ,\lokomok, and that the Geebng, on her future trijw tv Invercargill, should call at the Bluff and take round any cargo that may have been left there by other vessels under stress of weather. And here I would observe, that the puiitinu. 1 craft for the Xew River Harbour will have" to be found, as in Otago Harbour, by the trade itself; and it has been suggested, as the trado increases, that a craft similar to the Spjv would combine with the harbour service that of bringing round cargo from the Bluff as might he required, in addition to the calls of the Get'long. 1 have the honour to he, &c, ToA.J.Ell cs ,E^ n C Slll>eri ' llG °' IC ' !l - Invercargill. Supeiinlcndent's Ofnce, Dunedin, IStli July 1850. Rev. Sir,—! have the honour to acknowledge the Resolutions of a public meeting held in the 'Taieri on the 21th instant, bearing your signature as Chairman, on the subject of the j Education Bill ; and I beg to inform you that it is an error to suppose the Executive Government to have anything to do with that j LilJ, further than its being ""made a simple and , accurate embodiment of the Resolutions uuanimously passed by the last session of the Provincial Council, as will he shown by the corI respondeuce on the subject now sent to the j newspapers. In so far as those Resolutions | and the Bill which embodies them may be thought objectionable, those objections ou"ht to be addressed, through your representatives, to the Provincial Council. Allow me to add a single suggestion as concerns my individual hnpre-sious on the subject —as to how, for instance, it would stand with the Dunedin and Taieri districts in the event ot such a Bill having been parsed , The erection of a High School proper hay- ' ing been postponed, and the Government having to fmu an Inspector of Public Schools ; qualified as to scholarship as well as in all other matters, it follows that these duties ■ would m the ineamvlule be assigned to Mr. i Livingston and who, as a member of the » | Aoard ot Commissioners, would be also the » Secretary to that Board until the High School can be established. [ The Dunedin district, therefore, having full ■ and unfettered power to elect and nnnouit its - own teachers, and to erect its own buildings, ■ at such salaries to the teachers and cost'oi * buildings as it might see fit, let it besupposed • that they should appoint a first-class teacher and an assistant at salaries amounting in all to , =£350 ; suppose also that they should resolve , upon buildings at a cost of £2000 ; the interest • j with redemption on the latter would be £250 or in all £600, of which sum, under the pound i ior pound system, ■ the Provincial Council pro- , viduig one half, would leave the district tc * provide the other half, or £300 per annum, and as it is beheved the school fees at the prt9 sent rate would produce -C-250. and thns Wye i the district to provide the remainhi-r £50 ■ either by contribution or assessment as it mighi c see fit, during the period of fifteen years, wher s the buildings (entirely its own) would be re-

deemed, and the district enabled to reduce the fees 'accordingly. Xow I believe that the Taieri district, acting in the same manner and with the same unlettered power", would be at least in an equally favourable position; and so with .ill other t-chools. whatever the class of teachers or extent of building they might severally see lit according to circumstances to establish : the Boa id of Commissioners being purely admin'strative of the funds obtained" from the Prownenl Council for payment of the pound i for pound to the districts, and for providing eflicle.it inspection, with annual report to the Provincial Council. In terms of the Resolutions of the Provincial Council, as published in the Otvgo Government Gazette of Ist December last, Education Ke?erves have been marked off and withdrawn from sale until reported to and adopted by the Council in the shape of an Ordinance. 1 have the honour to he, Rev. Sir, Your most obedient servant, W. Cabcill, Superintendent. Rev. Win. Will, Taieri. Dunedin, 19th Ju'y 1859. Fiu — I take the liberty of representing to your Honor that Mr. Johnston, the school- I inkier at Wa\':ivi f allies that it was part of his contract with the Government, before coming to New Zealand, that he was lo Lave ten acres or thereby of la-.id for his use, lie has got a portion ploughed by his neighbours, and he insists on ha\ing it fenced. This of course the Committee cannot do, having no funds at their command. It h dear that by the Education Ordinance every Teacher is entitled by law to have a certain portion of land -fenced lor his use. and Mr. .Johnston jays that it was his chief inducement in consenting to come to Otago, to have the privilege of ten acre of land fenced for hi 3 u^e, } and this was specially promised to him. Under these circumstances, it is for the Government to say -whether they will grant funds to fence Mr. Johnston's land, or repudiate the contract, and lay the province open to all the consequences which must follow. ITf the fencing is to be (lone, it must" be done immediately, so as to secure his crops. An early answer will oblige the Committee. I have the honour to be, &c. John- Gilt,ii:s, Secretary to the Wakari School Committee. His Honor the Superintendent of the Pioviiict; of dago. Supciintendent's Office, Dunedin, 20 ih July ISo 9. Sir — T have the honour lo inform you that your letter of 19th instant on the subject of fencing Mr. Johnston's land in connection with tlu V»'akari school has been considered by the Government. That on referring to Mr. Johnston's contract, nothing is stafed therein on the subject of fencing, which, howevor, had been pro-, ided for in the original Education Ordinance, and would have been done had not that Ordinance been broken through by the Gcijcr.il Boaid, and its Honorary Secretary taking the Wakari district also and making it a model for the like proceeding generally. Under all the circumstances the Government is of opinion that the least the Wakari district could do would be to meet the urgency by onelnsinn; their teacher's ground, and waiting the decision of the Provincial Council upon it;; own remedial measure. The Government is further of opinion that your remark about repudiation of contract, j &c. is uncalled ibr and discourteous. I have the honour to be, Sec, W. C\rgill, Superintendent. John Gillio-5, Esq.. Secretary to Vt r akari School Committee.