PERIODICALS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1242, 18 September 1875, Page 5

PERIODICALS.

BLACKWOOD.

Gives us just the summary that we want about the Banking Bill introduced by Mr Goschen. The Scotch Banks, their raid upon England, and so forth, is very plainly told, as it seems, from the purely Scottish side. We leave the paper with the impression that the English banks being somewhat alarmed at their northern rivals, endeavoured to get a protective Bill passed to save themselves. We shall not enter into ail the ins and outs of the dispute, but content ourselves with giving a few facts.

It is said by some, and notably by Mr Hubbard, that the rights of the State are usurped by banks of issue, and that the profits of a paper currency belong to the nation. What would be the profit to the State should it resolve to provide notes for Scotland, and all difficulties in the way of its assumption of the so-called right were removed ? The circulation of Scotland is six millions, of which about four millions consist of one-pound notes. It may, we suppose, be assumed that the State would never issue the greatly detested small notes, and that there place would be filled by sovereigns. The paper currency required by the pixblic would therefore be reduced to two millions, and another two millions would probably be necessary as till-money for use in the banks. At present the Scotch banks hold gold to the extent of about two-thirds of their circulation ; but let us suppose that the new Government issue would be against gold and Government securities in equal proportions. The profit would then be the return from L 2,000,000 of Government securities, equal at 3 per cent, to L 60.000. The cost of the Bank of England circulation of say L 25,000,000 was officially stated in 1861 at LIBO,OOO per annum ; and at the same rate the cost of a Scotch circulation of four millions would be L 25,000, leaving a profit of L 31,20 0; but as the State at present derives in stamp duty and licenses from the Scotch banks upwards of L 40,200, the revenue would sustain an absolute loss of L 9,000 per annum. And this without allowing a single farthing for compensation to the existing banks. We rather think the Chancellor of the Exchequer will pause before attempting to increase the revenue from this source.

"In a Studio" is a somewhat unequal paper about things in general; a strong resemblance to Friends in Council pervades it j a few very good things, and a mass of crudities :

"I am not good at these numbers," as Hamlet says, and I half suspect you were amusing yourself at my expense. I don't think I quite understand millions ; but when it comes to milliards, I lose my mind. That is, I suppose, one reason why French sums in the large distress me. Simply to call their public debt x, representing the unknown quantity, is to me quite as definite as to call it so many milliards. Mallett : It is an absurd currency. You might as well talk of large sums in centimes as in francs. The denominator is too low for any thing but small sums, and, in fact, is too low to reckon even common fortunes, much less any large transaction of banking or commerce. Belton : Ah ! but it sounds so big. It does not seem much to have 10,000 pounds sterling. That is too easily grasped, too definite ; but 250,000 francs begins to sound like something, and 25,000,t)00 of centimes makes one rich at once. The French like to talk big, and so it suits them.

In " The Dilemma" we recognise a master hand, and would advise ail to read it at once, aa it promises to be one of the best of Blackwood's always good novels. The scene and time ;s Musfcaphabad during the Indian Mutiny.

FBAZER

Has an excellent paper upon the Civil Service. Perhaps it is not generally known that open competition has been so entirely found wanting here — aa everywhere. Those who weakly idolise examinations have yet much to learn.

As to the method of selecting Civil servants in the first instance, the Commissioners appear to agree with the opinion already expressed in this article, that as regards the higher Idnd of clerical work, " open competition has failed," and is not the proper system to be retained. For providing for the performance of merely mechanical duties, and for recruiting vast establishments of Revenue officers, where nomination must necessarily carry with it little or no responsibility, it is probably as good a system as any other, and for such appointments it is recommended to be retained. But when we come to the substitute that the Commissioners propose in the case of selection for the higher division of the Service, we come to decidedly the weakest part of their scheme, and it is easy to trace the obvipus compromise of which it is the result. Their proposal is — that having, by means ot an open competitive examination, procured "a list," selections from that Jist should be made by the permanent chiefs of the department for the vacancies in their respective offices.

The conclusion is worth nothing. Thfe salient points, then, in the Commissioners' recommendations may be stated as I. The abolition of open competition for the higher branch of the Service. 11. The grading of the whole Service into two divisions, with service pay and duty pay. 111. The incorporation of "writers" into the lower division of the established Service.

" Primary Education in Ireland " abounds with mistatements.

_ But along with a change in the administration should come a change in the nature of the system, to make it truly national. Local taxation would relieve the system of its eleemosy. nary character, would supply school requisites, and form a proper basis for the support of the officer who does the local work, and, above all, would cause those to pay who have hitherto contributed comparatively nothing in lieu of the advantages they have derived from the system, either directly in the education they have received for their children, or indirectly in the improved intelligence of their workmen, and in the peace, good order, and industry of society around them.

THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY

improveß, and is, in fact, one of the most readable magazines we get from Europe or America. "Boring for Oil" is a tragic episode which finds its way to the heart. For simplicity and true depth we do not often see its equaL "Wise and Unwise Economy in Schools" contains a great many lessons for us all :—

No retrenchment which injures the schools is true economy, for the ultimate object of public

this common weal has its roots in the intelligence, vigor, and morality of the population, qualities winch are cherished, trained, strengthened, atid disseminated in the common schools. j Guided by this principle, let us examine a few of the common ways of economising in the : public schools. ! One way is to build a very large building for school purposes, instead of sevei'al smaller ones. It is undoubtedly an economical measure as regards both first cost and running expenses, to bring from five hundred to one thousand children under one roof. There is one head-master with many assistants instead of several headmasters, one lot of land, one miiny-storeyed building, one furnace, and one janitor, instead of several lots, roofs, fires, and servants. But this kind of economy impairs the quality of the schools. It i& disadvantageous to bring a great number of children together into one building. The more children, the stricter and more repressive must be the discipline, the greater the risk of contagious disease, the more dangerous the influence of bad children, and the worse the heterogeneousness of the school, unless, indeed, it is situated in a densely populated' district where all the people are of one stamp. The second point to be treated is the justice and expediency of saving public money l»y collecting, from the parents of children w'ho-e education is carried above a certain level in the public schools, a portion of the cost of that advanced education. The whole cost of that modicum of education which the State compels all children to have may rightly enough be borne by the community. Suppose, for example, that the State requires of all children a certain knowledge of reading, writing, arithmetic, and geography, such as children usually acquire by the time they are twelve years of age. It is not unreasonable, though by no means necessary, that the community sllould. bear the whole cost of giving all children thafc amount of elementary training, on the grouod that so much is necessary for the safety of the State; but when the education of a child is carried above that compulsory limit, it is by the voluntary act of the child's parents, and the benefit accrues partly to the State, through the increase of trained intelligence among the population, but partly also to the individual, through the improvement of his powers and prospects. It is then just that the two parties benefited should divide in some eqiuta^le proportion, which would not be the same in all places, the cost of procuring that benefit.

" Old Times on the Mississippi," by Mark Twain, is as admirable as usual.

When a captain got hold of a pilot of particularly high reputation, he took pains to keep him. When wages were four hundred dollars a month on the Upper Mississippi, I have known a captain to keep such a pilot in idleness, under full pay, three months at a time, whiie the river was frozen up. And one must remember that in those cheap times four hundred dollars was a salary of almost inconceivable splendour. Few men on shore got such pay as that, and when they did they were mightily looked up to. When pilots from either end of the river wandered into our small Missouri village, they were sought by the besfc and fairest, and treated with exalted respect. Lying in port under wages was a thing which niauy pilots greatly enjoyed and appreciated ; especially if they belonged in the Missouri River in the heyday of that trade (Kansas times), and got nine hundred dollars a trip, which was equj.. valent to about eighteen hundred dollars s. month. Here's a conversation of that day. A. chap out of the Illinois River, with a littl» stern-wheel tub, accosts a couple of ornate and gilded Missouri River pilots :— " Gentlemen, I've got a pretty good trip for the up-country, and shall want you about a month, How much .will it be ?" " Eighteen hundred dollars apiece. " "Heavens and earth! You take my boat, let me nave your wages, and I'll divide !" I will remark, in passing, that Mississippi steamboatmen were important in landsmen's eyes (and m their own, too, in a degree) according to the dignity of the boat they were ou For instance, it was a proud thing to be of the crew oi such stately craft as the Aleck Scott or the Grand Turk. Negro firemen, deck hands, and barbers belonging to those boats were distinguished personages in their grade of life and they were well aware of that fact, too. A stalwart darkey once gave offence at a ne^ro ball in New Orleans by putting on a good many airs. Finally, one of the managers bustled un to him and said : l

" Who is you, any way ? Who w you ? dats what /wants to know !"

The offender was not disconcerted in the least, but swelled himself up and threw thafc into his voice which showed that he knew he was not putting on all those airs on a stinted capital. "Who is I? Who is I? I let you know mighty quick who lis ! I waut you niggers to understan' dat I fires de middle do' on de Aleck Scott 1" That was sufficient.