The School Holiday Grievance. TO THE EDITOR.

Otago Witness, Issue 1752, 20 June 1885, Page 12

The School Holiday Grievance. TO THE EDITOR.

Jib,— l have road on various occasions, with pleasure -int) ptofl*; the oonfcrihuliona of your ahlo contributors, F. A. Joseph and JJ. J.apham, but on no occa«nn have I beco innio gratified than « <v;ti wi.h thois respective articlen on our present avatem 01.o 1 . education, which appea>-od in thu Witness of the Oth instant there is one resrro'. tbafc I have -that i<>, ne!the' of them wt quito iorenoucfh, for throe aro ft number of annnallos and abuses t.hH out education system hag been and sMI is subject, to, which ri-quwo -miendinsr i* out prcsen'i free aj'stem 'iS or cmi oa contiu'jed any longnv ( refer to f.h^ number of whoo: ho!i(l»y.3 T sco by the lato rotutns o£ \,r>n BilnoaMmt Eoa«d ttie-e nre 237 malo and Hi JcroaV, tenchers, !i w\<i-\ 1\ teache;a of se^inor, whr, if i am to jvHr<6 I>y our own Fchnol diatirict, receive about ten wi ek-,' holidays throughout the year, on full pay 'J'ho hoUdays »re rna'Je up by mids'imraev, midwinter. ISststur vjnvidajs, Good Fridays, fa-.t da\P, Prince of Wales' and Queen's hicthdavp, with a. dozea or more pretexts wifchtho tame object. Now, t-iv, n93U^i«K that tho avesage y.iy ol thneo 173 teachtsrs amount* to ill 103 per wctiic, we hava a weekly bit l for wa'.»en alone oJ about £70s) Oa for Otauro— l will leave "your readers to judge whai tbe smouut will bs for »ib 3 whole Colony — for te3chovf>' holidai a. I nsk the ii^aohcrs thomscivoj tho question how lolig l he present sjaiom Is likely to continue urnicr auch liberality 'I Whnl commercial firm or empany could be 60 liberal wi*.h tholr employoa and pay a dividend ? lam aware that, to some oxteni 1 , tbe school corurnifeteea have tho matter of pchool hoJidavo in their own hands. lam also aware that the majority of committees are inclined to bo very liberal, more to when the school fees do nnt coma directly oxifc of their own pneketa. Whoa the fees do come dirpcii from tho public or paronta of the scholars the teachers, I am persuaded, will have to put up with less f reßh air - otherwise less screw. The eooner there is a limit put to school holidays by the powers that be the longer wo are likely to hivve our presout free system.— l am, &o ,

Economy.