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Otago Witness, Issue 3040, 19 June 1912, Page 11

Tho Hon. Mr Myers (Minister of Defence) has written to Mr H. Mitchell (secretary of x the Otago Branch of tho Farmers' Union) acknowledging receipt of the resolution passed at the annual Provincial Conference of the branch, in which the members conveyed to the Minister their congratulations upon his administration in connection with the Defence Act. " I have to thank the members of your union," says Mr Myers, " for their kind remarks, as it is always a pleasure to receive the approval, in matters of this kind, of the various important bodies in the Dominion. I shall always endeavour to carry out my duti<v, f in connection with the Defence Act in t" - of all concerned." Giving evfdc-nce before the Education Commission, Mr P. Goyon (ex-Chief Inspector of Schools for the Otago district) summed up what, in his opinion, is the result of the present system of primary eduoation in New Zealand as follows: "At the most critical period of life, at the time when their education is beginning to operate most efficiently, and tho continuance of mental, moral, and physical discipline is all-important to their future, and to the future efficiency of tho nation, thousands of boys and girls of tho towns and cities year by year pass from the discipline of" the schools to a world where, when they are not at work, they loaf about, learning little that is elevating and much that is degrading to character, and soon forget what they learned at school, except writing and the mechanical parts of reading and arithmetic." With this serious leakage of acquired efficiency Mr Goyon holds that the Dominion is not deriving an adequate return for its large expenditure on education, and he urges the necessity of establishing in towns and cities continuation classes at which attendance should be compulsory to the ago of 17 or 18. Tho Government has accepted the tender of the National Electrical and Engineering Company, of Dunedin, for 12 1500 kilowatt General Electrical Company's (U.S.A.) high-tension transformers for the Lake Coleridge electrical scheme The price was in the neighbourhood of £IO,OOO. Six of these transformers are intended for raising the voltage at Lake Coleridge power station from 6600 to 66,000 volts. At this pressure the power will be transmitted for some 70 miles to the vicinity of Christchurch. The voltage will then bo again reduced by means of another bank of ■ six transformers, from 66,000 back to 6500 volts. The Government has still to deal with tenders for several other sections of tho electrical scheme. Kaitangata Borough Council lately was considering the raising of a loan of £IOOO for roads and footpaths in the borough, and a notice of motion to that effect was tabled, but consequent on the prevailing tightness of tho money market the council has decided to " go canny," and the motion

has been withdrawn pending' a reply from the Minister of Finance as to what would be the rate of interest on the loan. .For the same reason a proposal to build a public town hall has been abandoned in the meantime.

Balclutha, the pioneer no-license town, seems to be determined to wipe out drunkenness-even at this kte date—and make iteeJf wofthy of its reputation. On June 6 two men who had been found by

Constable Harvey in a helpless state of drunkenness wero remanded to Dunedin Gaol for a -week's medical treatment, and on their reappearance at the Balclulha Court last Thursday one, who had been convicted for drunkenness and ordered to forfeit £1 bail the previous week, was fined £2, costs 2s, maintenance in gaol for eight days, £l,—total, £3 2s; and the other, a first offender, was fined £l, and ordered to pay similar costs, amounting in all to £2 2s.