South Canterbury Times, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 1890.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 6204, 1 May 1890, Page 2

South Canterbury Times, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 1890.

Sir Robert Stout was present at the meeting of householders for the election of a committee in the Arthur street school district on Monday evening, and made some remarks upon the appointment of teachers which plainly bear the stamp of common sense. As our readers are aware, there has been a good deal of friction between the Otago Education Board and some of the committees on the subject of appointing teachers. Sir R. Stout said “it seemed to him that the reason for the Act being framed as it was had been entirely overlooked by both the board and the committees. It had been so framed to allow the boards in each district to provide for the promotion of teachers. There was no chance of promotion amongst teachers unless the board had some say in the appointments, because the individual committees could not know what the board ought to know viz., what teachers had been doing well in the outlying country districts. No provision for the promotion of successful country teachers could be made unless the board had some hold over the matter of appointments. For his part he did not agree with the board only sending down three names, but thought the board should take up each application and deal with it on its merits without any hard and fast rule, and should in sending names down draw attention to those of the most suitable teachers, and especially to those of teachers deserving promotion, In this way the board would be fulfilling its functions under the Act.”

A cable item from Adelaide yesterday briefly described the completion of a large company by the allotment of all its shares in a very short time, the public being induced to invest by the offer of a large sum of money to be distributed by means of a lottery. The shares have been disposed of, and the police have been instructed to suppress the lottery. It has often occurred to us that the gambling spirit so rampant amongst us might be turned to useful account, whilst it lasts —and there appears no sign of its diminution. The totalisator is legalised as a form of gambling, and to judge from the conversation of racecourse attendants the " machine ” and not the races, is the chief attraction. “Art unions” of certain classes are allowed, which are equally forms of gambling, and these are often adopted, by the churches even, as a means of raising funds. There maybe strong grounds of objection to a subsidiary lottery for cash prizes, as adopted by the Adelaide company promoters, but some of these would hardly be applicable to a lottery by which shares in useful companies were disposed of. Say £SOOO were required to start a new industry here, would it beopento serious objection to raise the money by £SO or £SOO shares, to be disposed of by lottery at £1 per chance ? Certainly there could be less objection to thisjthan to “ investing ” in a totalisator sweep.

The Adelaide scheme appears to have been a great success, all the shares being subscribed in a few hours.