The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1885. THE NATIONAL BANK.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1307, 24 February 1885, Page 2

The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1885. THE NATIONAL BANK.

The National Bank has already gained a victory in the very citadel of the enemy. At a recent meeting of the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce, Mr John Bathgate moved the following resolution : “That the present internal circulation is not in a condition to conduce to the prosperity of the colony, or aid in the development of its resources ; and this Committee therefore recommend the Chamber to memorialise the Government in order that a Parliamentary Committee may be appointed to investigate the whole subject of the currency and the practice of bankirg within the colony.” In speaking to the resolution he said there could be no harm in having a thorough investigation by a Parliamentary Committee that would have the power to examine witnesses and lo bring the manager of every bank in the country before it if and probe the who'o qu stion to its very foundation, to see whether there was any truth in the undercurrent of thought in the community that the conduct of the banks has a great bearing upon the present depression. He could quote, and had quoted, he thought, authorities to prove (1) that the power to issue a paper currency was the prerogative of the State, and (2) that it was dangerous to commit the control of the internal currency to private institutions, and especially dangerous to commit it to foreign banks. To show that such inquiry was necessary, 't was sufficient to say that the six banks in the colony existed under no gnieral banking law, and that our Joint Stock Companies Act was expressly inapplicable to banks, which therefore subsisted according to their own Imperial Act or their own internal charter, and that there were four respecting which, in the event of the bank going to the wall, the people here would have no power to lay hold of their assets here. It was an abnormal state of things that banks should live here, do business here with money the people provide to the extent of £9,000,000, and that we should not have, in the event of anything going wrong, statutory power to wind up in New Zealand the business here. Mr Denniston having seconded the motion, Mr Cargill opposed it, but admitted that he was Chairman of the Colonial Bank. Mr Gillies would be sorry to adopt the statement contained in the first clause of the resolution without having some proof of it, and me ved as an amendment—•“ That the Chamber memorialise the Government in order that a Parliamentary Committee may be appointed to investigate the whole subject of the currency and the practice of banking within the colony.” Mr Bathgate did not wish the Chamber to do more than ask for the inquiry, and the motion, on being put in the above form, was carried, 15 voting for and five against it. This is the first occasion on which the National Bank question has bsen put to a vote, and it augurs well for its future success that it was carried by such an overwhelming majority. This is more than we expected from the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce, which consists principally of shareholders of banks, and merchants who lend money at a high rate of interest on bills of-sale, liens on crops, etc., and might be pardoned if they did qot look favorably on tba proposal.,

However, the National Bank proposal is meeting with the approval of all classes, and unless we make a great mistake it will be established before long. Mr John Bathgate deserves the thanks of the colony for the energetic manner in which he is forcing it on public attention.

THE EDUCATION QUESTION. A meeting of the North Canterbury Education Board was held on Thursday last, and one of the members, Mr Cunningham, brought before the Board a subject which is now attracting much attention, both at Home and in the colonies, viz., the amount of Horae Lessons given to children attending State Schools. In introducing the subject Mr Cunningham instanced the case of a little girl who had recently died. He said she had been working with all her might for a coming examination, and did well, but it was too much for her. Before the examination came she had to relinquish her tasks; she took ill, and died of brain fever. Her talk, whilst in delirium, was all about her tasks, and no one who knew the particulars of the case could doubt that her illness and its sad conclusion was brought on by over-work. After having discussed the subject at some length he moved —“That consequent upon the general complaint against home lessons by parents and others, teachers be directed to confine such work to committing to memory the multiplication and other tables, weights and measures, rules of syntax, etc., or poetry to the more advanced classes, in such easy portions as coaid neither injure nor could be reasonably objected to.” As an amendment it was proposed—“ That while the Board is of opinion that a moderate amount of home work is necessary to enable children to make reasonable progress, it strongly disapproves of any excess in that direction, and desires that each teacher should exercise careful discrimination so as to avoid overwork.” The amendment was carried. All this is very well, but where is the line to be drawn ? The schoolmaster knows that the Inspector will visit his school, and that unless he produces good results his reputation will suffer, and he will eventually ha dismissed. Will the master who desires to retain his position spare the children nt the risk of ruining himself? Most undoubtedly he vvill not. On the other hand indolent teachers will henceforth have as an excuse, when their children fail in their examinations, that they were instructed by the Board not to over-tax them. To settle such matters as this by set rules is impossible, and the less Boards of Education meddle with (hem (he belter. The fact is we aregrowing education mad. In a few years wo shall have nothing but Latin and Greek students in this colony, and there will be no one to handle a pick or shovel or follow the plough. What ought to he done is to teach less hook learning, and more useful knowledge. By useful knowledge, wo mean such as will render our boys and girls fit to make a living for themselves in this world. Girls should be taught nil matters appeitaining to household duties, boys should receive instruction in the various occupations in which they must in after years make a living. If this were done the children would leave school prepared to fight the battle of life. Such training would help to ascertain a child’s peculiar talent—for almost all persons have a talent for some peculiar line of business, and success depends to a great extent on falling into the groove for which their talents are suited. There is no such thing as luck ; ruccess depends on one’« own efforts. It stands to reason, therefore, that if a person engages in an occupation for which has a taste and in which he lakes an interest he will work with greater energy, tact and capabili y than if he were employed in that which ho dislikes. In one it is a pleasure to work.; in the other everything goes against the grain. Id our humble opinion to ascertain a child’s bias of mind ought to be regarded as most important: yet this is completely neglected—not even thought of —and all efforts are used to cram book learning into his head. The result of this cramming will bo in the courte of time that we shall have no one willing to follow the plough ; that all will seek genteel occupalhns; and that such as will fail to find these will become forgers, frauds, and loafers. Now, that is not what we want in this colony. Wo want men ready to take up land in the buck country and work ; men to develops tlic natural resources of the colony ; .men not ashamed to soil their hands and work hard. Our system of education is cilculated to unfit the rising generation for such occupations, and unless some effort is made in the direction wo have indicated the day vvill come when wo shall regret it. As regards the resolution of the North Canterbury Board, it is simply foolish. It is calculated to place a teacher in such a dilemma that he will not know what to do. Instead of cramming children with useless learning let lessons be given in the various branches of industrial knowledge, and the object will he gained ; for the variety of such studies will be a recreation for the children, and will counteract the effect of tire strain put upon their mental powers by ordinary school lessons. If this were done we should have a more healthy, a more capable, and a more suitable population in this colony than we shall have if the present system be carried to the limits at present intended.