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Taranaki Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 3565, 14 October 1880, Page 2

The wholesale dismissals of the Inspectors and Sub-Inspectors of Police in all parts of the Colony must tend to disorganise the police force ; and as disorganisation leads to demoralisation, the natural icsulfc will be waste of money and inefficiency of work. We learnt the other day that Superintendent James was to be placed in charge of the Wanganui ami Taranaki Districts. Now amalgamation of districts may bo economy, but the person who is appointed to take charge should be one who is thoroughly up to his business. We know nothing **f Mr. Superintendent James, but if what the Wellington Chronicle says of him is correcr, then he is not the man for the position. That paper says — " Mr. Superintendent James is a clever, courteous, and gentlemanly man — bearing an enviable reputation in every line of business, except that of a policeman — but the man who can find out what Mr. James does for a living must evolve it from his inner consciousness. The real work of the police in Wellington is done by underpaid and over- worked subordinates." As we have said, we do not know Mr. Superintendent James, but, if the Government, wish to carry on the service efficiently, as well as economically, they must not put ornamental " gentlemen's gentlemen," as the Chronicle has it, over better trained and more experienced men. A company of veterans is worth more than a regiment of Falstaff's men. You gain iv efficiency as well as in money ; for the small pay of each of the many iv its aggregate greatly exceeds the aggregate of the larger pay of c;ich of the few. Iv their indiscriminate dismissals the Government have raise I a lion in their path ; and we notice by our telegrams that to pacify him the Ministry have decided that all who received their conge recently shall have the option of continuing in t he service at lower grades and lower salary, as it may bo found practicable. The Government, by this, evidently own to having blundered, and are trying to get out of the difficulty by blundering still further in the matter.

Captain E Iwin telegraphed at 12 5 p.m. to-day as follows :—": — " Same indications as wired yesterday ; glass further fall ; sea heavy." Two wharcs were burnt down at the camp two or three days ago, and resulted in the loss of some personal effects, and £4 in cash, the property of Sergeant Lingtry. In consequence of the fire an order has been issued that the whares at the camp are to be destroyed, and the men will have to live under canvas again, at least during the summer months. At the Police Courb yesterday morning Harry Taylor, alias Harry Neville, formerly a livery keeper at Masterton. was charged with having stolen a mare, saddle, and bridle the property of Booth Deriah, of Masterton, in December last. Mr. Bullen state .l that the prisoner was mentioned in the Police Gazette for having committed two offences of horse stealing— one at Masteiton, and the other at Tauranga. Evidence was given by Constable Drew as to the identit}' of the prisoner. He 1 stated that, from information received through the Police Gazette, he was aware that one Harry Taylor was " wanted" for horse stealing at Masterton. He asked the prisoner if his name was not Harry Taylor, instead of Neville, and the prisoner admitted it was. He immediately arrested prisoner, and charged him with horse sealing. In reply, tho prisoner said that he believed the mare was in the possession of his groom at Masterton. The prisoner said he did not know anyone named Booth Deriali. The prisoner was remanded to the Court at Masterton. Mr. Lee, Inspector of Schools for the Wellington District-, has forwarded a circular to the teachers in hi.s district, in which he exhorts them to set their c lucatioual work on a basis of broader culture," and he suggests (1) that reading lessons be more varied in the subject manter, and that pupils should read and have read to them extracts from other books than the class readers, and that classes should thoroughly digest what is read ; (2) that not only exercise in the regimen and accidence of language should be given, but that an effort should be made to train the children to express thoughts orally and freely in correct English ; (3) that mnch of the memory work in learning history, geography, and grammar may be dispensed with as useless, and that there should be substituted for it lessons in the natural features of the surrounding country, natural phenomeua, manners ami customs, commerce, biography, industrial pursuits, and the simplest elements of political econom}', biology, astronomy, and geology." We quote the above to show to what an absurd length our State system of Education is being carried.