The Taranaki Herald.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 8005, 26 October 1887, Page 2

The Taranaki Herald.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1887. _L ♦ A- Municipal Confersncb is to' be held in Wellington on Monday, and according to the Wellington papers New Plymouth is to be represented at it. The ratepayers, however, know nothing about sending a delegate from here, and therefore we presdme it is the intention of the authorities to appoint some one to act for the Borough who is living ''at- Wellington, or who is there on his own business. In the past these Conferences have proved thorough failure?, and where delegates have been sent at the Borough, expense, it has been merely a waste qY the ratepayers' money. In the preseut position of the Borough it behoves the ratepayers to look carefully how every pounrl is spent. The expenditure of every £90, means a penny in the £ Addition to the ratep, therefore the burgesses should protest against any money being voted to pay for the Mayor or a Councillor to go to Wellington on a pleasure excursion. We scarcely think the Council would authorise anyone to attend the Conference at the expense of tho ratepayers, but we have mentioned the matter because thero are members who j have before now taken upon themselves duties unauthorised, and have afterwards asked the Council to indemnify them and pay their expenses, Tho ratepayers cannot afford this, and wo think the time has arrived when an end should be put to such useless expenditure of money as paying the expenses o£ delegates to Coufeieucte.

Tue Financial "Statement will not be delivered before Tuesday nest, and if all tbo rumours 'aro correct some drastic reforms will bo proposed. We aro told that Mnjor Atkinson absolutely dominates everyone, including his colleagues, who are like babies under him. .They duro not give even the smallest item of departmental intelligence to the Press or to members, and they a'most tremble at the approach of their chief. This is rather sitisiaetory information than otherwise, for we are inclined to imagine by it that 'Major Atkinson is setting about the work in a practical way. If he will only throw off j his theoretical hubit and get to bis work in a thoroughly practical manner, lje will 1 gain the support of the people of th'o colony as * whole. What is wanted just now, are men who have a spice of ,tbe autocrat about them; men of the same, statnp as Sir Graham Berry, of Victoria, who will not bs> afraid to dismiss the whole Civil Service i£ necessary in order to re-organise it. The Civil p'ervanta hi Wellington aro in a stale of feverish anxiety «8 to wh&t their i'nte is to bo, and naturally so, as many will have to p,6, it the Government; intend carrying out re-, trenchment as it should bo. Ministers ar6 examining the heads of all departments very closely, but do not iibk ihvin for sug-

jestions, or give them the least indication if what is going to be done. It is only by lorao radical change that the prosperity of ho colon 3' can bo revived, and therefore ye look forward with interest to the deivory of the Financial Statement. Retrenchment is the order of the day, and ;he Otasjo Education Board are setting an jxainple to the rest of the colony. At i recent meeting of that Board a committee was appointed to bring down a report aa to what retrenchment could be effected in the expenditure of the educational vote of that district, without impairing the efficiency of the service. In speaking to this motion Mr. Eraser said he believed about £10,0^0 could be saved in the vote, but the reductions should be carried out by the Education Boards. This is what we have advocated ; but the Taranaki Board thinkH otherwise, and will not economise until it is obliged to so, by the supplies being stopped. It shows a great want of moral courage on the part of tho members, and is an instance of how useless the Boards are for any real practical purpose. The Otago Education Board has also sent out a notice to tho head teachers intimating that considerable dissatisfaction prevails amongst parents generally regarding the great expense they are put to in providing their children with school reading books and text-books, arising partly from the frequent changos of books that are made by the teacher in tho same school, and partly from the want of a uniform sot of books for the use of the pupils of the schools throughout the Board district,. The Board therefore strongly urge upon teachers the propriety of doing all in their power, consistently with the efficient carrying on of the school work, to reduce to the lowest possible degree the cost .to parents of the books prescribed for Bchools. We hear the same complaint in the Taranaki district, and learn the cost per child to the parent for stationery averages ten shillings n year. The slate which was so useful is almost abandoned, and expensive copy and exercise books are substituted. It is pure waste or! money, and should not be encouraged by either the Board or the Inspector.