STRATFORD NEWS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 11021, 11 September 1897, Page 2

STRATFORD NEWS.

[FROM OUR RESIDENT AGENT.] September 10. — The opening of the District High School on tho Ist October ia to be marked by a little caremony, to which the members of the Education Board and the dignitaries of the Church, Law, and local bodies are invited. In the evening a concert by members of the School Cemmittee will be given in aid of the school funds.

The providing of means of higher education in the district is a gratifying sign of progress, but any excessive jubilation is decidedly out of placo when ono takes into account the state of primary education in the town. It is not that there is any fault in the school itself. The headmaster, Mr Tyrer, has a well dobervod reputatiou as a thoroughly c.ipable man, and he is well barked up by his staff. But the simple fact is that a verj large percentage of parents are so lost to all sense of duty to their offspring that they fail, either from carelessness or wUfuinep?, to sue that the children attend with sufficient regularity to obtain anything beyond tho voriest smattering of education. The School Attendance Act, ftoni which much was hoped, has proved, and I cay it with some knowledge of its working, perfectly useless no far as this town is concerned- At every com mitteo meeting an irregular attendance return is produced containing some demon names of- children who have 'failed to attend tho prescribed number of times during tho week. Tho headmasters report is also read and discloses the fact that on an avorage 25 per cent of tho children on the school roll are absent. Roughly stated, 90 children are daily absent of the 360 who should be present. Yet only some dozen fail to comply with the Act, and of these it is generally found that one half are not fit cases for prosecution. Whore are the ninety? Playing in tho streots is the answer, and tho law as it at present standß is, two days in the week, powerless to prevent it iv any individual caso. The remedy, it seems to me, in to make attendance compulsory every time the school open's, failing the production of a good and sufficient reason for absence. Printed post-cards should be supplied by Government calling upon the parent of a child absent without leave, to show cause why prosecution should not follow.' It should be the teacher's duty to forward through the post one cf theso cards in every case of unaccounted absence. The parent would then apply to an appointed officer for an exemption, with a right of appeal to the Committee in case of refusal. Thin would be an effectual check on truancy, as the parent of a child given to "playing the wag" would be made aware of tho fact irithia 24 hours, and would have the ebuueo of trjing what, a prompt application pf the strap would effect.

The Chairman of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce was in Stratford yesterday, and took tho opportunity of talking over railway matUra with a few gentleinon hurriudly got together in Mr S. H. James' office. An invitation had boon sent to the Eltham Railway League to be represented but— well no reptesen tatives turned up. Mr Kent thinksa'big railway Joan inevitable in the near future and holds that the Auckland-Taranuki connection must nob be lt>ft out in tho cold. ITij says Auckland is more united iv preferring the Turanaki connection to the completion of the O«ntral Hue, and advocates the sinking of local differences as to tbe point of junction, and bringing the influence of united TaraLa'ii to bear. Speaking,of the Toko tramway project, ho heartily commended it, and thought, favorably of the prospects of Auckland support. He was not in favor of any departure from the standard guage so far as Taranaki-Auokland was concerned wus concerned.

The Opera House caso was b.efqrg the conrfc again on Tuesday. The contractors obtained judgment against the archiceot for recovery of the £60 deposit, but further proceedings are to be stayed until tho case of the architect against the promoters for recovery of his fee is heard. Mr Stanford would not endorse the argument of plaintiff's solicitor that the architect was in the position of a trustee as to the contractor's deposit.