SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1864.

Timaru Herald, Volume I, Issue 14, 10 September 1864, Page 4

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1864.

The framing of a Bill that has to satisfy so man}' classes is indeed a most difficult and thankless task. Perforce coinciding: with some, but also antagonistic to many cherished preconceived notions of people on a most important subject, makes it a I matter that requires a very considerable | amount of care m its structure, and a foresight that is capable of looking- far a-head of the present time. We allude to the Education Bill. We think it is a pity that the Government have not taken the management of the schools more into their own hands ; but ifc appears, from the Bill before us, that all matters are to be locally managed. By the Ist Clause a memorial is to be forwarded from the inhabitants of any district desiring- a school to be established, praying- that such district be converted into an educational district. If the circumstances of tho case seem to warrant it, the Board is to call a meeting of householders of such district.* If at such a meeting (2nd Clause) the householders and occupiers of land declare their wish that such district shall be declared an educational district, and their readiness to contribute towards the annual expenses, such shall then be proclaimed into an educational district. Clause 3rd provides for the election of a managing* school committee. By the above clauses, which form the gist of the whole Bill, it will be seen how entirely Government, or rather the Board, j throw off r all responsibility from their own shoulders on to those of local bodies. Tliis, we apprehend, wilFcause" the' entire failure of the Bill — owing to our scattered and sparse population it will be years before society will be constituted as m the old country, where we always find^a certain per centage of the people — and that very small— who, having means? devote themselves bod} r and soul to the good of their fellow creatures m "furthering purposes of education and other beneficial schemes. The class m this colony for whose benefit tho schools are established, is the class from whom least support will be obtained — viz., the working class. With but few exceptions the working man cannot forego the few # shillings his children may earn, and expend money on education. No : — money m his eyes is far too valuable to go into the schoolmasters' pocket. From the other class m the colony but little support can be expected; for if schools were established their children would not attend, and so being but little interested, would not, as a rule, be forward movers m educational advancement. Mr. Tailored, m his speech on the second reading of tho Bill, says,—" The question of education was essentially a matter for the State." We perfectly agree m this, and if the Government had made it more a question for the State, the better would the country be served ; and m after years the good effects resulting would be manifest m the superior intelligence of the people. By a very simple method the Government could have forced education [on a great mass of the people by making every parent pay a school fee, so much ! a head per child when of a certain age. The rich would not feel this tax — for to them it would-be as a tax— for by it they would be induced to send their children to the national schools ; and the working j man would, as a rule, get his quid pro quo

— lit would not pa} r his money for nothing-. By some such means education would be largely advanced ; and to make it perhaps more palatable, let Government give halfyearly prizes ; their expense would be but trifling, and the advantages accruing m inducing competition would far more than counterbalance their cost. Unless local bodies metamorphose themselves and become very different to what they have hitherto been, we predict an entire failure of this Bill, and the cause of education will languish to the very great detriment of the future well-being of this Province. It is said that Americans, and especially northerners, are, as a class, the most inconsistent, and gifted with the greatest inventive genius of any other race. The majority of the paragraphs and wonderful witty exaggerations that appear are all quoted " American Paper." Now, to read the leading article of the Oamaru Times of the Bth instant, we could imagine it penned m America j it savours so much of Yankeeism that it would be found amusing: even to a stranger. A sore spot m the mind of each and ever} r Oamaruite has been touched. The Timaru Herald has " maligned" the harbour (?) of Oamaru. Surely the journal that can do that ought instantly to be annihilated ! The Oamaru Times frowns severely upon the offender, and an Oamaru merchant writes to the offending journal to declare that a little care is exercised m landing* cargo at that port! What can the delinquent do but retract the statement, and declare that Oamaru is a place where very great care is exercised m shipping* and unshipping goods, and that it is a very fine harbour, and that cargo and passengers can at any time be landed there ? The paper above referred to, says : — During the past whiter the City of Bunedin steamer, which ought to touch at Thnaru, lauding c<argo and passengers from the north, has three out of the last five times beeu obliged to land her Timarn mails and passengers at Oameru, to find their way back fifty miles by land as best they might. If the writer had stated that four times during six months had this occurred at Timaru, and that during the same period at Oamaru it had occurred more frequentty he would have been much nearer the truth' and we could not have charged him with misleading* his readers. We can truly retort, "If your cause is bad abuse the opposite counsel." In the Times of the 18th tilt, the writer appears to be troubled because a rather unpalatable paragraph has appeared m the Otago Mail; and thinks it the hest policy to make a clean breast of the matter, before that pleasure is taken out of his hands by some less scrupulous journalist. The writer says : — To illustrate the state of matters prevailing here, and to show that the extent of the evil is beuining to be to be found cut, we quote the following paragraph from the dingo Mail of the loth inst :— " The want of a jetty was strikingly exemplified on Friday last The Geelong steamer left for Oamaru at 7 a.m. and reached her destination that afternoon. A heavy surf was breaking, and the passengers were landed with great difficulty and no little danger. It was impossible, however to land a single package of the goods, and there was nothing for it but to tunTback too. She reached the Heads at two o'clock on Saturday morning." The writer then exclaims : — And while we write the same inconvenience exists m regard to landing cargo from the Geelong. That vessel arrived here on Tuesday evening, having on board still the cargo mentioned m the above paragraph although the weather is now beautiful, and the sea a summer one, yet, such is the nature of the beach, here, I that the vessel has lieen detained for a considerable time on account of the heavy surf which eternally breaks on our shore. Ingenuous writer ! the extent of the evil • is begining to be " found out " after having > been so carefully hidden from the non-

residents m Oamaru all this time. Could anything have been more mischievous than the shipping 1 reporter of the Otago Mall, to get hold of that piece of information. Really found out ! Confound the fellow ! Then the writer m the Times of the 18th ult., m a last editorial spasm, makes the following expose : — The landing place here is at present m a shameful condition— not only are goods at times returned without the possibility of landing them, $ but when lauded they are frequently broken, damaged, and useless, m consequence of the rolling of the vessels and boats, and the operation of beaching the boats, and carrying the cargo on shore through the boiling surf ; and as for passengers, we shudder when we think of the fate of those who have to land here at night m winter. It is no exaggeration to say that many a one after looking at the difficulties, has not been able to summon the courage necessary to make the attempt, but has returned back by the same boat, rather than encounter the risk ! We should like to know how it comes about that the packages are frequently broken, damaged and useless. We repeat our former assertion that it must be carelessness on the part of those landing the goods. The writer modestly leads us to believe that it is "m consequence of the rolling of the vessels and boats." Now if the landing oL cargo is carried on when the vessels and boats roll to such a fearful extent, as to break and damage the packages and render the goods useless — who < allows it to be done? Under whose authority, we would ask, are the boatmen sent out to unload a vessel m such weather ? At Timaru the vessel would be allowed to pass on ; but at Oamaru it seems to be the policy to discharge and load cargo m almost any weather, regardless of the damage done to the goods, so long as the credit of the harbour is maintained ; and it can be reported that the vessel was able * to land cargo at Oamaru. We must inform <' An Oamaru Merchant" that it is not our rule to insert correspondents' letters which have appeared m other journals ; but as he appears to imagine that we have made a statement which is incorrect, we deviate on this occasion from our rule, so as to allow our readers to be thoroughly acquainted with the subject. There is certainly a great discrepancy between the statement made m the Times of the 18th ult., and that now made by "An Oamaru Merchant." By the editor of the Times we are told that goods are "frequently broken, damaged, and useless," and by our corres- j pondent, that such breakages and damages | are " very small indeed." " When doctors \ differ," &c. l By the City of Dunedin we have received a day's later papers from Christchurch, but they > contain no news of importance. * Odd Fellows —A meeting of those interested f m the formation of a Lodge of Odd Fellows m \ Timaru was held at -the Royal Hotel on Thurs- I day evening, when a committee was apj>ointcd for the purpose of taking the necessary steps for the formation of a Lodge m connection with the Manchester Unity. Municipal Council. — In another column ! will be found the report of a public meeting held at Kaiapoi for the purpose of forming that town into a municipality. It i 3 worth the careful attention of all interested m Timaru, and especially the committee appointed at the meeting held here for the same purpose. Public Meeting. — We wish to call the atten- [ tion of our readera to a meeting which is to be • held at the Mechanics' Institute on Monday j evening, for the purpose of forming an Invest- j ment and Loan Association. The societies at ' Christchurch, Lyttelton, and Kaiapoi, have worked m such a satisfactory manner that we cannot doubt the success of one m Timaru, if properly managed. There is no doubt that it j will be of great advantage to the whole town, * and will enable many additional buildings to be erected by those who are only able to pay by \ instalments. ; Mb. Ryan's Entertainment.— On Thursday ,; evening Mr. W. Ryan, late comedian at the ! Princess' Theatre, Dunedin, gave an entertainment at the Mechanics' Institute, to a very good '

audience. The reading from Dickens' "Christ- j mas Carols" was well worth hearing, being *ren- ' dered m such capital style that it made one J almost fancy "Old Scrooge" himself there, ; holding conversation with the unearthly visitors : around him. The second part of the entertainment, consisting of comic songs, &c, pleased, we have no doubt, that portion of the audience for which it was performed, Mr. Ryan wil] give another reading this evening for the benefit of the Mechanics' Institute. Agricultural Show.— The second Show of the Northern Agricultural and Pastoral Association, as will be seen from advertisement, is to be held atJOamaru on the 10th November. At a recent meeting of the Association we understand that a motion was made by Mr. Miller of Oamaru, that the meeting this year should be held at Tiraaru ; but an objection was raised to this motion on account of the small •number of subscribers north of the Waitaki. If an equal amount was raised m this province a.s in Otago, we believe the Association would not object to the meetings being held alternately at Timaru and Oamaru, and this combination of the two districts would make it one of the finest* shows m New Zealand. Acclimatization. —We arc sorry to hear that the eiforts made 'n the British Empire have been unsuccessful on the whole. A large number of sparrows, crows, blackbirds, and pigeons were put on board, all of which died on the passage* except some varieties of pigeons, which have arrived m a healthy condition. It was mentioned some time ago that Mr. Johnston was bringing out a quantity of fish. This he endeavoured to do, but, notwithstanding every care bestowed upon the selection placed on board, he has lost nearly all of them, a few gold fish being the only survivors. — Lifttclton Times, Sept. 8.