CORRESPONDENCE. JEALOUSY OF DISTRICT HIGH SCHOOLS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XL, Issue 2931, 14 February 1884, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE. JEALOUSY OF DISTRICT HIGH SCHOOLS.

> IBS BDITOB OP TBB TIMABU 888 AM „ Slit, — It is a pity that on the part of thot t ho are most favorably situated tbemselye* , iy jenlouty should show itself io respect t| nei », espeoially if these latter enjoy oaly > I

fj mcro frattion of advantage. What, at present, j; is the case of certain persona connected with t ■ Timaru verm; the Distriot High !3ohoolii of :! Temuka and Waimate? In Tinearu they i hafo a High Stchool whose property in build- .! hogs, lands, money invested, tc is at liast worth iSO.fKO. The interest of this sure, i. soy at 8 per cent, is £2400, a sum which, according to the present number of scholars u» that institution, means at luait some £25 pir bead. Again, thsy- have a Board sohool, with an excellent staff — an M.A. being the bead master — which, costs m maintenar.'e between £2000 and £3000 a year. They have other schools besides--private schools, suoh as tho*ei of Dr Benchler aad Miss Forbes— of great efficiency ; and yet m inspect of any little educational progress made elsewhere, what is their altitude of selfishness ons emy 1 The Education Board, m accordance wii tho wishes of the. respective Committees, tl sanction of t.'le Minister of Edueition, no the expressed intention, m such cones, of tl lav, somo time ago elevated tlie primsi schools of Waimate and Temuka into tl Swition of District Bigh Schorls. (Jh oird, lam informed, applied e.t the ssm time for the elevation of tho T inia-u Puhli School to tho same status ; but through tb exeroise of what influence I know not, tho (3c vernmeot refused the request. Aro titer persona coiintcted with another establish meat who would not like to see this elevotioi take place P) And wby on the port of tbos who ore well provided for themselves, ehuu'i such jealousy exist P The ex'ra oout ef thee District High Schools is portly borne by th people themselves, and the expenditure of th Board, as appears from tbe Regulations, can not exceed some forty or fifty pouid a yeor. What can b 9 the origin of th' jealousy ? Ia it because they think no com mnnity outside of themselves bovo a right tc any privilege of secondary education ? Ia i' because they are afraid suoh advantageprovided elsewhere may reduoo the roll o! thoir own establishment? Tbey offset to b< angry becouso tbe Board endeavors to get tbi beat possible masters for these District Higl: Schools; — is it because they ore 'afraid ol outside compilation, and that the graduate ol a college ia Temuka might compare too favorably with a similar magnate m Timaru f My impression te, Sir, that sooner or later some retrenchment must tuko plaie ia this matter of eclu-atiou. learing tbe question of primary education for the pre-ent, nnd Confining our.ielves to High Schools, what do wa find? Lost year (I mean last year officially reporttd on) from lands and public moneys posseiised by High School Boordu a ■am of about £21,000 was realised by rents and interest. This, tt the rata of say 8 per cent, would represent properly to t'le extent of some £262,500. To this add cub realised by sales, about £11,000, making ;8273,500. This, boweter does not by any mtans indicate tho maximum value of the Boiurcie* estate, for tbe whole of the loud, doubtless, is cot let, nor havo the rente yet reached their highest figuns. Moreover, the records I draw from do not include the whole cf tie endowments set opart for High Schools. Hokitika, Greymouth, Waiaiate. 40, are not yet iv the list. Add to thin, rJso, the value of baildb gs, fmmiture, apparatus, &c., which, iv the case of some twoxi'.y High Schools or more, can not be less than £100,000. According to this calculation, the property m lands, money, &c., m the bunds of the High School Boards cannot be under £100,000. A sum of £21,000, we siy, last year was realised from rent of lands, interest, &c. ; but this was not tbe whole expenditure f •om public eourcw. Another sum of about £SOOO we see was atlded m the shape of " special Totes " and .m allocations by the School Commissioners. We see also let, down as expenditure on buildings and other objects a sum of about. £2B,ooo, tbe whole of which, we may be well jure, did not come from, school fees. As a natter of fact, only some £19.000 odd was deiiied from the latter source. Now, the questions we have t-j iisk are-, Is such on alienation of lands and property to be permanent? Is such an expenditure going to lost P Hoy, but aa time goes by is it to enlarge nod expand without discretion and without limit ? Is it right that tbe State should proriie to such an extent for secondary eduoJioo? Of course, as the High Schools are i/» present distributed, tbe peculiar advantages tbey afford must necessarily be limited fkj-a comparatively small number — tbe children m large towns, and the children of the wealthy. Is this the best pcaiiblo arrangement .? Or is it fair that no much of t'jat Urge nam which goea to the exclusive advantage ol' persons exceptionally situated should be drawn trorn the pencils of tbe poor, and of üboee who cannot possibly benefit by the expenditure ? Looking at. tbo debate on the wtole subject that took juace m lost session of Parliament, and taki&g into account the actual facts of the cose — the partialities and tbe axtrsvagarjos it involves — who can doubt whot the whole business is coming to? The State oincot permanently maintain this great oad growing expenditure ; it will be obliged tc wit tflruw and consolidate these individual endowments. Wbot may be adequate to the large* oxtonsion of the District High School .system, which would be comparatively inexpensive, lad would be quite st.fficienl, for all purpossii of secondary education apart from the regular colleges, it may take from the property thus amassed j and the remainder must revert for other purposes, for hospitals, charitable aid, tbe redaction of tsxotion, ebi., to the common treasury. Tc take a case m point i Suppose the Timarc Public Sohool were raised to the position of s. Distriot High School, as I certainly th.nl; it ought to he, and suppoeo ths Timaru High School were abolished, the funds accruing from such . abolition would suffice not only handsomely to oagment tbe foods of: tbo limaru Diitrict High School, enoblio|s tho Committee to make ample arrangement* for a secondary education depsrtmeot, bat -rrauld also set fret a considerable balance to aid District High elsewhere. I am, Ac., Ajrn-XooiXißK.