The Timaru Herald MONDAY, AUGUST 9, 1909. "FOUR CENTRES."

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13975, 9 August 1909, Page 4

The Timaru Herald MONDAY, AUGUST 9, 1909. "FOUR CENTRES."

"Tlie lour centres" is a l'atniliur term connoting the four ehief towns'of New Zealand-Auckland, AYclliugtun, Christcbureh, and Dunedin. some reasons it may be considered a good tiling that there are four, instead of only one centre, hut for some other and important reasons it is net a good tiling. Cominereially they are independent, and there is a regrettable, 'amount of trade rivalry between then.. Each city, lor instance, has its port, and each of them strives to equal and surpass the others in harbour accommodation—in dry docks say. Now that Auckland and Wellington are connected by rail there is going to bo keen competition between those? cities for _£lie trade of the interior through, which the railway passes. In higher education there is a wasteful overlapping, in one or more branches, of study, and more of this sort of tiling is threatened.. There are four centres —chief centres —from which thu people take their' guidance in polities; - political opinion differs with latitude, and local iulluenees. The South is concerned about the bursting up of big estates, for instance: the North, about the settlement of native lands. The. (Hiadrate division of the country makes it difficult to yet the whole of the people to agree about any one tiling. They cannot all be aroused to interest in it, whatever it may be, at one time. Prohibition, lor example, obtained a, footing; and was spreading; in tho South, lie fore the North Island bewail to think seriously about it. On the other band, technical schools and agricultural .instruction in primary schools started in the North, and the. latter has not yet reached the Jluruniii. Samuel X'aile, the railway reformer and persistent critic of the present system of railway management, wastes his energies because he is not listened to outside the northern quarter. A notable example of the local concentration of interest in public subjects is supplied by the discussions whicb tako place from time to time about tho 'introduction of Hihlo-roading or Hib.lo lessons into the primary schools. AVe are reminded of this by seeing in the latest Auckland paper to hand, a report of a discussion by the Aucklan 1 Education Hoard, on a request miitlo by Ministers that tho " Nelson system " be introduced. This question has been brouglifc up again and again, but always sectionally. This time at any rate Auckland is the last to revivo it. (The Hoard, as the North Canterbury Hoard bad done, declined tho. request.) This question is an excellent proof that thought as well :s trade "follows the flag" of local patriotism, for it has every time been brought up sectionally; first in olio district, then in another.