CURRENT TOPICS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6468, 24 April 1899, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

"It is strange," remarks. the pacific the " New Zealand Herald," cahle. "that there is not a more

live interest taken in the pro-, posed Pacific cable.'-' It cannot be said tb.it the public attitude towards the matter is altogether surprising, or that, with so many local questions on hand, there is any need to wonder at the comparative apathy shown hy public men in New Zealand. It is quite certain, however, that Canada is interested, and that in a practical way. A message which we published on Saturday stated that the Dominion Parliament had offered to guarantee five-eighths of the cost of the scheme. If the other portions of the Empire respond, the work may very shortly be put in hand. The idea is, as most people are probably aware, to lay a cable from Vancouver by Fanning Island and Fiji lo Norfolk Island, branching thence to Queensland and New Zealand. The scheme would, it is estimated, involve a minimum cost of £1, 500,000, and, if the best material should be used, a maximum cost of £1.800,000. In view of the immense sums that have beim sunk in attempted canal con-, .ruction at Panama and elsewhere, neither of these amounts seems very alarming. It is proposed that the cable, when completed, shall be jointly owned by the Government?, of Great Britain, Canada, and Australasia. It is a primary principle of the scheme that i it should reduce the cost of cabling from Australasia to London to 3s a word — that is. k by at least one-third— and at this rate it is. calculated that the cable would within j three years be earning a surplus. The total j Australasian traffic for 1897 was 2,349,901 • words, and on the basis of recent increases it is estimated that by 1802 it would amount to 3,600,000 words. If the Pacific cable • should be begun at once, it would be completed by 1902. With its lower tariff it is believed that it would, in addition to messages between Pacific ports, attract at least half this traffic. As the matter now stands, two fundamental propositions may be laid down. First, that the work can be completed within a reasonable time, and that it has every prospect of proving remunerative, both to the constructors and •to those who use it. The London " Times " some time ago said that " what was needed as a link to change, the Pacific Ocean from the barrier of separation which it constitutes at present into the highway of intercourse which it should be, is a submarine electric cable connecting the extremities of the British Empire across its waters." Plainly, the proposal may he advocated both from the sentimental and from the practical point of view.

The report presented to technical the House at the close of last education, session by Mr A. D. Riley, Director of Technical Instruction to the Wellington Education Board, has now been issued in the form of a Parliamentary Paper, and may be warmly recommended to all those whose interest in technical education in any of its branches is deep enough to carry them through the perusal of over a hundred pages of facts and details. The report is a voluminous one; and the mass of information which Mr Riley has accumulated could not possibly be presented in a. popular or more readable fashion within anything like reasonable limits. For this reason we think it likely that only those whose desire for a close acquaintance with the subject is very strong indeed will find the time or the patience to read the report from cover to cover. Fortunately, however, the various divisions of the subject are fairly carefully distinguished, and by this means a person with a special hobby may readily make himself acquainted with all the details presented by Mr Riley in his special subject, without the necessity of covering other ground. The symmetrical arrangement of the report has, of course, been perforce sacrificed to this facility of reference ; but to the average reader no doubt the gain is greater than the loss. The report embodies all the facts which Mr Riley was able to collect during a recent visit to England, and is a fair summary of the work done in technical instruction .there. It opens with the definition of technical instruction given in the English Act of 1889, "Instruction in the principles of science and art applicable to industries,- and in the application of special branches of science and art to special industries and employment.. It' shall not include teaching the practice of any trade or industry or employment." Mr Riley then proceeds to a consideration of the work which could be done in the primary schools, ano* suggests the establishment of higher grade schools and farm schools, which shall stand on the same basis as seconda_y~__hools, absorbing such of the children from the primary schools as do not intend to pursue a course of literary education. The establishment of evening continuation schools for the training of those unable to' attend higher grade schools is also advocated, and courses of work are suggested for all these schools.

■'. ■ . Mr Riley deals next with details and Schools of Art, and urges the illustrations practice of art crafts in con-

nection with them. Section 4 contains information and suggestions with reference to the teaching of science and technology, Section 5 directions for teaching the principles of agriculture and mining, and Section 6 similar directions for commercial education. A general . survey of methods and appliances follows, . covering suggestions for scholarships, examinations, teachers' training, and for the establishment and use of collections in museums and libraries for the use of students. The report closes with a score. of recommendations for the modification of our education system so as to provide for the introduction of technical and manual instruction, advocating the vesting of the control of technical instruction in a central Board for the whole colony, with a view to making full u_e of existing institutions. Tho recommendations in their entirety are a very large order indeed ; but by degrees, and in a modified form, we expect to see many of them carried out in time. Probably the most interesting feature of the report to most people will be the illustrations, especially those reproducing specimens of, brush work and shoulder drawing by some of the children in the London schools. The age of the child is given on each plate, and, when this is taken into consideration, the excellence of the work is indeed remarkable. The two plates at the end of the report offer

, ".client idea of a method of obtaining good results. An illustration of embossed leather work executed by a student of Kirby Lonsdale will also, no doubt, help to convince* those who see it of the advisability of promoting the pursuit of similar home arts. Tlie report is so full of detail that it is impossible to do it justice by any . brief sketch of it 3 contents, but its perusal will well' repay the labour involved, and we would specially recommend to those who can obtain the report the sections dealing j with kindergarten work and varied occupa- I

tions, drawing and brush work, and also that dealing with agriculture. The colony certainly owes to Mi* Riley a deep debt of gratitude for the use he has made of his brief holiday, and the enthusiasm manifested in placing so much information at the disposal of the public.