PRIMARY SCHOOLS' SYLLABUS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9157, 3 August 1908, Page 4

PRIMARY SCHOOLS' SYLLABUS.

We have frequently had occasion to emphasise the complaints constantly heard from our teachers as to the unwieldy nature of the syllabus, the heavy demand it makes upon teachers and pupils, and the undue emphasis that it lays upon relatively trivial subjects of study, says the Auckland "Star.'" Now that there seems little doubt that the time and energy needed for subjects of such fundamental importance as History, Geography, and Grammar, are being sacrificed to give the children a smattering of semi-technical or pseudoscientific work that they would do infinitely better at a high school, or might, without much loss, never do at all, we think it is time that something like an organised and system-

atic effort should be made by teachers and Education Board to urge upon the Minister of Education the necessity for some radical change in the present system. DECLINING WORLD TRADE. How world-wide and universal is the depression in trade, which has brought about the heavy fall in British exports and imports, is shown by the trade returns of the various great commercial Powers. They are for different periods, as the statistics are not issued promptly month by month in all countries. The following are the figures at present available, for this year, as compared with the same months of 1907: Great Britain Jan -Mav. Decrease (5 months) 1908. on 1907. Imports £252,9.05,000 £2?,355,000 Exports 161,040,000 12,166,000 United States 4 months Jsn.-April Imports £69,260,000 £33,140,000 Exports 129,760,000 3,980,000 France 4 months Jan.-April. Imports -£84,905,000 £3,466,000 Exports 68,735,000 5,836,000 Germany 3 months Jan.-March. Increase. Imports 108,100,000 2,100,000 Exports 82,900,000 1,000,000 Germany alone withstood the depression, until the end of March, without loss but it is possible that the full stress of the "slump" had not then reached her, There wjis a heavy decrease in the weight in tons of both her exports and imports in April, but the values for that month have not yet been published. It will be seen that England and France have'lost most heavily in exports, while the imports into the United States show an enormous decline.