The Waikato Times "OMSE SOLUM FOUTY PAERJA." SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1872.

Waikato Times, Volume I, Issue 56, 7 September 1872, Page 2

The Waikato Times "OMSE SOLUM FOUTY PAERJA." SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1872.

ONr of the most apparent evils incidental to " Representative Governmentis the partial' suspension of ail government at uncertain! intervals. We-are about to experience- this evilv The Fox-Yogel Ministry have tendered their and it now. falls tothe lot of Mr. Stafford to'form such a Government as will, from its personnel,. justify him in, taking the reins in his hands.. As we have previously said, we cannot fix upon the names of a sufficient number of men amongst those who voted on his motion to whom, judging from their antecedents, the-interests-of the Colony at this important juncture should', be entrusted). The Membersof the House have appealed forcibly to one-of the- retiring Ministry to set aside party and personal differences in. order that the Colony may not again be thrown into collision witli the native race. Although Mr. McLean* naturally felt a delicacy ini allowing his- colleagues to* fall if any act of' his could retain them in power, we feel confident that the arguments which have been advanced will convince him that his duty to'tlie Colony is of greater moment than adhesion to his party. He should feel proud of the position in which circumstances in. conjunction with his tact and ability have placed him. It is, so far as Ave remember, unprecedented. for a Member of an out-going Ministry to be appealed to for mercy by the party who are doing their utmost to dVive liim and his friends from, thsMinisterial benches.. Wc trust that Mr.. McLean s love for the country of his adoption will cause- him. to linufjr Anly pftwtially.flAiiairlbPPf] decision he aiT.iv.ed' at when, he asserted tliat lie-would take office' with no other Ministry; We- should be glad to see Mr. Vogpl a Member of the- incoming Ministry ; under a-firm and experienced- leader like Mr. Stafford 1 he could not fail'to- make a most valuable public servant. His scheme-has failed! from-the I want of a leader-with the ability to see-when he was going too far and'the firmness to check his over-spec-ulative spirit. Xt is on all" hand's that the policy as regards Immigration and Public "Works must be catx! d out; Mr; Vogcl would, therefore, not sacrifice any political principle in, joining the new Ministry. We sincerely hope that those leadtng:politicians,. regardless of party,, on whom Mr. Stafford' calls* will consent to bury the- political hatchet aud ; render him every assistance in their power to. extricate the country from the difficulties into which it has drifted,, principally from the inability of Mr. Fox to lead or control liis subordinates,, more particularly his Colonial Treasurer.

It is an admitted fact that as a rule the- most intellectual and enterprising, of the inhabitants of 1 old countries leave their liomes and tear themselves away from those most dear to them', to .hare with others, the trials and hardships incidental to-the early colonisation of a country. New Zealand' certainly is no exception to the rule ; yet, the-apathy and indifference displayed by her inhabitants wit hi regard to the education of their children, is astonishing. This indifference has been brought very prominently under notice during this and the last session of the Assembly. Last session a Bill was brought in by Mr. Fox with the object of increasing to the whole population the fa-cilities at their disposal to procure an education for their children, which, after a somewhat lengthened debate, was allowed to collapse from no other-cause than the- indifference of members to the question-, or the fear that each had of offending the religious prejudices of some* portion of his constituents-; and' this session,, although almost every conceivable charge has been brought against the Ministry, we are not aware that any member-has taunted them, with the non-fulfilment of their promise with resard to-education. As we said above, the original standard of education in a- colony is always high, and" for- that reason it is certainly the greater disgrace to the colonists if they do not at least attempt to keep it up to the original standard. This has certainlv been done ill portions of the colony; in others, the children are either- growing up in utter ignorance, or the facilities for educating them does not extend beyond, if up tso, : the very contracted; limit of the three R'S. Mir. Fox is entitled to the- thanks of the colony for the

eifort he has made to get a bill through the Assembly which would at any rate palliate the existing evil. It was not hia fault that the representatives we have returned were so indifferent on the subject that they virtually declined to discuss the merits of a bill which had been prepared with no small skilL A stranger would be lead to believe that the inhab.tants of New Zealand are indifferent to every 'question that does not directly affect their pockets. We do not, however, believe that this is the case ; the fault does not rest with the-people, but with their & m-my of whom have undertaken duties which they have not tlie honesty, and, hi some- ease.-, lack the ability, to fulfil. They were only too hasty in- mak ng all maimer of suggestions,, some of them sensible and some quite the contrary, us to the steps that should be adopted' for the prevention of the spread of smallpox, but these same men display the most stolid indifference on the much more important question of training the-minds of the-rising generation. We are not prepared to gp- so far as some writers,, who assert that all crime is committed by the ignorant. M. Quctelet, a Belgian philosopher of considerable note, one who has devoted many years of his life to the study of social questions,, as the result of extensive researches into the- statistics of crime, says, " it. i - society which commits the- ocime,. the- criminal- is but the instrument." We commend this fact to the earnest consideration of those on whom the duty of legislating for this colony devolves. It will ft J 01 r own fault if, in a few year?* our criminal population is immensely increased l ,, fro In our- neSlocting education.. Society will' then truly have committed the crime..