The Waikato Times. "OMNE SOLPM FORTH PATRIA." TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1872

Waikato Times, Volume II, Issue 90, 26 November 1872, Page 2

The Waikato Times. "OMNE SOLPM FORTH PATRIA." TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1872

1 T is to the credit of our Provincial Executive that i: ey have taken the (juestion of education into their own hamU 1 t ia tolerably dear, with the House otMioprcsciitativcs constituted as it is, coupled with the apathy of the people, that there ■Is.-r.cry Ktilc to be looked for from that quarter, and also, that-the next best thiug is for the Provincial Legislature to perform a duty which properly should not devolve upon it. It must be remembered that while we are waiting- for action in the rigljt quarter, numbers of our children arc growing- up in ignorance ; those therefore, who are opposed to the bill have.only a very weak argument when they urge, as they doubtless will, that we should w.ail. till'the General. Government does something for us. We have already waited two years, and are-now as near the cvir.summation of our wishes as we were at the comineiKvmcut of that period. In another column we puWwh a digest of the bill, and purpose in this an: -\'\ so tar ns we deem necessary, to consider its provisions seriatim. first clause that calls for .-pedal notice at our hands is IN r o. 14, which qrants io the board power to constitute educational districts v.-herc necessary, the board to take immediate action on the representation of the resident householders. The election of School Committees to manage each district is placed in the hands of the j householders, so that (he inhabitants of each place r re to have the management of their own schools in their own hands. As regards the subjects to be -.wight in the schools, they consist of all the branches < t i:n elementary education. In every scattered ai.<i.nct the clause empowering, the board to appoint a travelling schoolmaster will be found v.ery benencial. The bill contains compulsory clauses, which however, can only be brought into force on the requisition of a majority of the resident house- ! jold.ers of any district. The compulsory clauses ■

J themselves ate not more arbitrary than is al--1 solutcly mjctefjaiy, if parents who do not know 'or will i;-it perform tlu.-ir duty are to be : made to do .so; and in districts where the ' compulsory clauses law it will be \ seen that ample provision is made tor exetnpt- : in"; parents where anything like a reasonable : excuse can be shown tor the absence of their : children from school. The penalties imposed by ; the bill are not hiyh, in, fact as a punishment arc ! not commensurate with the crune, for it is one to i wilfully neglect to educate their children. As 1 we before pointed out, it is impossible iu the present state-of the provincial exchequer that any efficient system of education could be established ! unless a special tax for the purpose is iujpuaed. I The bill provides for this difficulty, and imposes a household tax of from 10s to X.2, acoHino; to the annual value, und of hi for each child up to ' four. Each head of a no matter what number of children he may have, emi only i pay £1 i" addition to the lior.se tax for the education of his children, the schools of course being free to all. There is another clause which calls for comment: that which provides that the master shall have the power to expel from any school any child which from its conduct is likely to contaminate the other children, or from its filthy state may not be fit to mix with them. The board on the of any commitlee is to have the power 1.0 excu.se. any person who from poverty is unable to bear the taxation.

1 Thia bill is of a character that we should like to see passed. Some objection., however, may be made to the mode of taxation ; it may be said,and justly so, tliut thorouso many of our country settlers occupying, homes of very small annual value, and would pay lqss tax than the householders living , near the town, where rents are higher,yet the country settler may be the richer man of the two. 11> is proverbial that it is impossible to impose any tax of a, general nature which does not inflict an injustice on some portion of t]io community. We are- unable, however, to point out any other form of taxation thut would in any way meet the case. As regards what is ordinarily termed the religious difficulty, the bill meets it iu the only way possible, by excluding religious teaching altogether from tho schools during school hours, but it wisely allows the use of building's at any other time ior the religious instruction of the children who may attend voluntarily. As regards the power granted to masters to exclinle children from the schools for incorrigible behaviour or for being too dirty to mix with the other children, it would have been well to have inserted a clause by which such children as the former could be sent to a reformatory, and as regards the latter a tine imposed upon the parent would soon remedy the evil.

That the bill will, meet with strenuous opposition fi'oni some quarters we have little doubt, there is an unaccountable prejudice against direct taxation; if three times the amount were imposed in the way of customs duties it would be paid without a murmur. There is up duty so self-apparent as that of educating , the rising- generation, and we trust that the- settlers in the Waikato will do all in their power to strengthen the hands of those who have brought in a really useful and workable measure. It" the opposition get up meetings, it will be necessary for us to call others to counteract them; in the meantime we shall content ourselves with-stating we feel confident that the bill will meet with the approval of the settlers, at any iv.te of such of them iis are, willing , to do their , , duty to tJierusclves ;md the state.