The Week in Review.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVIII, Issue 7, 14 August 1912, Page 1

The Week in Review.

Tke Education Report. A X OVAL Commissions as a rule produre reporU that are wl M any I very general concern to the comy munity at- large, but the report oi the Education Commission will be read with interest by all who have the interests ami welfare of the Dominion at heart. For on the education -of the young the future of the colony depends. Ndi' have -the Commissioners in any way shirked their task. The report .shows that they have devoted' both time and brought to the sifting of evidence and the devising of means for promoting the welfare of-the children and the teoriiera. One may ; not agree with all their conclusions, but no one can deny that these conclusions have been reached as the result ®f much patient investigation. and ihev are. entitled to our best consideration. They point out many defects in .our present system, but at >tne sama time they pay'a high and we!l-des.erved tribute io the zeal and devotion of the teachers and the success achieved by our sehwds. JU Ji Education Board. To durn to details. One of t-he ni€*A interesting suggestions is that which pro poses to reduce the number of Education Boards from thirteen to five. It is nbt easy to see the reason for this, nor how it is jjpiug to help in the paying of due regard to local requirements. Five Boards for the whole of the Dominion seems too small a number. But when it is also proposed to add to the work of the Boards by giving them the. control of secondary and technical education, i. certainly looks as if the proposal would make for les** cfticioncy in adiniui^ti i”n. As regards the proposal to establish an Advisory C ouncil, objection will be taken by many on the grounds that the ultimate tendency of such a policy will be t » centralise control and so do away wit a the democratic idea of local government. It may be urged that the new scheme will cheapen the c,o*t of administration and secure greater uni formi ty 4 but against -Hir< must b? set th? fart that different districts require different fieatment, and it is impossible for any central body to know as much about- local needs as a body elected on the spot. Real efficiency can only be secured by lightening the’labours of the BoarAs and paying more regard to th? needs of individual districts. School Beaders. With the proposal to abolish the of free l>ooks almost everybody will agree. At no time has tills scheme been a success* On the grounds of health a Icy ic ike free books stand condemned. But on what grounds can the Commissioners defend the Schoo! Journal? Tt is at best only an inferior reading-book It is produced at great cost, and it cramps literary training in qmf school*. We want to enlarge the reading of our Young people, and it would hive done good if the Commissioners Ind taken into greater consideration the question of establishing school libraries and using <he books in the work of the school. There is just a suspicion that tbo CominisMoners regard uniformity as an ideal in education, whera-s the one. besetting evil of any national ay&tem of education is the fact that it is apt to turn th? children out on a uniform plan without sufficient regard to individual idiosyn-C-nudes local conditions. We must •duoate the child, not childrea.

The Syllabus. The various proposals for altering the syllabus -still leave untouched the great question of -overcrowding subjects. The aim of all true education is to teach children how to learn. The educated man is not the one who lias acquired an encyclopaedic knowledge, but one who has acquired some faculty. Plato wisely aaad that it was better to know a little well than to know a great deal indifferently: We are in danger of giving a superficial knowledge of many things instead of a sound knowledge of a few. To no single subject in the syllabus could exception be taken on -the ground that it was not of value, but one might reasonably take exception to the attempt to heac-h a multitude of subjects. Nor can the worth of every subject be. judged solely by its practical value- Many subjects are extremely valuable tws mental exeruises, even thought they may not have any immediate value in practical life. It will seem to many that -the scope of our primary schools needs restricting rather .than expanding. This is a matter of some urgency, and it seems a pity that the Commissioners did not give it more sympathetic consideration. Ji Jt Dangers of Centralisation. The one defect of all State systems of education is the fact that the schools have no individuality. They are all turned -out of one mould. This may be overcome in part by allowing greater scope for local self-government. It is only accentuated by anything that savours of centralisation. It is the main fault in the report of the Commissioners that they seem to favour less local government and more centralisation than we have at present. Nor have they sought by any recommendations in regard to the syllabus to make more elastic our somewhat cast-iron system of .education. The great English public schools have each an individuality of tfieir own, and this tradition is regarded as the chief asset of the school. We miss this in our schools. 'Whether it is peeaible to gain it or not. is one of the most difficult questions that we have to face. We shall certainly never gain it by making our schools more, instead of less, uniform. It can only lie gained by allowing greater latitude to the individual teacher, and by enlarging the powers of local Boards and committees. When the report comes up for discussion, it is to be hoped that this aspect of Sfate education will not be lost sight of. It would be a matter for regret if anything were done to render our schools more under central control than they are at present. Ji Jt An Imperial Parlaiment. In proposing the toast of "Our Canadian Guests.” at the C arlton Club, Mr Bonar Law, the leader of the Unionists in the Mouse of Commons, dwelt on the fact that pressure from without had been the means of welding more closely together all parts of the Empire. He said tha-t Great Britain alone could no longer hear the cost of the immense nary rendered essential for the defence of the ISmpire by reason of Germany's recent progress. But the British Empire had at its disposal greater resources than any other Empire. In view of this fact, it was necessary that there should be co operation within the Empire, Loth in times of war and times of peace. The bulk of the people, he added, looked for an Imperial Parliament, in which the Overseas Dominions would l>e represent ed, thus sharing the responsibility and

glory -of governing the Empire. That consummation, he held, was not far distant. Aa Imperial Parliament. But apart from an Imperial Parliament, a great bond of union would be established if there was some scheme of Imperial preference. Every one of the Dominions bad advocated the principle of enabling one portion of the Empire to treat, other portions on better terms than Mie rest of the world. The Canadian Premier endorsed Mr Bonar Eaw's remarks on the subject of Imperial prefer l e.nce, and said that he had always held that .their ideal should always lie the commercial co-operation of all parts of the Empire. Unfortunately, the liberal party at Home is wedded to the doctrine of free trade, and lias for long refused to entertain any scheme of colonial preference. The Advocacy of a preferential tariff for - the colonies has -been the strongest plank in the Unionist platform. There can lie no doubt that some form of •fiscal reform must coma if the Empire 13 to be held together by commercial as well as sentimental ties. It is manifessly unfair that the Overseas Dominions should be expected to give preference to Great -Britain while they themselves receive nothing in return. The Canadian Minister for Marine suggested that a conclave should be called to settle the terms of partnership, whereby the daughters would share equally with the mother in the management of the mother’s household. Imperial Preference is an Empire, question, and ought to be decided by 'lie voice of the Empire. ■_« Ji Increased Espenditare. The Financial prt-seuted to the. House last week, showed that the actual revenue for the year exceeded the estimate by £003,534, while the actual expenditure was £264,309 lie low the estimate. But the expenditure ■was nearly a million more than in the preceding year. The chief increases were: Interest and sinking fund £198,000. Old Age Pensions £21,000, Postal Department £74.700, Working ®ailways £lBl.OOO. Minister for Justice £14,500. Department of Interna! Affairs £123,700, Defence Department £189,000, Department of Bands and Survey £278,000, Department of Agriculture, Commerce and Tourists £34,800, Education Department £87,200. The cost of the general election and the census caused snost of the increase in the expenditure of the Department of Inter nal Affairs. The large increases in the amounts required for working railways, Interest and sinking Fund, and educa-

iioti were unavoidable unless tly policyin regard io railway extension, borrowing and education was to be altered. The increase in the expenditure on de fence was due to the introduction of the new system. .* .* Jwvenile Offenders. One of the most interesting parts o< the Statement of the Government was that which dealt with the treatment of juvenile offenders and the care of the feeble-minded. In regard to the treatment of juvenile offenders, the Minister said: ‘’The Government is seriouslyimpressed with the rapid increase dur ing th® last few years in the number of boys between 10 and 16 years of age who have been sent to industrial schools, and has decideij. to approach the problem from a new direction. The scheme is that when a boy is firstbrought before the court for a delinquency- and the magistrate is satisfied that the moral influence of the parents’ Lome is not detrimental, but. that the control is not strong enough to prevent further trouble, the magistrate should at his discretion make an order formally attaching him to an industrial school. That having been done, he, by arrangement with the Education Department, would be allowed to remain with his parents, but would lie under the friendly- direction of -.an officer of that Department. If a youth, after being placed on probation in this way, failed to behave satisfactorily, Hie order for his admission, to an industrial -school wcruld. by direction of the Minister for Education.- become operative without the need for further court proceedings. The. same remarks apply, of course, to girls." Ji Ji Feeble-minded Children. In regard to the care of the feebleminded, the Minister said it seems to be desirable that at an early date the provision for the care and education of feeble-minded and epileptic boys and girls should be made as complete as possible. Inquiries have shown that the number, of feeble-minded children in the Dominion is too large for the accommodation that can be provided at Otekaike. and it is accordingly proposed to reserve that institution ’ entirely for boys, and to make provision for the girls at Hii-hmond, near Nelson, on the premises originally bought for this purpose, but hitherto used as a home for imbecile boys, who are to be transferred shortly to Tokanui.

'x'he Laud Question. The Budget intimates t'ral ,‘rt will not be possible for the Government to deal ■with all land policy matters this session, but a Bill will be introduced which, among other proposals, will include a new method of acquiring land for settlement purposes, ami of settling smh land on the deferred payment sywtem. There will be no increase of the Dominion’s indebtedness, the settlers will have security of tenure on easy teems, and landowners will receive a fair price for •the land required for <4oser settlement. The ballot system will be amended to cheek -'peculation and give preference to applicants who have not been successful in two or more previous ballots. European and Native land will be purchased in advance of railway construction to participate in any increase in values arising out of public expenditure. It is intended to rigidly adhere to a policy of .loser sett .eluent and absolute security of tenure for settlers. The tenants on settlement lands whose tenure is renewable lease are in a different position to tenants whose tenure is lease in perpetuity. but they will also be given 'the option of purchase at a price to be fixed bv actuarial calculation. The money received in this way will be paid into the Land for Settlement Account and used for the purchase of other land for settlement purposes, thus reducing the am.mu; of loan money which otherwise it would be necessary to raise. It is not intended to interfere in any way with endowment lands. An increase In the graduated land tax i< proposed on large properties with the object of breaking up big holdings. J» JR The Policy of the Budget. As regards the policy of the Government, set forth in the statement, we may note as paints of interest that the proceeds from the sale of Crown lands will in future lie paid to the Land for Settlement Account. Special attention will be given to the needs of baekbloek settlers in regard to mails, and the post office will pay two-thirds instead of onehalf of the loss on telephone lines subsidised by settlers. Second ballots will be repealed, and a new system substituted. The Old Age Pension Act is to be amended so as to provide for the payment of the pension to women on attaining the age of sixty. An Invalid Pensions Bill will also be introduced so as to assist people who are permanently incapacitated for work. The High Commissioner's office is to be reorganised. In regard to Defence, it is proposed to substitute military detention for imprisonment in connection with nonregistration. A special fund is to be created in connection with the insurance of Government buildings against fire. Provision is to be made for the settlement of the gum lands by giving diggers the option of taking up sections of some twenty-five acres free of rent for five years. The question of settling both the Crown and Native lands will receive every attention, and agriculture is to be encouraged by the establishmen: of at least one agricultural college ill each island. Au Elective Upper House. One of the most interesting proposals is that whi !i seeks to make the Upper House an elective body. It is proposed to create two constituencies—the North Island and the South Island—and to elect twenty Councillors from each Island. The electoral roll will be the same as far the of Representatives. and the election will be held under the proportional system. Due provision will be made for safeguarding the full and exclusive privileges of the Hou.e of Representatives in all niatIteiH involving finance. Each elected Councillor will hold his eeat for the term of two Parliaments of the House of llepr. -entatives, on -half of the total number retiring at each election. The qn ilith ati n for flection io the Council will l>e cxaitly the same as that for election to the House. The present non. nated members will continue to hold their seats until the expiration of the r<s|evtive terms of their existing appoint uicnt s. A Salutary Sentence. It > very gratifying to observe that Loth at Home and in the Dominion there is e. determination to administer the Jaw iu pr >t.vting life and property, te/aapoctiie of any political creed pro-

fessed by those who are inclined to Hout the law and defy all authority. In England two suffragettes have been sentenced to five years’ penal servitude each for attempting to set fire, to the Theatre Royal, Dublin. Had the attempt succeeded, it would in all probability have been attended with great Io«s of life. It is difficult to conceive of a erime more serious, and it is to be hoped that the salutary sentences imposed will convince the militant, suffragettes that no political catch cry will avail as an excuse for crimes. In our own country Mr. Massey emphatically declared that any person inciting others to damage property would be punished as far as the law allowed, and, if necessary, the law would be amended so as to allow proceedings to be taken against such persons. This was iu reference to a newspaper paragraph giving details of an alleged Socialists’ Sunday-school, conducted in Waihi by an American, who, it was stated, preached such things as putting emery pow der- intb oiled bearings, with the object of grinding the parts of the machinery, and advised men to drop a. chisel into machines as often as possible, to rip the cogs off the. wheels; also, that a plug of dynamite was a useful adjunct to their work. The. lecturer, it was added, told men that it was to their interests to do as much damage as possible to their employers’ property, and advised them to work only when their employer was watching them, and to “take it easy’’ at all other times. The Crown Law office advises that the statements, if made, constitute an offence, and action will be taken. The Centenary of the Waltz. This year marks the centenary of the introduction of the waltz into England, and it is interesting to note that when the dance was first- introduced half of London professed itself shocked. Amongst the most bitter opponents of the waltz was Byron, who was a connoisseur in matters of moral eorreetitude. So fierce was the controversy, that it led to a duel between General Thornton and Theodore Hook, the former defending and the latter denouncing the newdance. Society in general voted the waltz as a very stupid thing. The.hostility continued for some years, till the Emperor Alexander, the father of the Holy Alliance, danced it at Almaek’s. This put the seal of high approbation on the dance, which afterwards came into high favour, till the Turkey Trot and the Grizzly Hug partly superseded it. If such pious people as Lord Byron and Theodore Hook were shocked at the waltz, one can only imagine what their feelings would have, been had they lived to witness some of our modern dances. J* J* Ideas and Enthusiasm. The Auckland Exhibition, to be opened next, year, is being organised by gentlemen fertile in ideas and brimming over with enthusiasm. Already much of the preliminary arrangement has been settled, an<l the committees are energetically attending to some of the main features. The progress so far made and the enthusiasm displayed augurs well for the success of the project. Many excellent ideas have been put forward, and in due time will receive full attention. Mr. C. J. Parr, who has just returned from a visit to Australia, intimates that considerable interest has been aroused in the Common wealth, ami it is expected that the exhibition will draw both exhibits and visitors from the other side. Sunday Concerts. A peculiar position has arisen in Wellington in connection with Sunday concerts promoted by the Professional Orchestral Society. The city by-laws contain a prohildtion against the levying of a charge for admission to Sunday concerts, when pennit ted, and the society in question, finding that many supporters were being deprived of seats by a big early rush, decided to reserve a certain portion of the accommodation for annual subscribers. The Council authorities regarde*! this as a violation of the bylaws, iu that seats were being reserved for a monetary consideration, and the Mayor upheld this interpretation of the by-laws, with the result that the practice of reserving seats was stopped. The Ministers’ Association also lodged a protest against such a custom being allowed to creep in. .Some councillors consider the society should lie allowed to reserve seats, and the matter is to Ire considered by the by laws committee.

Flocking to the Cities. The depletion of country districts of good workers by the inevitable drift to the cities has in recent times been a matter of grave eoneern. Not only has the movement left farmers with little labour to effectively carry on operations, but channels of employment in the cities have Ireeoine overcrowded, men and tlioir families have suffered through the absence of work, and altogether an undesirable state of affairs lias arisen. The Auckland provincial executive of the Farmers’ Union seeks to remedy this position by offering inducements to workers to take up their residence in country districts. The idea is to persuade the Government to ereet workers’ homes on sections of areas not less than tear acres, in reality creating small settlements, from which men for farm work could be drawn when required. When not needed the workers could profitably cultivate their holdings and thus would not be solely dependent on farmers for the means of sustenance. It is anticipated that this scheme would lead to the bringing into existence of a healthy country population, and relieve congestion in centres of population. J* *s* Important to Catholics. A decision bearing on educational scholarships of immediate importance to the Catholic community is recorded in the “Tablet.” Until 1910, the pupils of the Catholic primary schools were debarred from competing for Education Board Scholarships or Junior National Scholarships, but this injustice was removed by an Act passed in that year. The Catholics had been contending, however, that scholarships won by scholars from a Cat holic primary school should be tenable at Catholic secondary schools. The main Act provides that the holder of a scholarship must prosecute his studies at "a secondary school or its equivalent” approved by the Education Board or the Minister, as the ease may be. Hitherto the Education Department has read "equivalent” as meaning constitutionally, and not merely educationally. equivalent. It appears that the Bishops some time ago asked the Mackenzie Government for an authoritative statement; and the Soli-citor-General has given the opinion that "tire Education Boards in respect to Board Scholarships, and the Board and the Minister in respect to National Scholarships, have ample power to "approve’ Catholic secondary schools at which scholarships may be taken out.” In other avoids, “equivalent” does not mean "constitutionally” equivalent, but "educationally” equivalent. The Three-fifths Majority. Parliament was occupied on Thursday afternoon and evening in a discussion on a bill introduced by Mr Malcolm to secure the abolition of the three-fifths majority in licensing polls, and the substitution of a 55-45 per eent. basis. The Government was blamed by Opposition members for not making the bill a Government measure, instead of allowing a private member of the party to bring it down, and eventually the second reading was rejected by 42 to 32. The Prime Minister paired with the Hon. Jas. Allen in favour of the amendment, and the Hon. F. M. B. Fisher was the only other Minister voting on the same side, while the Hons. Fraser, Herdman, Herries, Pomare and Rhodes recorded a negative vote.