ST.MARY'S SCHOOL NELSON.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume V, Issue 246, 18 January 1878, Page 9

ST.MARY'S SCHOOL NELSON.

,(To jflifc Editor of the Colonist):' -" „' . .-. Sin,— Since tho, passing -of the" m ew '" Education- Act;" JJJ J \vn« 10/i'to entertain, to, a cqi-tain.pxtcnt/liopes asto r tlic'rconti J ii,uation'nf tfoveVn'- 1 mctit aid to subsidis:cd^,ehoQls,^nd principally to 'gt. 'Urary's'soltobls i,n Nelson. It was mentioned in "the Rouse 1 that tiie subMc'ly would-be granted to.thbr eiift ofthe fi^in'cihl ycln--^fMl 1 . > ' ILjtrn'fi6"lf,1 Ljtrn'fi6"lf, .when risiiiiiir kelson, 'h s id sfatbd that r gn6h^yould. I t)'o'tli^ I cfi ) .sc.' ) '' i T ri dc^cnded so w6U on such" {Authorities tha'tit'is oiiiy a fcw'dayij "since ipiiblislicd-in'the' papers that St. Mary's schools were Wife-open' aSf'ugtial nridei- sainc^ management and sfime teachers. But I was not a little surprised when this- morning I received from the Chairman of the Kelson Bdu-

cation Board the no.ti.ee that "no prqyision had- been made in the Education Act. 1877, for continuing such subsidy to" St. Mary's schools as they had hitherto.received from the Board 1 ; that I was therefore recommended to refer to the Educational Department." , . Many ,years ago, when, .the Nelson Education. , system was. .established by law, the Provincial Government gave for every existing school «i sum of £.2 per head for six .months before the new A,ct was put in force ; but here, with the new Education' Act, we have not got somuch as six (lays' notice. ■ „,- | () „ ,. j „ , ,- Who would ever have cxpeqted,, that, in a land where British liberal institutions are a remarkable feature, a school which has been established now twenty-eight ( years in- Kelson, which is consequently the oldest school in this province, should be stopped without a day".s notice ? That teachers — one of them2s years in office in that school ; some of them of superior learning," brought at great expense from the Mother, Country— should be told, on a sudden, that their services are no more wanted, ana that there is/,' no, provision made for ''them' in the new Act ?" That large school-rooms iv which many thousand children have been instructed, should now be closed, and unceremoniously put aside, without even-a small recognition from a Government whiou.]_as been all the r time benefited by them /" 'To receive notice— hot even%\vedk ; bef6re,'bnta week' after, ■thatis, on the 7bh January,' 1878— that, .sinconthe ilst -of the same month, no more aid should be given rq'su,ch, ; schQ.als, which, schools were attended only the other day, by nearly otit) children: this, .is one of. those wonders which can only be seen in our antipodes. '' ,' '- (;iR ' ! ' 1 "The representatives of the people. ' affirmed that no publican's business should be destroyed without compensation being paid ;' but it is calmly proposed to demolish our schools without a whisper being heard of compensating us. Yet we bought -land and incurred, great liability, jrclyjng upon the. law as it then stood ; now, by what Is .iii effect ex past facto legislation, we are most cruelly placed, "from no fault of'-oursj.in a position, of;, great, embarrassment, and yet we,.s_,Q that in other; cm-utries— for instance iv Austria— rteachcrs are paid, by the State, provided with residences near the school-house, and arc allowed superannuation pensions, which, if they had served, ten years'; are cxtcudcdAo itheir .widows and orphans under fourteen,. ",' • t , 1( '. j However, whether we are, or are not to have compensation (and there i. always- some allowance in reserve, for old officers who (have served under the Government), I maintain the ( advertisement thtjitjiJ" have, published last week., that St., .Mary's schools will re-open. piVthe 2is'_ iiibt., and if thorebe any aitcratio.i. ducjiiotice will bo giycii.' — lam, &c, , ,• , . , , -,t, t i , -„ ,', ," „, A '" '„ • ; . . ... v > ,A, M. Gatun, C. Piiest. .!• Nel-Oi.. January 8, JB7S. " '"'

[Tin., i- the iirst fruit of the, r,ej,cctipn by Parliament of the reasonable compromise contained in the Nelson Education Act, and imouestioiiably the quiet th.it has soTong i>rcvailed hore cannot )>e expected to continue, unless a 'wisei- course i . /adopted. That the payment to Sfc. Mttvy.s.Khools-.tiU 3liih,Jimc will, be made, is, certain, that in if trood faith i.s still to btj found among our public men. The present difticu-.y seems i to iiri^e >olely -fii'om. the want of a minister at head_.quarter. to_tust_ruct_ his siibprdi nates, and when the Hon. Mr. Shcehan returns to his duties, tlure is no reason, to .apprehend tli'siT the promised subsidy wiH be wiljihcld. Thi. after all will dolinle to satisfy ,the justi.cc oi" the ca.e, -and we fool sure the Educatioij Board can, it", so, inclined, discover some ,means of continuing thcsi« admirable se_iodl-',' eve'i. after the _ihanc-a_ 'year 'has' passed. — "t_. !h*_r o'i Ghlonht.'] ' ' r J '"' ' -i1 '. /> > • ■ f , ,< r . ; r „^i)iri