News of the Week.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume VI, Issue 283, 4 October 1878, Page 14

News of the Week.

y A purchase ot land has been made in Canterbury with a view to making provision for high class Catholic education. Serious and destructive floods have occurred in various parts of the We3t Coast, Canterbury, and Otago. The Rangitata and South Rakaia railway bridges were considerably damaged. The town o£ Balclutha was in great part submerged, and many persons were rescued from their houses by means of boats, Several other townships were likewise flooded, and a vast amount of mischief has bs.n done. It is reported that payable gold has boon discover ed in the neighbourhood of Lake Bonar,

From the Napier Weekly Mercury of Sept. 21sfc, we learn that " Free, secular, and compulsory" have a congenial soil to work upon. in. the town referred to. Godlessness is apparently all that was wanted there to clinch matters. There will be a blessed community there in a few years more. Here is what our contemporaay describes :—": — " On Wednesday there was a turmoil in Tennyson-street. At about halfpast one o'clock about 100 boys and girls congregated fn Emersonstreet, and, armed with palings and whatever pieces of wood they were enabled to pick np, marched to Tennyson-street, and halted before the Protestant Hall. Here they were received by another body of juveniles, about equal in number, who were evidently prepared for the attack, being similarly armed. The opposing forces met, but at first the Gushites made the Wrightites beat a retreat. The latter, however, recovered their first panic, and advanced with kerosene tins beating and colours flying, but notwithstanding the efforts of tl c master of the Protestant Hall school, who attempted to put a stop 1o the disgraceful scene, the Gushites were forced to retire. The latter armed themselves with stones, aud began to pour volleys of these missiles into the ranks of the Wrightites, but several passers-by in» terfered at this stage, and succeeded in obtaining a truce. The Wrightites then marched to their school, singing on their way "As Johnny comes Marching Home," evidently in their belief they had won a " Glorious Victory." And is this the only result to be obtained from free education ?" Now that the question of prison management is engaging attention, and that there is a likelihood of some changes being brought about, with what effect it remains to be seen, it would be well if the hours of attendance on their duty by prison officials were taken into serious consideration, and something done to place them in this respect more on a par with other Government servants. From October Ist to March 31st the hours of work are from 5.15 a.m. till 6.30 p.m., and from April Ist to September 30th the hours are from 6.15 a.m. till 5.30 p.m. In addition to which each officer has extra duties to perform which occupy about ten additional hours each week. In the Lyttelton prison especially we understand that there are duties to bs performed which koep an officer in constant attendance for fifteen hours on. one day of tb.3 weak, and seventeen hours on another. Surely this is a state of things that requires very serious consider, ation. Why should one class of Government servants, and that a class engaged in most onerous duties, requiring peculiar capacities, be thus slavishly worked, while other classes are paid higher salaries for accomplishing tasks that are easy of performance in eight hours. The matter should be remedied, undoubtedly, either by the employment of am additional number of oSbors, or if this be found undesir* able, by paying the officers already employed for extra hours of labour. Ifc is to be hoped this question of salaries, also, will be equitably arranged, and that the condition of th.3 officials at Lyttelton will in this needful respect be ameliorated without injuring that of the etiiployes at Dunedin. We desire to direct tho attention of oar readers on the West Coast and elsewhere who are interested in mining, the disposal or purchase of stock, or any business connected with the auctioneer's calling, that they will fin.l in Mr. P. Bvennan of Reef ton, a gentleman in whose judgment, advice, and prin3iples they may place the fullest reliance. It is, perhaps, hardly necessary for us to call attention to this fact, for Mr. Brcnnan is of wide repute, and everywhere testimony is freely borne to the excellence of his abilities and the sterling value of his character. The Tasmanian millers report favourably of New Zealand wheat. A MAORI in the North Island who was recently wounded by a bullet, declines to allow of the extraction of tho ball, because a god has become an inhabitant of his stomach. We arc interested in learning from Mr. Turnbull's statement in the Assembly last week that the cost of each child attending the public schools is £G 10s. per annum, and that tho godless system has as yet failed to reach the " gutter children," the class for whom compulsory education is really necessary. The Maori Prophet, Te Whiti, has announced that it is necessary for the Maoris to have a Maori Christ, who he affirms must also be crucified. The Christ of tho white men cannot be expected to look after the spiritual interests of the Maoris. Is there no one to give Te Whiti a Bible ? or forward to him a couple of tons of tracts V Op the understanding which guides our legislators in providing for the educational wants of the colony we are able to judge a little more clearly by Mr. Swanson's proposal that the salaries of schoolmasters in outlying districts should bo increased by appointing such masters to other offices also under Government. The hon. member ought to know that the schoolmaster who gives his mind duly to his work finds occupation enough in this. To vary it would be to impair his usefulness. Tho godless system appears, however, to depend upon make-shifts.