WESTPORT NOTES.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XVI, Issue 6, 1 June 1888, Page 29

WEST PORT NOTES.

(From an occasional Correspondent.)

The entertainment on St. Patrick's night was not such a success as we anticipated, owing to the very stormy weather. In faot, were it not that we were determined not to allow the day to pass by without some demonstration, the lecture by Mr. O'Oonor and the concert would have been postponed As it is, we are in hopes that it will be repeated upon the return of Mr. O' Conor from his Parliamentary duties. — Our annual treat to the Catholic school children was also carried through under difficulties, owing to the same caust. The weather preventing them going to the usual picnic grounds at •' Gibson's Paddock," it was determined to feast them in the Bchoolroom, and the usual sports — for which a number of prizes were given — were contested for in the street fronting the school buildings. Charleston has lost two of her old and highly-respected residents by sudden death — Pat O'Brien, who was killed by a landslip on the Buller road during the heavy storm in April, and John Burns, killed while working at Cape Foul wind quarries. Both were interred at Charleston, the whole of the population turning out on both occasion* to attend the funerals, thus showing their respect for the deceased and the families they left behind them. A handsome sum of money ha* been collected for the families of both men, the workmen of Cape Foul wind being particularly generous in subscribing, as they hare always been towards any deserving object. I regret that, through the loss they have suffered in having their wages reduced and the great loss of time through the exceptionally wet weather in this part of New Zealand, they will not be — or, rather, it will be out of the'r power to be — as generous in future if a similar catastrophe occurs ; and, considering the dangerous nature of the works at Cape Foulwind, it would be a miracle if there are no more accidents thert. In fact, consider ng the high price of the necessaries of life aod the many disadvantages of living in such ao out-of-ths-way place, it is surprising if a married man is able to keip out of debt there. Well, no doubt, we have to thank our business men of Westport for this state of affairs, as, through their petty bickerings about who should be a member of the Harbour Board, and sell the most tea and sugar to the workmen, they gave the Government the opportunity they were waiting tor to appoint a Board of their own officials, and carry out their pet policy of retrenchment. No doubt, in the present depressed state of the Colony, men can be had, for a time, to work at starvation prices ; but is it right, is it even good policy for the Government to set such an example as to compel men to work at a ra'e of wage that will merely keep body and soul togeLher, and then make the excuse that they are compelled to retrench, owing to the debt the Coloay is in ? If they are really in earnest, why don't they begin at the fountain-head that has caused the Colony to be in debt, and not make unfortunate men, with families depending upon them for support, suffer for the mistakes of past and present Governments? They h »ye been keeping up a system of education which they knew must sooner or later cripple the couatry financially. And who has assisted them in this ruinous expenditure 1 Why, the very men who are now suffering tbr mgh the reduced rate of wages. They would not vote for any candidate ihat would interfere with the present glorious educational system. It was the only direct benefit they received for their money, etc. You got free education, my boyp, but now you are paying dearly for it. Would it not have been better for you to pay sixpence per week for the education of your children, the same as your Catholic neighbours have been doing, instead of sending them to the State— l had almost written pauper — institution! and now have to pay for it at the rate of two or three shillings per day in the shape of reduction in your wages to that amount ? And what is worse, your fellow-workmen who were opposed to the system have also to suffer for your faults. You wanted secular education and you have it with a vengeance. You wanted compulsory education and you have not got it, nor are you likely to get it. That clause is a dead letter. In the correspondence columns of this evening's Westport Star the Inspector's report is quoted in excuse for the Wdimangaroa school teaching not being satisfactory. He writes : " The fluctuating nature of the population and tbe high price commanded for boy labour will go far to account for this backwardness." Ihe teacher, Mr. C. J. Hansard, in defending himself, writes : '■ Out of 66 on the roll at examination, only 29 old bands were left of the t roll number from the previous year, the remaining 37 being new | entries nearly all under standard age, with little or no previous schooling ; indeed, there were only three who had hitberto been placed in staudards. To use an insurance metapho;, the " school life here averages two years, and practically the whole pupils are cleared out in that time," and that is only oie example an to bow the compulsory clause of the Act is carried out. The men who are suffering through the reduction in their wages are petitioning the Government to take tueir cries into consideration, and I am afraid they will

receive the same consideration that the opponents of the obnoxious system of education received from the same quarter. The present system of education would not have lasted three years were it not for the Satanic hatred that exists in the minds of the majority of electors to the Catholic faith. Were Catholics to withdraw their opposition to the present system it would soon die out of itself, but as long as the ruling powers can keep up the present bitterness against Catholics, bo long will they have their own children educated at a nominal cost, and make the working-men of the Colony pay for it. So great is this feeling against Catholics, that I will give you an instance of it. One of the committee of the State school discovered that Catholics objected to Collier's History beimg used in the girl's school, abounding, as it doep, in the most barefaced calumnies against the teaching of the Catholic Church, and that the head teacher of the boys' school had disconatinrad the use of it for some months. An explanation was demanded s^j^vhe teacher, and an order given to resume the use of the history -^^„eacher being accused at the same time of trying to gain favour with the Catholics by not using the book. The teacher denied this, and said that he had discontinued the use of Collier's History not because it was objectionable to Catholics — though, to use his own words, " he did not see how it could be otherwise than objectionable to them "— but because he considered it a bad class book. However, there are very few Catholics now in Westport who give the State the chance of proselytising their children by sending them to the State schools. We have here a school of our own, where our children receive a good eound education that will fit them to fill any position in life that a merchant's or tradesman's child is likely to occupy. Our new church is approaching completion, and promises to be a credit and an ornament to our town. When it is finished we are promised another priest to assist our alread y over-worked and zealous parish priest. The stoppage of traffic on the Buller road has done serious injury to not only the business people of Westport, but to the whole district, and it is hard to understand why some steps have not been taken towards reopening it. The mails are now taken on horseback to the Inangahua Junction, where they meet the Nelson and Greymouth coach, Passengers and goods have to go by steamer to Greymouth, and thence to Beef ton and Lyell. No doubt our Member, Mr . O'Connor, assisted by the Member for Inangahua, Mr. R. Reeves, will do his utmost to induce the Government to reopen it, now that Parliament is sitting. The Local Option poll being in favour of an increase of hotels, a number are taking advantage of it and applying for new licenses. Amongst them I notice Mrs. Clark— widow of the late James Clark of Hokitika. Mr. Clark made a great many friends while he was constructing the Cape Foulwind Railway, who would be pleased to see Mrs. Clark's venture turn out successful; but there is not the slightest doubt but what there are quite enough hotels in Weatport at present for all the trade they are doing.