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K imed | o6 $ * "before the Council. It was eVen claim: . C that these very important bodies, should, matter of iibraries throughout the oou:.lxtr)., | amongst thom, have & majority of the Bosr: From the report of the chief Saperinton et;u elected from their ranks _ He did not :2('1"._ he learned that the expenditare for 4'?bew | it proper to go thus far, but he c--nside s a} school lhibrary books Was only --$4, f' reodf /. M reascnable as well @8 useful that they the year to which the report refer : t should be represented, He therefore pr % The 'amount for prizt books was, f"t posed that High School I'eache'rnhonl_d have course, much larger That amount for $ } E: one tepresentorive, Common School Teach-- libraries, however, was a mere bain_tello as § ers, one, ard Couanty Inspectors, ong--thes. compared to the expenditure W on Ohe ~--.sf to be also elected eviry two years, . He con-- wouid have expected to find under that head. | j tended that every menset Promld of pereooal Itastoniched bir, considering the large um -- I this matter withous p«rty fecling or persoua ber of our public schools, that there was #0 E urejucice ; and hbe was sure that the pro-- little done in that particular department; | posed changes would have the effect of add but it would be found that thore would be a E ing largely to the pubiic contidence with great increase if the Bill which he asked the | which the Coancil desired, aud Pllghi t» do | House to pass Lbecame law. These ware . § sire, to be regarded, in so far as it C wuld thai some of the principal objects of the Bill; and 4 : vo longer te charged with being an irresposa he would bricfly go over some of the other ¢ { sthle gudy. as it now is 'The powers p»s more important clauses, and state why he t sessed by the Coun--il coutd ba exerorusss thought such proviuionl as ho proposed j f with more -- satisfaction to the public would improve the Education Department ' than -- they _ were ~ by that _ bosds and receive the sanction of the House and + 3 as _ at _ present _ composed, _ These the country, 'There had always been a diffi-- 3 k3 powers he described as very large indeea culty in maintaining our High Sshools in d and he quoted the statute which named ( maty parts of the Province in a state of offi-- 4 these powers in proof of the assortion. These ciency, and thero had been a strong pressure 4 powers had been in tho --possession of the Brou gl;t to bear by those who took an in-- j Conncil for a considerable time, and even terost in them to obtain & larger measure of supposing that they had done their very public assistance: for them. Very many j best to exerciso them in a mannoer which strongly urged that the whole of «every TV would tend to the efficiency of the schools, ccunty should form part of some. Higa # it was manifest that a great deal of dissatis School district, and should be subfiect t> :&1' | faction had arisen in the country regarding taxation for the support of that school in . | it» 1t was, therefore, necessary to devise an «fficient stato. . This was felt to be dis-- § | some method by which increased confidence cretionary. on the part of County Councils, 8 . should be established in the public who generally limited it tothe townor villags 5 | mind _ regarding its mode of doing in which therchool was situated. -- Thusl:mit-- a its . work,and the amenity -- to public® ed, the echools could not of course be kept in $3 opinion of _ its members. _ With Fegard a desjable state of efficiency. He thon?ht we t | tw the question of books, he asszerted tha cught toregard High ®"choolsasessential toour hi for along time there had been a strong opin-- school systom. The Public Schools of course §: - inn in various parts of the country that the bad a much larger attendance, and the fil Depository should be abolished altogether, greater portion of the people necessarily re-- 4 and that the purchase of books should bs ceived tfitir education in them; bug it would §! free--and not only of books, but of maps for be a neglect of duaty to forget that our Hign 1 school purposes _ It appeared, from the evi Schools sbould rec:ivo a shsre of: out at-- 1 dence which had been laid before him, that* tention, and should be put upon a footing 2\ there:was considerable difference of opiaion wonby'of the country, in order to enavle i' as to the expediency of entirely abolishing there to discharge the work assigned to them ?_4 the Depusitory, _ On the othor side of the propsily, | HBe felt strongly the objection 8$ limes it had been found that many books had ihat might be raised by the ople in the §3 been put into the hands of children which is s rtural districts to being taxed f: the way it . & was not proper the{' sbould have had, and wou'ld be necessary to tax every part of the $ f that this was ll'lgely the -- result of | gounty in which the school was situated, if 6 | the unrestrained offorts of book can-- g).\wexe to discharge its functions satisfac w | yassers to dirpose of their goods in that way, torily. Atthesametime they ought toremember | + It was J""? argued that it was not rignt that every person in the county had to con-- | that public funds should contribute to plac-- tribute equally to the eupport of Public , ing improper literature in the hands of chi-- Schcols, whether he derived any benofit from } { | dren, or in the Pablic School libraries, His t them o; not, and he thought ;ly the prin 'ple : object had been to tind some way by which was good in one case, it was equally good uo f | the purchase of books should be thrown op--n < the other. _ People wore taxed for Pah-- i | to the trade, and at the eamo time the dan lic Schools whether they woro rasi R _ er arising out of the introduction of ques-- dent or pot, and whether they had tiouable books prevented. What he propos=d | children attending them.ofp not It was a was that the books to bs purchased should -- natrow view to take of the matter to refuse be corfined to those named in the cataloguss to contribute to the maintenance of High j of the Courcil of Public Instruction, and Schools because no direct personal benetit | that the purchwe might be made trom any was devived from them. _ We were now en-- 'f bookcseller the corporation purchasing gaged in founding a nationality, . ani he j way choose to deal with,. There was no hoped _ that we should _ not show : reasonable obj--ction that could be made to any -- feeling -- which would be | 29 § that arrangemeat -- Hodid not kaow why dapgerous to its prosperity as an unwilling-- the Depository sbould be retained, excapt ness to contribute to what was undoubtedly as a mearsof earbling the public to make a great national berefit, whothor we dorived suitable purchises as cheaply as possible. it directly or indirectly, A good deal of It was not retsined for the purpose of creat-- cifliculty had always been experienced in | ing offices for cnose connected with it, nor consc quence of the demand for a preparatory yit for sue purpose of making money oiut ol its class in High Schools, and gotmthsmndmg «j tremsactions. As a matter of fact if they that the law was apaiost it, there were j opened the business transacted through as a matter of fact, such c!uwg in a'} High , the de{:&itmy to public competition, they Schocle. _ It Ewas "apparently impossible to would be doing that which must insvitanly prevent them, aud he thought they might as £ tend to lower the price at which the article well accept that stato of mattors, and ma'so f could be purchasod. In order to effect a aangements accordingly. He proposol t> cale, of course a bookseller would offer the do so by a provision in the 25th clause of the ©g corporation such books as thoy required as Act, [These schools .would receive | & f cheaply as he could, and in order to make as crain amcunt of assistance from the f | wuch by his business as possible, he would1, Government, a correapouding amount w wuld in the ordainary course of things, endeavour have to toe furnished by the connty. and t to make these sales as large, aad extonding remainder would b$s provided by the distr c© over as wido a portion of the country, as to which the County Council might a«sign f porsibic. In this way he was acting in a the school fa proprsed that ail pupils 1 $ manner as an agent for extending the use of | the county should be at liberty, as the: bocks--the _ very purpose -- which it | were under the present law, to atton: | was presumed the Depository had in view. the High School, _ althouzh _ they | 2 Ukhey would thus have the agency of the Gov-- l f ermment and that of the wholotrade through-- out the country enpazed in accomplishing their common purpose, Of course it was de-- wired _ to _ induce trusteeos to have % good libraries in every section, and make them do what they possibly could to in-- dnce & taste for _ reading amongst the people. There wore now settled Agou-- cies for that purpose, and by the plaa pro & f posed these agencies could be mush more + 4 nseiul, while no evil could arise from the ; ' furnishing of the books being open to tho -- trade so long as the Coancil of Puprlic {n-- struction controlled the character of tha E beoks to be purchased It really sa rpriso 1 : & --=| bim how very little had been done in this i