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Y Memmmiinneiie i nmrmmmmmcomses, x Y 7 e 4 t« /«"'é'é/ //ll L l/ { [ t 4 /v tw $ I v'v/ f that some of the high schools should be | amount.mé to $655,226 92, were adopted, closed. This he thought would be the and the House adjourned at 10.35. § ' surest way to arouse the friends of the pub-- 2OTST aAmiUD AraG . op lic schoolz{ for there was no clashing or di-- LEGISLAT E' K NOTES, 8 Z;;'l'z::;g:si:"t b';'tl:"e?)lt:::'cyp"::)l;: :::} A DEPUTATIOXN OF DOMINION GRANGEES WwANT a 7 stated that he did not propose exactly to | | THE NUMBER OF COUNTY COUNCILLORS l close high schools. REDUCED, ' Mr. Harcourt replying said he was glad A deputation from the Dominion Grange, | to hear that, for he could not understand consisting of Messrs, Peter Hepinstall R. that anyone should have the idea that Wilkie, H. Glendinning and Jabel Robin-- there was a claslnnt.{ of interests between son, was introduced to the Government this these schools.. 'The Minister of Education, afternoon by Mr. (Gibson (Huron). The t he said, deserved to the fullest all the com-- presented the fou(;wing petition :-- * pliments that had been so effusively heap-- To the Hon. the Attoru.ey-(}eneral j ed upon him by the educationists of this | | and Government of the Province of On-- I § continent. _ He had established _ model tario : 'The petition of the undersigned p schools and had increased their efficiency Executive Committee, by direction of the by wise regulations. He had introduced annual meeting of the Dominion Grange _ and encourazed the kindergarten system, recently held in the City of London, humbly and had in every department obeducutxo}l showeth : i s sought to maintain and increas? their effi-- That if there is any opinion upon which +4 ciency. alt classes and parties of the people of thi F g Mr. McColl said he was not opposed to Province are urite(l it is t.hag(:)upr covjntrl; | 8 grants for high schools, but he thought the is overgoverned. We freely admit the ex-- ® public schools were not being aided in the | _ cellence of our systein, but with the great same ratio. & majority of our people we believe that in Mr. Meredith said it was not to be sup-- sevi:ra.liespects tll:c \E'ork would be quit: as posed that they were opposed to the en-- well done by a less number of representa-- couragement of popular education, as they tives. As in former years, we desire to call fully recognised the danger involved in an your attention to the formation of the uneducated democracy. He repeated the County Councils. Some 40 years ago when statement made that there was a feeling the present system was inaugurated much throughout the country that the pub | _ of pue country was sparsely settled which is lic schools were not receiving their now closely inhabited. 'The provisions of fair share of attention,. He would warn the | ;p, act, which at that time were quite ap-- Government not to shun this matter, for if piicable, are now unnecessary and cumber-- this feelinfi were allowed to grow it would, some. In some parts the population has & he believed, be dlf'""'f'"","o the interests of become so numerous that every member of | hlfiher education is this Province, the Township Council has a seat in the Mr. Ross, replying to the charges made, County Council also, and the size of some J said that the fifth form had not been of the County Councils has been thereby e g abolished in the public schools, as it was increased until they have become enormous-- optional }V'll.h the trustees to have it in any ly expensive and cumbersome, while I scliool. The fifth form was in existence in in other counties it is not felt necessary to many schools throughout the counties, and have them reduced they show that the attendance was not fall-- The plan which we propose has the ad-- ; ing off, He w9uld state that last year the vantage of giving the people themselves the number attending the fifth class was 12,384, power to reduce them at pleasuro or re-- while in 1882 it was only 8,990. At the taining themm as they are at present consti-- same time it was true that in some of the tuted. It is as follows :--The ballots for & rural schools there was a daager that the the municipal clections to have a blank for i8 fifth class would monopolise attention to the electors to vote '"yem" or "nay"; that % | the (!ctrumfnt, of the lower classes, The | | at any election where the majority vote yea o standard of the fourth class now was equal | the County Council shall counsist of the t4 J to the fifth class standard of a few years | reeves only, and that cach reeve shall be en-- ago. He challenged the statement that the titled to as many votes as there had been ! E-- public schools of this Province were deputy reeves in his municipality in addi-- es neglected or were not up to _ 99 | | tion to his own. _ We do not elaim that the ?é } full standard of efliciency, Such a | foregoing method is entirely free from ob-- t & statement was unfair to the 8,000 teachers jecn':)u but we do not know of any that is f $ of the Province, to the 67 inspectors and to While' we believe this method po&sessc; y t the public opinion of this country. _ It was advantages which are not found in any that @ { not true, 'There was not a scintilla of we have heard proposed, and it provides as N* e | truth in it, and if the hon. members wanted fully for the accomplishment of the objects ;Qj ? a commission t.'u ascer tain the facts he was sought, we again desire to onter our pro-- E : prepared to favor it, and to show that the test against tolls upon both roads and mar-- | s public schools never were in a hl.glu'.l' state Itets :nd express a hope that the Govern-- ] N of efliciensy. _ He hoped the impression mcnz will discover some means whereby ol would not go abroad that this House was both will soon be totally abolished. We cAx)| hostile to higher education, or that there | take pleasure to notice the action taken by _i_' was any cloul;t,' as to the efliciency of the Government looking to the amendment -'71 the _system. . The tendency of the and consolidation of the drainage laws by fale high school . system _ was . to place appointing a cominission to take evidence Nok Y the . cost of that course upor tho respecting the operation of the present acts, hss t pupil rather than upon the country, and an«i hope many of their defects may be re-- § | this was in accordance with the principle moved and _ means found to -- reduce 5; 3 k that should prevail. He did not regret the cost of their operation and -- the & rage: ' Lh'ut, Shis 'l.iscu"'"iu" had avisen, as it had cxpon;e of litigation _ which _ follows. . atlorded him an opportunity to give , the And we hope that if the act known as the C : House some information ou this subject, | Ditches and Watercourses Act be retained \ . f s aud of stating that the greatest care was | it may be restored to usefulness by remoy-- .fi 4 taken to conserve the lntc:r(-sgs of the pub-- ' | ing the 50--rod limit which was added to it lic school system of the Province. ! a fow years ago. We are also pleased to When the amount for normal and model learn by the newspapers that some action is 13 schools came up, Mr. Meredith asked if likely to be taken to reduce the number of | :ei,g:' some charge had not been made against one | grau:l jurors, it being an institution that, | /x of the teachers fand an investigation held. | so far as we aro able to judge, might, with-- | h 'I be charge, he 'llld"r""'{o'l' was the serious | _ out injury to the cause of justice, be total-- one of kissing young ladies, (Laughter.) i ly abolished. All of which is respectfully | Mr. Sol. White--Perhaps he was "pecu-- | submitted. & liarly fitted." (Laughter.) l Perer HerIxstALL, Master. § Mr. Rosas--"Probably the young ladiss | Rost. \V'ILKIE, Secremry'. . | were peculiarly fitted." (Renewed laugh-- | Haxiy GuExDINNING, | lf:xecupnve l ter.) Reriousty, he added, the charge had | ) ABEL RO!'-'N-\;ON, _ J Committee. 4 not being substantiated. _ Evidence was Mr, Mowat said that while the scheme , called for, but there was none forthcoming. proposed for reducing the number of coun-- The full estimates for the department, | cillors was supported by some it was strongly opposed by others. It would b> s y ids & C ) ¥ |OP / . _ _i _ fss.... s '\N" t /