Our First Half-Century Part 11

rate has the distinct advantage in a young State like Queensland that, whereas a Treasury land tax would reach only the freeholders of less than 20,000,000 acres, the local government rate is levied upon 460,000 square miles.

The subjoined table is compiled from Statistics of Queensland for 1884 and 1908 respectively:--

AMOUNT LEVIED BY LOCAL AUTHORITIES.

------------------------+-------------------------+------------------------ Year 1884. Year 1908. Increases, 1908.

------------------------+-------------------------+------------------------ CITIES AND TOWNS-- CITIES AND TOWNS-- CITIES AND TOWNS-- General Rates 46,208 General Rates 150,744 General Rates 104,536 Separate 4,845 Separate} Separate or } 87,155 Special 7,583 Special } Special 74,727 ------- -------- -------- Total 58,636 Total 237,899 Total 179,263 DIVISIONS-- SHIRES-- SHIRES-- Total 61,843 Total 214,153 Total 152,310 ------- -------- -------- Grand Total 120,479 Grand Total 452,052 Grand Total 331,573 ------------------------+-------------------------+------------------------

Thus, since the unimproved value system came into force, the levies of the local authority rates have multiplied about three and a-half times. In 1884, when the first quarter-century closed, the divisional boards drew 2 for 1 as Treasury endowment, which, a.s.suming the rates were all collected, made their incomes from the combined sources 185,529 for the year. In 1908, without a penny of endowment, their successors'--the shire councils--rate levy totalled 214,153, or 28,624 in excess of both rates and endowment in 1884. In 1884 the city and town councils levied rates amounting to 58,636, which with endowment added should have given them 117,272. In 1908 the cities and towns levied an aggregate of 237,899, an increase upon 1884 of 120,627, despite the loss of the 1 for 1 endowment.

These figures are interesting in view of the agitation for a Treasury land tax. They show that in 1908, with a total of 53,948 city and town ratepayers, their rate contribution was on the average 4 8s. 2d. per ratepayer. At the same time 97,553 shire ratepayers contributed the average of only 2 3s. 11d. each. The wide discrepancy between the payments of town and country ratepayers seems anomalous, but when it is recollected that the urban councils, of which there are only thirty-five, undertake many public services, and that the entire area of incorporated cities and towns is only about 354 square miles, it will be realised that the circ.u.mstances widely differ from those of the shires, whose various jurisdictions embrace almost the entire area of the State, the official estimate being 669,901 square miles. This area includes 210,359 square miles of unoccupied country, much of which is traversed by roads, but which presumably yields no rate revenue. Hence no useful comparison can be made between the rate levies of town and country local authorities respectively. At the same time a local "land" tax--which ranges from the general-rate of d.

in the pound in the case of shires, to 3d. in the pound, besides special and separate rates, in cities and towns, and which makes the average total contribution of town ratepayers more than twice the amount levied upon country ratepayers--may at no distant time call for rectification, especially if a so-called bursting-up tax should be deemed necessary to meet the wants of close settlement.

Meanwhile there is room for congratulation in the fact that every square mile of the vast area of the State--coastal islands alone excepted--is incorporated, and that 160 local authorities with 1,310 members carry on the entire local government work of the country.

These men, unlike members of Parliament, are unremunerated by the State, even free railway pa.s.ses not being conceded to enable them to attend the periodical meetings. The alderman or shire councillor gives purely honorary service, and relieves the State Government of a vast amount of worry and expense.

[Ill.u.s.tration: CAIRNS RANGE AND ROBB'S MONUMENT, NORTH QUEENSLAND]

One good effect of local self-government is the exclusion from Parliament of the pestilent road-and-bridge member who in former years made himself so troublesome to Ministers and so often twisted the decision of the a.s.sembly on important questions.

It would be a bad thing indeed for Queensland if the local authorities, or any substantial percentage of them, became inefficient. There may be room for anxiety at evidences of decadence which at times come to the surface; but that local government in Queensland is a vigorous and living ent.i.ty is fairly evident from the fact that with very few exceptions the 160 city, town, and shire councils are members of the Local Authorities' a.s.sociation which annually makes itself heard in conference in Brisbane. Manifestly the spirit of decentralisation is not dead in Queensland. The manner in which the various bodies have survived the stoppage of the Treasury endowment, simultaneously with the thrusting upon them of many new responsibilities by the Act of 1902, must be regarded as a clear indication that local government in Queensland retains undiminished vitality.

[Footnote a: See "Queensland Government Gazette" of date mentioned.]

CHAPTER XI.

PUBLIC INSTRUCTION.

Primary Education: Board of National Education; Education Act of 1860; Board of General Education; Education Act of 1875; Department of Public Instruction; Higher Education in Primary Schools; Itinerant Teachers; Status of Teachers; Statistics.

--Private Schools.--Secondary Education: Grammar Schools Act; Endowments, Scholarships, and Bursaries; Success of Grammar Schools; Exhibitions to Universities; Expenditure.--Technical Education: Beginning of System; Board of Technical Instruction; Transfer of Control to Department of Public Instruction; Statistics; Technical Instruction Act; Continuation Cla.s.ses; Schools of Arts and Reading Rooms.--University: Royal Commissions; University Bill; Standardised System of Education.

From 10th December, 1859, the date of the founding of Queensland, to 30th September, 1860, primary education was under the control of a Board of National Education appointed by the Governor in Council. That board consisted of Sir Charles Nicholson (chairman), Messrs. R. R.

Mackenzie, William Thornton, George Raff, and D. R. Somerset; the secretary was William Henry Day. There were then only two national schools in the whole of Queensland--namely, one in Drayton and one in Warwick. The system of primary education obtaining in New South Wales was continued, but the subject of education was one of the earliest matters which received the consideration of the first Parliament of Queensland, and in 1860 an Act to provide for primary education was pa.s.sed. The Bill was initiated in the Legislative Council by Captain O'Connell, and Mr. R. G. W. Herbert had charge of the measure in the Legislative a.s.sembly. The object of the Bill was to provide primary education under one general and comprehensive system, and to afford facilities to persons of all denominations for the education of their children in the same school without prejudice to their religious beliefs.

PRIMARY EDUCATION.

The Act provided for the appointment of a Board of General Education to consist of five members, together with a Minister of the Crown who would, _ex officio_, act as chairman. The members of the first Board were:--Mr. R. R. Mackenzie (chairman), Dr. W. Hobbs (vice-chairman), and Messrs. W. H. Day, J. F. McDougall, W. J. Munce, and George Raff.

The scheme of primary education which the board framed was based generally upon the national system in operation in Ireland. Schools were divided into two cla.s.ses--vested and non-vested. The vested schools were unsectarian in character. The aid granted by the board towards the establishment, equipment, and up-keep of schools varied from time to time, and ranged from one-half to two-thirds. The board appointed the teachers. The salaries of teachers were supplemented by school fees, ranging from 3d. to 1s. 6d. per week for each scholar according to his standard in the school work. When the board took office there were 10 teachers, 493 pupils, and 4 schools--Drayton, Warwick, Brisbane (boys), and Brisbane (girls). The total expenditure in 1860 was 1,615 2s. 3d. School fees were abolished by the Premier, Mr. Lilley, from the 1st of January, 1870, and since that date primary State education has been free, Queensland being the first of the Australian colonies to adopt the principle of free public education.

The Education Act of 1860 was superseded by the State Education Act of 1875, which came into operation on 1st January, 1876, and is still in force. When pa.s.sed it was regarded as the most progressive Act in Australia. Its author was Mr. S. W. Griffith, the present Chief Justice of the Commonwealth, and he was the first Minister for Public Instruction. The first Under Secretary was Mr. C. J. Graham. On 31st December, 1875, there were 230 schools in operation, the aggregate enrolment for the year being 33,643, and the average attendance 16,887. The number of teachers employed was 595, and the total expenditure for the year was 83,219 14s. 9d.

The new Act provided that the whole system of public instruction in Queensland, formerly administered by the Board of General Education, should be transferred to a department of the public service, to be called the Department of Public Instruction.

The Act provided that one-fifth of the cost must be contributed locally in the first instance towards the purchase of a school site, the erection of the necessary buildings, and the providing of furniture; thereafter the State bore the whole expenditure. Thus the State defrayed the total cost of repairs and maintenance, renewals, additions, and the like. State aid to non-vested schools was withdrawn as from 31st December, 1880.

In 1895 a resolution was agreed to by the Legislative a.s.sembly in favour of the establishment of superior State schools with a view to providing higher education for children in towns and populous centres where grammar schools did not exist. The ultimate result of this action was the pa.s.sing of the State Education Act Amendment Act of 1897, which gave the Governor in Council power to prescribe that any subjects of secular instruction might be subjects of instruction in primary schools. The department immediately took advantage of this amending Act, and provided for the teaching of mathematics, higher English, and science in the fifth and sixth cla.s.ses.

So far as the resources at its disposal have permitted, the Department of Public Instruction has done what it could to bring primary education within the reach of all the children of the State, and it may be safely claimed that wherever twelve children can be gathered together there exists a school. But where the children cannot be gathered into groups the department goes to the homes of the pupils.

Itinerant teachers, fully equipped with buggies, camping outfits, school requisites, and other necessaries, traverse the spa.r.s.ely settled districts in the far West and North where the establishment of schools is not possible. The travelling teachers look for the homes of the pupils, be those homes rude wayside inns, log cabins, or even tents, and an effort is made to visit each home not less than four times a year. Under this system the little ones are at least taught to read, to write, and to count. The itinerant teacher system was initiated in 1901, when one teacher was appointed. There are now twelve of these teachers, and the expenditure in this direction has risen from 411 per annum to 5,129 per annum.

In 1906 the department began to appoint trained teachers to the charge of all schools where the attendance exceeded twelve. By this process properly qualified teachers will soon be in charge of 90 per cent. of the schools of the State. One of the most difficult problems which has to be faced in England, Scotland, America, and also in some of our sister States, is the adequate staffing of small country schools by efficient teachers. Queensland has solved that problem, and it is doubtful if any country has done better in that respect.

Primary school teachers are officers of the State, and are not subject to the caprices of boards or local committees; they enjoy the protection and privileges of the Public Service Act, and the interests of no branch of the public service are more zealously protected by Parliament. They stand high in public estimation in Queensland, and that estimation is steadily rising. The pay on the whole is good--particularly that of head teachers, and the conditions of service are by no means unattractive.

In 1908 the total expenditure on education (including school buildings) was 393,378 1s. 8d.; the total number of departmental schools open during that year was 1,141, the net enrolment of pupils being 94,193, and the average daily attendance 67,309.

[Ill.u.s.tration: VIEW OF GYMPIE FROM NASHVILLE RAILWAY STATION]

[Ill.u.s.tration: c.o.kE OVENS, IPSWICH DISTRICT]

PRIVATE SCHOOLS.

The number of private schools in operation in Queensland during 1908 was 157, namely:--Church of England, 8; Roman Catholic, 61; Lutheran, 2; undenominational, 86. These schools are not subsidised by the State. The number of teachers employed in them during the year totalled 665. The total enrolment of scholars was 14,098--males, 5,934; females, 8,164. The total average number of scholars attending the schools was 11,928--males, 5,114; females, 6,814.

SECONDARY EDUCATION.

In 1860, that is within one year of the founding of Queensland as a separate State, an Act was pa.s.sed to provide for the establishment of grammar schools, in which was to be given an education higher than that which could be given in the elementary schools. The following remarks made by Mr. R. G. W. Herbert, who introduced the bill in the Legislative a.s.sembly, are very interesting. He said: "The question of education might be considered under three heads as primary, grammar school, and collegiate. The bill introduced into the other branch of the Legislature was intended to provide for primary education, princ.i.p.ally under the national system, and would make adequate provision for imparting fundamental instruction at a cheap rate to all cla.s.ses of youth without distinction of creed or religious profession.

The bill he now introduced was intended to provide for a higher order of instruction of a useful and thoroughly practical character by establishing grammar schools easily accessible to the colonial youth of all denominations throughout the colony.... It was desirable that the instruction to be afforded in the grammar schools should be afforded at a cheap rate, so that as many as possible might avail themselves of it, and that it should be such as would best qualify the youth of the colony for discharging the duties that would devolve upon them in after life."

Captain O'Connell, who had charge of the measure in the Legislative Council, said: "It was merely a sequel to the Primary Education Bill, and was designed to give those who might desire it a higher education than could be afforded by the primary schools. It was a matter of the greatest importance that a system of this kind should be established on a broad and permanent foundation, and therefore it was not difficult to perceive that the creation of primary schools such as were contemplated under the other bill would be found extremely useful in carrying out the great objects now proposed to be accomplished."

Under the provisions of the Grammar Schools Act a school may be established in any locality where a sum of not less than 1,000 has been raised locally, and the Governor in Council may grant towards the erection of school buildings and a residence for the princ.i.p.al a subsidy equal to twice the amount raised locally. An amending Act was pa.s.sed in 1864 providing that when certain conditions had been complied with an annual endowment of 1,000 might be granted to each grammar school. Each school is governed by a board of seven trustees; of these, four are appointed by the Government, and three are nominated by the subscribers to the building fund; they hold office for three years.

There are ten grammar schools in the State--seven in Southern, two in Central, and one in Northern Queensland. The Ipswich Boys' Grammar School was the first to be established; it was erected in 1863. The last established was the school for girls in Rockhampton, which was founded in 1892.

Each of the schools has qualified for the annual endowment of 1,000; of this amount the State pays 750 a year unconditionally, and 250 on the understanding that the school will receive a certain number of State scholars per annum, the scholarships held by these pupils being known as district scholarships. Queensland has always been liberal in the granting of scholarships, and at the present time no less than 102, including the district scholarships, are granted every year; of these, 70 are available for boys, and 32 for girls. Each scholarship has a currency of three years. The State also grants seven bursaries to boys and three to girls. A bursary ent.i.tles the holder to free education at an approved secondary school for three years, together with a cash allowance of 30 per annum. The trustees of the various grammar schools also grant scholarships in addition to those provided by the State. In 1908 the aggregate enrolment of pupils in attendance at the grammar schools was 1,101, with an average daily attendance of 970; and of these pupils fully one-third were the holders of scholarships. Free railway pa.s.ses to the nearest grammar school are granted to the holders of scholarships.

To a.s.sist the children of poor parents to avail themselves of the scholarships which they may win, the Government grant a living allowance of 12 per annum to the winners of scholarships, provided that the income of the parents does not exceed 3 per week, or 30 per annum for each bona fide member of the family. This rule came into operation on the 1st of January, 1909.

It is generally recognised that the Queensland grammar schools do good work; the success of their students in the junior and senior examinations of the Sydney University abundantly justifies this conclusion. Each school constructs its own programme, but, broadly speaking, the curriculum of the several schools is designed to lead up to the Sydney University. As each school practically shapes its own course, the success of the inst.i.tution depends very largely upon the personality, efficiency, and vigour of the princ.i.p.al. In addition to the State-endowed grammar schools there are several other secondary schools. Some of these are denominational, and others are conducted by private persons. Schools of this cla.s.s are not endowed by the State, but the winners of State scholarships or bursaries may attend these inst.i.tutions if the Governor in Council is satisfied that they are of a sufficiently high standard.

Queensland has not so far placed the coping-stone on her educational system by establishing a University, but each year she grants three exhibitions to Universities outside the State. The exhibitions are open to compet.i.tion, and the test examination is the senior examination of the Sydney University. Each exhibition has a currency of three years, and is worth 100 a year. The winners may attend any University approved by the Governor in Council.

It will thus be seen that Queensland has been fairly liberal in providing the means of higher education for her children. A comparison with her sister States of New South Wales and Victoria emphasises this fact. During the year 1906-7 New South Wales, with a population of 1,528,697, and a revenue of 13,392,435, granted 12,945 towards secondary education; Victoria, with a population of 1,231,940, and a revenue of 8,345,534, granted 5,874; Queensland, with a population of 535,113, and a revenue of 4,307,912, granted 12,909, this amount being exclusive of the 900 per annum granted on account of exhibitions to Universities. In 1908 the amount granted by the State towards secondary education in Queensland was 14,272 11s. 11d.

TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

The system of technical education in Queensland is in its infancy, but no branch is likely to make more rapid and l.u.s.ty growth or to have a more important bearing upon the industrial and commercial development of the State.