i8 A UNIONIST AGRICULTURAL POLICY 



be offered. At present there are marked dif- 

 ferences in the salaries paid by different local 

 authorities. The salaries of urban and rural 

 teachers must be more closely approximated ; 

 and uniformity in the salaries paid in different 

 districts must be achieved. And finally, if pos- 

 sible, a system of registration should be instituted 

 which would ensure steady promotion, and thus 

 make rural schools more attractive to clever 

 teachers than they are at present. 



Every facility must be afforded for suitable 

 children to go on to the secondary school or 

 to the higher elementary school. But while 

 advocating the provision of numerous ladders 

 by means of which such children may ascend, 

 the point of greatest importance is to construct 

 a broad road of education which will lead the 

 average children on to better things. 



(c) Continuation Instruction. — Whatever may 

 be the case in towns, any scheme for raising 

 the school age of country children beyond the 

 age -of fourteen is impracticable and undesirable 

 in rural districts. But continued instruction is 

 necessary in order that advantage may be taken 

 of the reforms which we have advocated. The 

 beneficial results of such instruction are strongly 

 evidenced in Denmark, Sweden, and Switzer- 

 land. Evening continuation schools are not 

 suited to rural districts ; the distances are too 

 great, and the pupils are too tired. The neces- 



