1884.] 
On Technical Education. 
i55 
designs for the calico-printing and other trades, as that sub- 
ject was very fully dwelt upon in the article in the April 
number (vol. iv.) 
Persons like myself, who have had practical experience in 
manufacturing industries and in teaching science, may point 
out in publications the grave defects in the Department’s 
system ; the public press may lend its aid ; but in the end 
it rests with our statesmen either to reform this most expen- 
sive and worthless system, or allow it to continue. I took 
the liberty of directing the attention of some of our states- 
men and senators to the subject a short time ago. From 
the communications I received from them, it would appear that 
many of them are not in favour of the system, but they do 
not see their way to substitute a more perfect one, which 
would enable Parliament to have at the same time such a 
complete, as they seem to think, control over the Expendi- 
ture. That control I look upon as purely imaginary. 
Certainly Sir Wm. Dunbar does not appear to think, if we 
are to judge from his remarks in some of his reports, that 
anyone has very much control over the permanent officials 
in its expenditure. I think if anyone devotes a little atten- 
tion to the subject:, he will come to the conclusion that it is 
unwise, even unconstitutional, to place such large sums of 
public money in the hands of officials, which, to a large 
extent, is based on probabilities, for the estimates are pre- 
pared in November, and the examinations, on which the 
result payment depends, are not held until the following 
May. It also tends, by having this large sum of money at 
their disposal, to make these officials tyrannical in their 
conduct to the teachers, and thus causes good men to leave 
the service, and prevents others from entering : cases like 
that about the employment of the “Darmstadt models” in 
teaching mechanical drawing might be cited as examples. 
But surely if the statesmen of other countries can establish 
good systems of education, and exercise at the same time 
full control over the expenditure, our statesmen ought to be 
equal to a like task ; but then other countries do not put 
men in office who are inexperienced in educational matters, 
and who have given no evidence of their administrative 
powers in that department. To show that the control is to 
a great extent, if not altogether, a myth, it might be asked, 
were not the permanent officials uncontrolled in the expendi- 
ture of the £115,000 in connection with the Paris Exhibition 
of 1867 ? and where was the control when an accountant 
some years ago could abscond with public money to the 
extent of £77 04 17s. iod., which has never been recovered. 
M 2 
