TO THE EDITOR OF THE LTTTELTON TIMES. Sir, —In one of the outlying districts, not a hundred miles from Christchurch, a small minority of the inhabitants consisting of Presbyterians, hare succeeded in imposing a rate of one pound for each dwelling-house under the Education Ordinance of 1864. As the existence of a school in* the afore said district by no means depends on that rate, it appears to a large majority of the in habitants, who belong to the Church of England, and to other religious denomina tions, to be an unfair tax upon them, par ticularly as many liaye no children to educate, and others do not willingly patronise the school, the master of which derives a good income from boarders and other sources, and which is also supplemented by aid from the Provincial Government. I believe that if it were necessary to the maintenance of a school in the district, few of the inhabitants would object to subscribe according to their means towards so impor tant and desirable an undertaking. My desire is to call public attention to the apparent unfairness of an Ordinance which enables a small section of a community to maintain a schoolmaster of their own denomi nation at the expense and to the manifest dis approbation of the majority of a poor labour ing population, who had not the foresight of their richer neighbours to discern all the con sequences that would ensue on placing their district under the Education Ordinance. There is no better way to obtain the amendment of any public grievance in this province than to have it well ventilated in the first instance in your columns. Yours, &c., KYND KYNN KNAWNE KEPE. March 20th.
