Oming to the extraordinary expansion that has taken place la the Colony in recent years in the demands for edacation, and the increasing expenditare on education, while the general revenue of the Colony has been declining, the Gorernor has decided to sppoiat alt committee to investigat and to make reemmmendations upon certain definite questions. For instance the committee will have to ascertain whether the money at the Gureroment's disposal for educational purposes is epent in the best possible way, to find some means of controlling indefinite expansion of expenditare upon education, er also whether the money which is given by the taxpayers of the Culooy towards education cannot, to some small degree, be supplemented in an incrossed ratio by those who are directly benefited by education la the Colony, and finally to consider whether the Colony's educa tional system requires any modification to meet the altered demands of the time.
Notwithstanding that the Govern ment has in recent years coatioually been enlarging schools, the applications:
363 for admission continue to exceed the namber of vacancies in the Government schools, and the authorities have now increased the fees to $3 and $4 per month.
THE NEW MIDDLE Lass, At the annual meeting of the Hongkong Branch of the China Association on Monday, Mr. Murray Stewart, the Chairman, reviewed the events of the past year in a speech which occupies three or four columns la the local Papers. There was nothing very in the speech, It dealt maialy with the inauguration of Provinei il the opium question, the writings of "The Times" correspondents in (hina forming the basis of the speaker's observations, Mr. Stewart concluded by saying that if China's interoal political affairs had- been precarious from the pro: Chinese point of vi aod il ire had been unsatis ory from the pro-Britis point of view, her economic seemed to have bren steadily improving, There seemed no reason doubt—indeed there was every reason {o beliere—that there had been an all-round increase in the inland trade, and in the material prog the people generally, he proceeded that exports have been sing by Jea elysian beans ha second only to ery is all for tonvazo homewarde. Mark, that tonnage homewards la searce, because of the difficulty of log mp in Europe wit China, When ina's door the iten was th a splendid customer, The whole of Europe thought #0 too and hurried to get in. Seventy years is @ short time to work 60 great a change as is indicated by these facts, And 80 the situation as I see it i—political unrest and commer ial prosperity. May it not be tha the former is largely due to the latter? Bad times engender pirhoy and petty dintarbances, bat big political movements, due to the rise in the position and inflaence of s commercial and middle class, reflect national well being.
is prosperity that makes men am. ditions for rights and privileges. As the new middle class in Chioa attains greater wealth, ce will the powers of the old type of Mandario decline. 1 don't think the prospect need dismay us."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.