The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, and Echo. SATURDAY, MAY 9, 1896.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVII, Issue 108, 9 May 1896, Page 4

The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, and Echo.

SATURDAY, MAY 9, 1896.

for tin causa tkat lacis asslstancs, Sfi ilio vinos tts&t needs resistance, Sir fes ftrtiiK) in tiia distance. A&d Uia gtod that ire can do.

The recent verdict of the people of South Australia on the vexed question of religious education as part of the public schools curriculum has been noted with a good deal ol interest in this colony ; for it is a question around which, discussion has not ceased to rage here, and although it was settled years ago by Parliament there is still a large portion.of the community y that would like to see that decision reversed. It has been remarked that the results of the recent school'comrnittee elections indicated a growing tendency among us in favour of the Bible in schools, or at least of religious instruction of some kind being ' imparted to the pupils, and many argue that if the opinion of the whole people of the colony could be obtained it would be adverse to the present exclusively secular system of education. Of course, it is easy to make such assertions, and those who make them no doubt believe what they say, but it is dangerous to place too much significance on the choice of a school committee, and partizans are only too apt to attribute to the whole world the sentiments which prevail in. their own

. We do not for one moment believe that the people of New Zealand would declare in favour of the Bible in schools, and we question whether a majority .would be agreeable to a modified form of religious tuition. We take it that the people of South Australia are constituted very much like ourselves, and we see how they have decided. The friends of the Bible in schools there were outnumbered by two to brie, while only one out of every three voters was opposed to the secular system, and in favour of capitation grant 3to denominational schools. The fact that the women of South Australia have similar electoral privileges to the women of New Zealand, makes the analogy between the two colonies the closer, and confirms us in the conclusion that the opinion expressed by South Australia is very much the same as New Zealand would give.

This religious education question is doubtless one of wide importance, but of more interest to the politician and student of legislation, though perhaps not of so much interest to the people, is the way in which the verdict of the South Australians was obtained. A great deal has been heard frTParliament and in the country of the referendum. In the House1 its principle and its advantages have been discussed session after session, and bills to introduce it into New Zealand have, if we mistake not, got as far as a second reading. It has been left for South Australia, however, to employ the Swiss method of obtaining the opinion and wishes of the whole people on a question of importance. Whether the experiment has been a success or the reverse in the sister colony, is a matter difficult to determine, owing to the peculiar conditions under which the vote was taken. To have been thoroughly tested, the issue submitted to the people should . have been as clear and simple as possible. In Switzerland, the home of the direct appeal

to the people, the question to be determined by their vote is almost invariably one to which the voter can give a straight out reply—a "yes" or a " no." It is endeavoured, where possible, to have it detached from all other side questions that might obscure the judgment of the voter on the main issue. In that way the true verdict of the people is obtained. Unfortunately, in the case of South Australia the question presented to the voter was three-fold, and the three points were sufficiently divergent to distract his mind, which should have . been concentrated on one point only; and the value of the experiment was further decreased by the fact that the voting took place at the same time that the people were in the full heat of a general election. For these reasons the application of the referendum in South Australia is not\ regarded by public men in Australia as a fair test of the working of the system, and the dissatisfaction which the results appear likely to give rise to must not be set down to its discredit.

The introduction of the referendum into English and colonial politics has many eminent advocates both at Home and in the.colonies. Mr Balfour has pointed out the immense advantage of a direct appeal to the people on certain occasions, and although it has been objected that the system is only workable in small communities like Switzerland, still it grows in favour in a great country like the United States, where the People's party, adopted it as a plank in its Presidential campaign platform. Asa .means .ot getting at the real wish of the people—and that, as we understand, is the whole point of democratic Government—it has advantages so great that one. rather wonders why it has not already been tried in these go ahead colonies. Parliament is supposed to voice the opinions of the people, but docs it always do so ? The members are supposed to reflect the pninds of their constituencies, but occasions may easily arise when they do nothing of the sort. At the time a man is elected, the burning question of the day may be liquor. He is hoisted to the head of the poll because his views on the liquor question accord with those of the peopie who elected him. But next session education may be the burning question, and .on' it he may be utterly at variance from his quondam supporter. He may be quite out of sympathy with them, and he may sit in the House the representative, not ol the overwhelming majority, but of a very small minority indeed. On occasions like that, where it is evident that there, is a marked.divergence between public opinion and the opinion of the legislators, the referendum might certainly be called into useAgain, where the Upper Chamber persistently refused to endorse the legislation of the -Lower Chamber on a ■matter that was of vital importance ta the people-, it- would tw-pas-sible (or the Government to appeal to the popular verdict by means of the referendum without going to the expense of a dissolution and general election. And such an appeal would be much safer and more satisfactory in every way than the ordinary general appeal to the country. For it,would be- made on the one question. There would be no chance for opponents of the Government to hoodwink the electors by flourishing false lights before their eyes and confusing their minds by the specious introduction and exaggerated presentation of extraneous issues. Of course certain safeguards are necessary in adopting the Referendum, to prevent the carrying of unwise measures upon passing waves of popular excitement, but used as the final Court of Appeal in longcontested questions, the system possesses great advantages. • - ;