SPORT ELEMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 183, 5 August 1935, Page 5

SPORT ELEMENT.

HELPFUL INFLUENCE. THE GAME AND THE BOY. HON. S. G. SMITH'S VIEWS. "I often wonder if we realise the important influence and part that sport has played in helping this country in recent years," declared the Hon. S. G. Smith on Saturday evening at the Auckland Rugby League'* dinner tendered to the visiting Taranaki and, South Auckland Rugby League representative teams and official's.

The Minister went on to say that all sorts of things wore attributed as being the cause of the general troubles with which all countries had been afflicted. In the most dangerous period of economic, social and financial depression through which the world had come —and no country better than New Zealand — lie wondered whethei the factor of sport was sufficiently appr-Hatotl. TJio people of Np-* Zealand went on »vi'"K their different games, and no doubt thereby were helped to overcome their difficulties by diversion of thc-ir attention to eportinjr interests. Hi» v/aa glad to have an ouportu:;ity to testify t> that fact.

At another stage of the evening Mr. E. Stallworthy expressed a hope that no discrimination would be made in schools in the matter of organised sport. He drew the Minister's attention to the fact that sometimes teachers had seemed somewhat biased against Rugby League football, and he hoped that the ruling of his predecessor that any penalty imposed on a boy for following liis desires in sport, or obstruction thereto, would be a matter for serious inquiry. "As Minister of Education now," said Mr. Smith, and replying to Mr. Stallworthy, "I may say that I have no objection to any code of football being played in the schools." He went on to explain that the statutory authority as to school sporte in the case of primary schools was the education board of the district, and in the. case of toe secondary

schools the governing boards. He would say that if" parents, too, desired their children to play any particular game, and a majority plainly indicated what game they wanted played, he thought the headmasters or the teachers concerned would, be unwise not to respect sucn wishee.