SCHOOLS’ ‘STRIKE’

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29878, 19 July 1962, Page 13

SCHOOLS’ ‘STRIKE’

Reopening Move

(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) SYDNEY, July 18. The committee controlling the closure of Roman Catholic schools in Goulburn has decided to call a public meeting. It has drawn up a resolution to re-open the schools.

This will be placed before the meeting, which will be held on Sunday night. The committee said today that the action taken has been an outstanding success. It added that consideration should be given to re-opening the Roman Catholic schools next Monday. The schools were closed to protest against the lack of State aid to Roman Catholic schools in New South Wales Many of the children from the closed schools registered at State schools on Monday. Protestants Comment Six prominent New South Wales Protestant clergymen have said that a single primary school education system would greatly strengthen the present and future peace of Australia. The ministers, in a joint statement concerning the Roman Catholic closure of schools in Goulburn, New South Wales, said the State Government should prepare to accept responsibility for all primary school education.

The Protestant ministers are: the Rev. B. Judd, secretary of the N.S.W. Council of churches; the Rev. Gordon Powell, St. Stephen’s Presbyterian Church; the Rev. J. S. Robinson, former chairman of the N.S.W. Congregational Union; the Rev. H. Mac Neil Saunders, president of the N.S.W. Council of Churches; the Rev. Alan Walker, superintendent of the Central Methodist Mission, and Dr. E. H. Watson, director of evangelism for the Baptist Union of N.S.W. They claimed the supreme issue underlying the present closure of Roman Catholic schools in Goulburn was the unity of Australia. A national policy had to be found which would heal the divisions and a dual education system created. “There is evidence that Roman Catholic education tends to segregate on the basis of religion,” the ministers said.