Cycle confiscation opposed

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33067, 7 November 1972, Page 20

Cycle confiscation opposed

The idea of confiscating a motor-cycle before its owner had caused any trouble would put New Zealand into a “police state” category, the National Party candidate for Christchurch Central, Mrs B. Beaven, told a meeting of 10 people in a house last evening. “I don’t believe in this country that we can do such a thing,” she said. All such actions would do would be to create a pool of motor-cycles that could be purchased by others, giving rise to further problems. “Take the bikes away from these people, and they might just turn round and convert a car,” she said. Mrs Beaven said that the present problem created by some motor-cycle groups in New Zealand was just a phase that the country might have to go through.

“I remember all the trouble which they had with the Negroes in the United States burning buildings down a few years ago; we don’t hear anything about such things now. It was apparently just a phase.” One of the major problems concerned with the lawless activities of some motorcycle groups was that there was far too much money

about for young people, sh said. The education system als. had its share of problem created by recalcitrant pupil many of whom were in lowe streams.

"In my opinion, we must remove streaming from our high schools and this would sidestep the problem of having large numbers of these pupils in any one class." Mrs Beaven said that she agreed with a question related to the importance of technical institutes in New Zealand.

At the rate this country's university education was developing it would soon be in a position where there were too many people with university degrees, many of which would be useless. It would be far better for many prospective tertiary students to consider the many advantages of taking courses at technical institutes rather than going to university.

Much of the importance of the growing technical institute system would be better realised once the various sections of the education sy»tem put into operation some of the co-ordinating proposals of the recent Educational Priorities Conference.