Roman Catholic Schools.

Cromwell Argus, Volume XXVII, Issue 1374, 27 August 1895, Page 3

Roman Catholic Schools.

THE QUESTION OF INSPECTION. A deputation, including Archbishop Redwood, the Hon. Walter Johnston, and several others, waited on the Minister for Education to urge the inspection of Roman Catholic schools by the examiners and inspectors of the board schools. Archbishop Redwood said that the father of the Education Act (the Hon. Mr Bo wen) had stated that the inspection of private schools had been contemplated when the Act was passed, but the use of the word "may" made it optional with boards. The deputation asked that this word be amended. Mr Martin Kennedy contended that the objection on the ground of cost could not reasonably be raised, while Mr Devine argued that the Legislature intended that the inspection of Catholic schools should be mandatory and not optional. This speaker mentioned that the same standards obtained in Catholic schools as in the primary schools. The Minister of Education said that the Cabinet would consider whether, the provision should be made mandatory on boards. The intention of Parliament had been to leave the option largely, with committees and hoards, and if a chance were desi red it was for the supporters of that change to attend the meetings of householders and see that committees 1 holding those views were elected, and that they in turn elected boards of a similar view. He could see no objection to the more important private schools being inspected by the Covernment inspectors. It would indeed be in the interests of the public. But the decision must rest with Parliament as to making the matter mandatory, and he thought there was a feeling there which was opposed to interfering with boards. Mr Kennedy could not see that it was practicable to influence committees as suggested, for if a section of the public saw the Catholics coming forward with that object they would muster to defeat it, and as Catholics did not send their children to tihe public schools it would be undesirable for them to lay themselves open to the charge of desiring to injure the present system by interfering with cdrnmittetes. The Minister thought otherwise. A desire in regard to one matter of detail could not be held to injure the system. If private schools were to state that they would refuse inspection there would 30on be an agitation to compel them to accept it. When the boards said that the only thing standing in the way was the lack of funds tor inspection he would go into the matter and see how these funds could be supplied.— Star.