HARDSHIPS OF CHILDREN

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2132, 25 April 1914, Page 11

HARDSHIPS OF CHILDREN

IN THE FAR NORTH.

The hardships under which children of tho small back-blocks settlements labour at present in regard to education formed the subject of a bitter complaint from a member of a deputation which waited upon the I'rimo Minister at Whangarei (states the "Herald"). Tho speaker pointed out that frequently there woro eight or moro children in a district that were rot entitled to it school teacher. Ho urged that a law should bo passed providing that children; no matter where they were, should bo entitled to bo educated at tho expense of tho State. If this could not bo done, ho would advocate tho sweeping'away of the whole Act. Ho was quite unmoved at tho display of startled surprise that followed this drastic proposal, and he reiterated that unless the country children justico, it would not be at all a bad thing to sweep tho.. whole system away. At present, even if there' were eight children in a it was not' possible for a teacher to live on tho per capita allowance, and an additional hurden was cast upon struggling settlers.. The Prime Minister, in a sympathetic reply, explained tho position, and said .that, as the question of amending tho Education Act was now being considered, ho would refer the matter to the Ministor of Education.