IS IT COERCION?

Evening Post, Volume LXXXV, Issue 27, 25 February 1913, Page 8

IS IT COERCION?

FREE PLACE PUPILS AND DEFENCE REGULATIONS STRONG PROTEST BY MR. A.. .\V. HOGG. A circular memorandum for Education Boards, and. for the governing bodies and principals of secondary schools and technical schools, issued bf the Education Department, was received by the Education Board this afternoon, and roused the indignation of Mr, A. W. Hogg, who criticised it in indignant terms. The notification was headed : "Conditions of free place tenure. Defence regulations. As among the large number of boys who obtain free places and scholarships granted from the funds of the State, there are probably some to be found who decline or fail to carry out the obligations imposed upon them under the Defence Act, I have, by the direction of the Minister of Education, to ' intimate that, in the opinion of the Department, the conduct of a free pupil should not be held to be satisfactory if the requirements of the Defence regulations are not observed, and to request accordingly that in future in the periodical reports upon the holders of free places and scholarships this matter will receive the necessary consideration among the conditions to tenure to be fulfilled." The letter was signed by. A. J. Anderson, Assistant Inspector-Gen-eral of Schools. <■ When the letter was read, Mr. A. W. Hogg rose and said he desired to enter a strong protest against coercion of this description. The Defence authorities had been imposing punishment after punishment on the young people of this country for violation of the Defence regulations. Throughout the length and breadth of the country, and particularly in his district, there was a feeling growing rapidly that the6e defence, regulations were going to be a "most infernal nuisance." Settlers were complaining about the huge cost of the scheme.- Two years ago the tSefence vote amounted to something like £205,000, and now, two years later, the estimates amounted to £480,000.- In addition to that there waa £200,000 due for the Dreadnought, and a matter of over £100,000 with respect to the naval subsidy. This meant that, all in all, a sum of £680,000 would have to be found. This huge sum was far too great -for such a small country like New Zealand, where only, in round figures, 200,000 were wage earners. This meant a heavy tax of something like £3 or £4 per head on each adult. There was far too much extravagance in regard to tho salaries paid in connection with defence. The speaker quoted the cases of seventeen New Zealand officers at Home, attending various military schools, whose salaries ran from £300 to £750— as in the case of Colonel Robin. Mr. Allan rose to a point of order. Mr. Hogg : "I am. just about conclud* ing." He referred- once more to the salaries (the figures are taken from a return) of the officers at Home, and added that there was a feeling growing very rapidly that the time was arriving when military training will give way to enforced conscription. He quoted the case of a settler whom ho had met on the way down, and who complained that all his men had been summonsed for not carrying out their defence duties. Some eighty had been so arraigned at Oamaru for the same offence, while there was a sort of strike at Greymouth amongst the young felldws there. On top of this punishment, these offenders vfexe liable to be disfranchised. And here the defence authorities were trying to interfere with education. It would mean that if the "Board acquicsoed in this memo, many young fellows would be detained from qualifying from the higher education. Mr. Freeman thought that the only regrettable thing was that the parents were often the aggressors yet the children suffered. After further discussion it was decided to receive the letter, and that the matter itself be referred to the Finance Committee for report to the board.