EDUCATION & POLITICS

Evening Post, Volume CIII, Issue 53, 4 March 1922, Page 9

EDUCATION & POLITICS

THE W.E.A. AND THE SENATE

'." INDIGNANT AT THE HINDRANCE."

A Press Association message from Auckland, referring to a discussion upon tho Workers' Educational Association, was warmly commented' upon by the president of the Wellington branch (Mr. M. J. Forde) at the annual meeting of the association last evening.

The speakers had apparently, he said, pointed particularly to the Wellington district, but what was wrong with the Wellington branch? Certainly two n#tters might have been in the minds of the Senate. The charge made against Mr. Marsh Roberts, after all, had nothing to do with the W.E.A., for the matter complained of was^ quite outside the association. Mr. Marsh Roberts was a most capable tutor, and no one 1 could rightly point 'to anything he had done to render him liable to blame. / The person who had gone tittle-tattling to the Minister, said Mr. Forde, certainly had nothing to be proud of.

The Senate had also paid some attention to the Maori lore class, a most surprising thing. In what manner could the fact that the tutor held Communistic views affect his teaching of Maori lore? The tutor in question could not have been so very dangerous a character, since he was employed by the Defence Department for 'three years during the war period. " I .rather think we were following a very good lead in engaging him." (Laughter;) ; ■

Sir Robert Stout, said Mr. Forde, appeared, to have the W.E.A. in his bad books, for within twenty-four hours of his landing back in New Zealand he drew a comparison, holding that in England none but useful men were employed as tutors, leaving the inference' that that was not so in. New .^Zealand. In view of the- fact that men like G. H. C. Cole had taken a leading part in the W.E.A. movement in England, Sir Robert's statement was certainly suprisiiig.

There was no question of bias in the classes,. said Mr. Fordo. Each class was represented, men of all political opin-' ions attended the classes, folk who were diametrically opposed in political opin ion, yet all would be unanimous in saying that the tutors were absolutely fair.

Mr. L. A. Edwards spoke in a similar strain. He believed that those who most hotly _ criticised . the W.E.A. were those who knew nothing of it. The man who had .brought down the report to the Senate had attended W.E.A. classes certainly;—two psychology lectures towards the end of the session—but of the classes ■which were so sharply criticised he knew nothing beyond whispering and suspicion. ■ . ■ ■ ' : -.'.■■ ■ .

Mr.- Edwards expressed surprise thatemployers had not given more support to the movement, and mentioned that of the thirty , affiliated t bodies twenty-five were purely. Labour organisations and but five employers' organisations. ' : Mrs. G. H. Scholefield, who had acted as organiser and secretary of the: Maori lore class, said that, the, comment from the Senate had been surprising indeed. No onei was more surprised—or amused —than members of the class itself. Poli-. tical views were never mentioned at the clas3, which had been conducted on really, scientific lines. Moreover, if the occupations of the class members had been noted, it would have been found that there were very few workers—as the term is narrowly understood—among them. Politics and economics were very far away from the Maori lore class. As organiser and secretary of the class; she was indignant at; the manner in which the cultural, workof the class had been hindered. , , ' :.