PARLIAMENT

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 129, 2 June 1936, Page 11

PARLIAMENT

TODAY'S PROCEEDINGS LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

The Legislative Council met at 2.30 p.m. On the motion of the Leader of the Council (the Hon. M. Fagan) the Standing Orders were suspended so as to allow Government business to take precedence during the next fortnight and so as to allow Government Bills to.be put through all stages at one sittir £ i The' Shops and Offices Amendment Bill was read a second time pro forma and referred to the Labour Bills CommThe'Wellington City Reclamation and Empowering Bill was passed. The. Council adjourned at 2.40 p.m. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES The House of Representatives met at 2.30 p.m. today. ',„.,. Mr, W. J. Poison (National, Stratford) gave notice to ask the Prime Minister if, in view of the stronglyexpressed sentiments of Cabinet Ministers regarding Communist utterances, he had taken notice of the statements of two public servants present at a recent meeting called to form a clerical workers' union and what steps he proposed to take, " On behalf of the Hon. W. E. Barhard (Government, Napier), Mr. E. L. Cullen (Government, Hawke's Bay) gave notice to ask the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage) whether in view of the Prime Ministers statement that population was the best defence, and in view of the position in New Zealand as revealed by the Census figures, he would make a full investigation into the problem of increasing the population of the Dominion. , . ,„ , Mr.tt. A. Wright (Independent, Wellington Suburbs) gave notice to ask the Minister of Industries and Commerce (the Hon. D. G. Sullivan) whether, having regard to the public declarations made by the Government on the subject of encouraging and safeguarding the interests of secondary industries in New Zealand against competition from similar industries overseas, he would indicate the class or classes of such industries and the nature of action contemplated by the Government. EDUCATION REPORT. The House proceeded to discuss the report of the Director of Education (Mr. M. T. Lambourne) on his visit overseas. ,„ t The Rev. C. Carr (Government, Timaru) said that the report was a humane document, and reflected credit to that extent on the Director. There had been a good deal of misdirected and unintelligent criticism of the overseas report, but this was, he thought, due to misunderstanding. The report drew certain comparison with overseas conditions, but it was impossible for a person to sit down immediately and present' a comprehensive report of the various systems, with a true assessment of their values. The system m New Zealand was largely based on the English public school system, but they had rather lagged behind here. The system in New Zealand was chaotic. There was the new education as against the old, there were two schools of thought, and the differences were not reconciled. It was time New Zealand began to learn some- • thihE-from the reforms in • operation elsewhere, and incorporate the best of them in the Dominions ownmoribund system., He considered • that the intermediate school was. far ahead of anything else.

(Proceeding.)