TEACHING SERVICE

Evening Post, Volume CXXXII, Issue 44, 20 August 1941, Page 8

TEACHING SERVICE

MILITARY APPEALS

CONSCIENCE GROUNDS

POWER OF DISMISSAL

The Wellington Education Board decided today, on the motion of the chairman (Mr. W. V. Dyer), to approach the Minister of National Service at the earliest possible moment v to place before him the unsatisfactory position confronting the board when asked to deal with complaints relating to teachers who are conscientious objectors, and to impress upon the Government "the urgent and imperative necessity" of legislation authorising the board to terminate forthwith the engagement of such teachei's where the circumstances of the cases warrant such action. ; The board also decided to defer j in the meantime promotions and ! appointments of conscientious objectors. ! The only dissentients from the principal motion were Mr, ,T. K. Moody and Colonel T. W. McDonald, the mover and seconder respectively of the following motion: "That no school teacher be appointed to any position which carries a higher salary than at present received, or be raised in status, who has lodged an appeal for military service as a conscientious objector, a pacifist, or the like, irrespective of whether or not the appeal has been upheld." This was replaced by Mr. Dyer's motion, which was moved as an amendment. Mr. S. C. Hyndman had previously been granted leave to withdraw a motion as follows: "That all teachers selected for appointment in the board's district be required to state if they are conscientious objectors or members of any pacifist society." He said that the proposed Government regulations appeared to make the motion unnecessary. PROTECTION OF CHILDREN. . , In moving his motion, Mr. Moody said there were 2886 male teachers and J 3862-female teachers in New Zealand J and 344 male teachers were on active service. In the Wellington Board's' district there were 316 male teachers and 530 female teachers, as well as 328 trainees. The board was elected by school committees primarily in the interests of the 26,000 school children, who must be protected from insidious influences. Several of the board's teachers had appealed for exemption mainly on conscientious grounds. Mr. Moody said he was firmly convinced that every appellant had broken his oath of allegiance and should be discharged from the teaching service. There was no mental reservation in the oath which all school teachers must take before engagement. He was not casting a stigma on the teaching profession as a whole. The motion aimed at protecting the loyal teacher i and preventing successful conscientious objectors from obtaining preferment over any teacher serving in the j Forces. "The special position of teachers demands loyalty to the State," Mr. Moody added. "The majority of the teachers are loyal; a small minority are causing grave uneasiness." Colonel McDonald said he had the greatest confidence in the loyalty of the general body of teachers in the district and Dominion, but that loyalty needed protection, and the most certain way1 of preventing any stigma being cast on loyal teachers was to see that the few disloyal ones were not allowed to cast reflections' upon their colleagues.' The loyal teacher went abroad and served his country at the risk of his life while the conscientious objector stayed behind "in a fat billet, well paid, with nothing whatever to worry him, and protected by the country for having taken up that attitude. God knows, that is a most unfair and improper position." INFLUENCES SPREAD. There could be no possible argument in favour of the retention of pacifists in the board's service, declared Colonel McDonald. The board was there to do its duty and protect the great body of teachers in its employ. It went without saying that the influences of the conscientious objectors must be spread, and it was impossible to suppress them. They seriously affected children taught by such teachers; therefore, not only was it a question of justice to the great majority of teachers, but a question of the vital interests of the children that had to be considered. Supporting the motion, Mr. A. Donald said he did not think it went far enough, but it would strengthen the hand of the Government in dealing with conscientious objectors. Mr. L. J. McDonald said he did not think that there was any difference of opinion concerning the intention and purpose of the motion, but he thought the effect would work out in a way that was not desired. The law, in British countries, recognised the right of conscience, and provided for appeals. Only the Government was entitled to take the law into its own hands. There appeared no need, on the figures quoted, for any special coercive measures against the teaching profession to ensure that its members would play their full part in the present struggle. Mr. C. H. Nicholls suggested that the motion be held over until the new regulations appeared. The board was, in effect, being asked to keep a black list. Colonel McDonald: A most necessary thing in these times. Mr. Nicholls said he was just as loyal as anybody else, but he wanted to see justice done in a free country. Mr. Dyer said he had nothing in common with conscientious objectors, but he did not think that if teachers did something within the law it was a breach of their oath of ■ allegiance. | Colonel McDonald: We should do our duty in wartime. Mr. Dyer: I don't' think our duty in wartime is to break the law. He then moved his amendment. There was also the question of women pacifists in the board's service, he added. The whole question was so big that it would be wrong for the board to set out on its own. They should wait to see what the regulations contained, and if they met the position. Mr. J. J. Clark seconded Mr. Dyer's amendment, which was carried.