HOLIDAY PAY

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 42, 19 February 1942, Page 11

HOLIDAY PAY

SERVICE OBJECTORS

POSITION OF TEACHERS

Payment for holidays for a teacher removed from his position because of conscientious objection to military service was opposed hy some members of the Wellington Education Board yesterday afternoon. The hoard had considered rulings given by the Education Department, and the matter was brought forward again by Colonel T. W. McDonald while the board was in open meeting.

"This is a premium that is offered to conscientious objectors to be conscientious objectors," said Colonel McDonald, "and is diametrically opposed to winning the war. Under this proposal we will give a month's leave on pay to all conscientious objectors and then give them holiday pay in accordance with their past service." It was the bounden duty of the board to put the conscientious objector teacher in his correct place; in gaol or at the front, he added. Instead they were saying they would pay him for holidays in accordance with his service. While the men overseas were giving their lives the conscientious objectors were being kept in comfort with the right to come back to their work in full health after the war was over. "I believe the Press are taking notes," said. Mr. C. H. Nicholls. "Will the Press be seized of the facts in the memorandum we had from the Department last night?" Colonel McDonald: Don't try to get out of it. Don't; try. to work that stunt. Mr. Nicholls: Look, colonel, other people are as wise as you are. If this is to be published it should all be published. The chairman, Mr. W. V. Dyer, said the memorandum would be made available to the Press. Colonel McDonald said he had moved that the board should not accede to the Department's request. The chairman said there was no record of such a motion. Mr. A. Donald said he would move it, and Mr. T. K. Moody seconded. NO REPUDIATION. The chairman said he had no sympathy with conscientious objectors, but he did not agree that the board should repudiate contracts and do things it had no right to do. It could not be said thaf the conscientious objectors would come back to their work with unimpaired rights, because the regulations provided that their positions 'were to be reviewed at the end of the 'war. They might never come back to I the schools. The holiday pay pro- ' posed was what they had earned up to the time of dismissal, and it would !be un-British to deprive even a coniscientious objector of what he had earned. Mr. Donald: That's what was done to the volunteers. If that was so it should not have been done, said Mr. Dyer. The motion was rejected and Colonel McDonald then moved that the matter should be refe^ed back to the Department. This was seconded by Mr. Moody, but was rejected by 6 votes to 4. The memorandum from the Department stated that teachers who had received one month's notice were entitled to holiday pay up to the time when the month's notice expired. The regulations ceased to apply when the teacher accepted service with the armed forces and was attested.