DUNEDIN PARLIAMENTARY UNION.

Evening Star, Issue 6700, 7 September 1885, Page 1

DUNEDIN PARLIAMENTARY UNION.

The meeting of the Union last Saturday evening was well attended both by members and the general public. LADY MEMBERS. The motion " That upon the proper interpretation of the rules of this Society ladies are admissible as members"' lapsed through the absence of the Premier. FINANCIAL PROPOSALS. Professor Bbown (Colonial Treasurer) moved the first and second readings of a Pill to impose a property tax and an income tax. The second reading was negatiTcd by 35 voteß to 15. LOCAL GOVERNMENT. Mr Chapman (Premier) expressed his surprise at the result of the division which hod just taken place, and explained that the financial proposals of the Government had been brought forward in deference to the wishes of the Opposition. The Bill had been brought forward that evening to place members in possession of the Government's whole poILy. In the face of the vote just taken, he must decline to proceed any further with the Local Government Bill. Mr G. M. Baub said that if the measure just brought forward was intended as a policy Bill it should have been printed and circulated. The Premier said that the Bill had not been printed because it was embodied in the, resolution on the Order Paper. Mr K. Ramsay proceeded to review the Local Government Bill adversely, and concluded by moving as an amendment —"That the proposals of the Government contained in the Bill to make further provision for local government in New Zealand are not satisfactory and do not deserve the support of the House." The Premier thereupon announced that the Government must abandon the Bill' and give the Opposition to understand that they held possession of the Treasury benches only at their convenience. He and his colleagues would havo been glad to bring the Government poliey to a test upon the-Bill on which it was originally proposed 1» test it, and would have been willing to divide that evening and abide by the consequences. But the Opposition did not think fit to allow them to do even that. He thought it was to some extent the result of a misapprehension; but the House, when offered an opportunity of rectifying it, had declined to do so, and the announcement he had just made was a necessary consequence. The House had expressed itself to the effect that the Government were not to be allowed to work out their policy in their own fashion, and it was therefore useless for them to think of holding office any further. Mr Ramsay's amendment was then put and carried on the voices. education act amendment. Mr White (Minister for Education) moved the second reading of a Bill to amend the Education Act of 1877. He pointed out that the opponents of the Act were either those who thought that the Government ought not to interfere with matters of education or that the Government ought only to interfere to a limited extent. He contended that as education materially aided the jprogress of a nation the Government werejustified in taking it into their consideration, and that the national system was much superior to the denominational, both as regards efficiency and the cost to the w&ole Colony. To those who cried out about the enormous expenditure on education in the Colony he would point out that the cost per head in Victoria was L 5 5s 2d, and in New South Wale 3 L 6 15s ll|d, while in New Zealand it was only L 5 3s 2d. Those who raised their voices against the expenditure were only those who wished to see the system broken down. Education was a political and not a religious question, and therefore it must be secular. He was proceeding to refer to the provisions of his Bill when he was interrupted by the time-ben. A motion to suspend the Standing Orders to enable Mr White to continue was carried by 28 votes to 26. Mr White then referred to the provisions of the Bill, which are as follows : A Bill to Amend the Education Act, 1877. Be it hereby, etc. Part L—Department of Education* (a) An Inspector-general of schools shall be appointed, who shall see that the district inspectors carry out properly the Regulation-in-Council 'with respect to education, and-call periodic conferences of inspectors to consult as to the best means of improving the condition of education in the Colony. (6) The Minister of Education, the Minister of Justice, and the Inspector-general shall constitute a Court of Appeal, to which teachers may refer with respect to the decision of any Education Board. Part II. — Education Boards. (a) Education Boards shall have control of all high schools in their districts, and of the funds derivable from the reserves setasidefor the purposes of secondary education. (b) All hnjh schools shall be examined and inspected by the Boards'inspectors, and approximately uniform examinations be held in the various secondary institutions of the Colony. Part Hl.—Election of School Committees. 1. That section 65 be amended so as to abolish cumulative voting, and substitute a system of proportional representation. 2. Section 65a.—That the committee for the preceding year shall prepare a roll of householders in the district, and this roll shall be held to include all the householders of-the district entitled to vc4a at the annual election of school committees. 3. The roll be revised annually, and be open for inspection for days, and thereafter to be considered as showing all the bona fide house* holders in the district. Part IV. — Public Sclwols and Management Thereof. Section 83.—School age means any age between the years of and , reckoned in each case from the last preceding birthday. Course of Instruction in Public Schools. 1. Section 84. That the words "but no ohild shall be compelled to be present at the teaching of history whose parents or guardians object thereto " be struck out. 2. In section 84b there shall be added: "Provided that after Standard IV. has been passed, in place of geography and history the elementary parts of euclid, algebra, and Latin may be substituted." 3. In the course of instruction provided for the Fifth and Sixth Standards. 4. That the syllabus of instruction of Standard V. be the amount of education required in order to exempt a child from school attendance. Part V.—Compulsory Education. 1. That the power of enforcing the compulsory clauses be in the hands of the Education Boards. 2. Boards shall have power to appoint an officer or officers whose duty it shall be to see that the compulsory clauses are enforced, and generally to act so as to carry out the provisions of the Bill with respect to regular attendance at school. 3. Section 89 to be amended so as to read: "... Send such child to school during at least one-half of the number of 'attendances' possible in each quarter of the year. 4. Section 92 to read: An extract from the attendance register of any school showing the attendance of every child for a quarter, and signed by the head-teacher of such school, shall be deemed sufficient evidence that such parent or guardian has or has not complied with the provisions of this Bill. 5. That no child that has not passed the Fifth Standard shall be employed in any factory or workshop. 6. That any person employing a child for the purposes of gain that has not passed the standard of education prescribed in the Bill shall be liable to the penalty specified under section —. 7. That inspectors under the Factories Act be the officers to be appointed to take the initiative in carrying out the compulsory clauses, ;

Part Vl—School Buildings,

That in any school building hereafter to be erected there shall bo reckoned not less than twelve square feet floor space and 200 cubic feet ■for every child in average attendance. Mr F. W. Petre said that before any amendment of the Act was made, the question of aid to schools other than Government schools should be considered. It was a well-known fact, and one which was clearly demonstrated in 1883, before the Commission which sat in Wellington, that there were a large number of children being • educated in this Colony at the expense of a particular body of people. It was well known that the Catholics of this Colony "were at the present moment educating something like 7,500 children in schools which would compare favorably with the Government schools, and they had this advantagethat in them conscientious training was paid some attention to. The cost of these schools up to 1883 was L 156.000, which included not only the cost of buildings, but the cost • of purchase of sites ; and the approximate cost of conducting the schools was at the rate of L 2.120 a-year, or L 3 15s a-head. This was cheaper than the rate at which children were educated in the Government schools. The Catholics had challenged the Government from time to time to prove that the education given was quite up to the mark, and there had been a few inspections with very favorable results. The statement that the denominational system of education was inferior to the Government was with- - out the slightest foundation. The reports of the Education Departments in England and Canada and India proved the reverse. The education given in the denominational schools of not only Catholics, but Protes- • tants, was in everyday satisfactory, and did not suffer by comparison with that given in Board schools. Out of the Colony's population of 500,000, 70,000 were Catholics, and in spite of the many drawbacks which they ' labored under they had established excellent schools. In justice their views ought to be considered, and it was a disgrace to the Colony that session after session of Parliament, when their petitions were sent to the House, they were thrown into the wastepaper basket.— (A Voice t No.) The Commission which had sat to take evidence was composed of rabid opponents of any recognition of Catholic claims, and when a lot of unquestionable evidence had been taken it was proposed not to print it. He would move as an amendment " That provision be made for aiding other schools than Government schools under Government inspection." Mr R. L. Stanford seconded the amendment. He considered that the Education Department was the most difficult one that the Government had to manage, and that private schools were far more likely to achieve the best results. Mr White should have proved that the question of education was entirely a political one. He believed that if a poll of the population of the Colony could be taken it would be found that there was a distinct majority against the present system.—(" No.") He advocated the "payment by results " system, which would relieve the Colony of a great portion of its present burden, and tap those gracious springs of private goodwill and liberality which were always choked and dried up as soon as the State stepped in with its withering touch. Mr Aitken proposed a further amendment, and the debate was adjourn&d.