DISCIPLES OF RUSSIA

Feilding Star, Volume 10, Issue 2977, 11 March 1933, Page 6

DISCIPLES OF RUSSIA

COMMUNISTIC TEACHERS POWERS OF PUNISHMENT < Per Press Association! "Wellington, March 10 The lack or power on tli€* part of the Minister of Kducation to «leal with numbers of the teaching profession who were believers in Communism was commented upon in the legislative Council during the second reading debate on the Kducation Amendment Bill. When discussing the powers taken under the Bill to punish teachers who had been guilty of neglect of duty, the lion. W. 11. Mclntyre said that it woul.l have been better if the Minister had taken junver to deal with teachers who were in touch with Soviet Russia. The Minister had stated previously that there was a teacher iij Wellington who was publishing a paper called the 1 “Soviet News,” and it was deplora.dc that the Government had no power to deal with .such cases. It would have been better had the Minister taken power to cover siuh cases of this nature rather than have imposed the disciplinary, measures contained in the Bill. It should not Ik* jxjssible for anyone on the payroll of the State to spread Communistic literature or belong to any organisation which aimed at the destiuction of the State. All Communistic* literature should Ik* declared illegal. In reply, the Minister of Education (the 1-lon. It. Masters) said that the Communistic element among the teaching profession was very small indeed, and he di;l not want it. to be 11 ought that Communism among teachers was prevalent. lit* had no powers to deal with such cases, but tlie education boards which employed those teachers might be able to take stops to punish the offenders.