RIGHT OF APPEAL

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 3 September 1926, Page 5

RIGHT OF APPEAL

NOT GRANTED TO TEACHERS

EDUCATION AMENDMENT BILL PASSED.

(BY TELEGRAPH PRESS ASSOCIATION.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 2. Considerable opposition developed in committee to the Education Amendment Bill ,on the ground -that teachers had no. right of appeal against appointments. under the. Bill. The Minister of Education defended his opposition to the proposed board appeal which, he said, would take away from the boards' the last vesitige of power in. the matter of the appoint ment of teachers. The discussion continued until 1.15 a.m., when the first clause was agreed to. Mr. H. E. JJolla'nd moved to rein state clause 14, providing that medical inspection be extended- to private and secondary schools, his clause having been struck out by the Education Committee, but the clause was not reinstated. WELLINGTON, Sept. 3. After the telegraph office closed, discussion on the Education Amendment Bill- was continued. Mr. H. Atmore (Nelson) moved a new clause providing for the right of appeal.by teachers in connection with appointments. The Minister of Education (the Rt. Hon. R. A. Wright) raised the point that the clause was one of appropriation and! could hot be moved by a private member. The Chairman of Committees upheld this contention, and on the Speaker being appealed to he .sustained this.mling and the amendment was ruled- out)

The Bill was then reported with' the amendments moved by tlie Minister. On the third reading Mr. Holland stated that the Opposition had not called for a 'division on the question of reinstating Clause 14', because the Prime Minister had given them the assurance that' Cabinet would reconsider that clause. In. order that the House might have an opportunity of expressing an opinion, on the subject of a bqard of appeal for teachers, lie moved that the Bill be recommitted.

The Prime Minister, discussing Clause 14, said that ho always had. : been of the qpinion that so soon, as .the country could afford it, children attending any school should be medically examined.. He did not say we could yet afford to do this and the children attending State schools should have the first claim on. public funds. As to the right of appeal, ho did not agree with it. Teachers sin New Zealand had ample freedom and there was no chance of the Government changing its opinion on this point this sssion. The Hon. J. G. Coates said that the effect of dropping Clause 14 was to withhold medical inspection from, the State secondary as well- as private secondary schools. That was done because his Department had neither the staff nor the money to do the work. It was no use loading up the Department with work it could hot. overtake. On a division, Mr. Hollands’s amend - ment was lost by 42 votes to 16. The Bill was not recommitted, but was read a third time and passed.