EDUCATIONAL

Hokitika Guardian, 21 May 1937, Page 2

EDUCATIONAL

NO COMPULSORY MEMBERSHIP. (Per Press Association'-Copyright). WELLINGTON, May 19. At the conference of the New Zealand Educational Institute, the speakers who favoured the compulsory membership proposed said the 13 per cent, of primary school teachers were not members of the Institute, and that many members were apathetic about the Institute's affairs and activities. It was felt that if the Institute could claim a 100 per cent, membership, its prestige would be greatly enhanced, and its power much more effective. One speaker thought that the Institute would have difficulty fn maintaining its membership without compulsion, and another said that membership of the Institute was a form of insurance against dismissal from a position.

Speakers opposed to compulsory membership said that, as the voluntary organisation the Institute could run its own business, but under compul sory membership they would be to som~. extent subjected to outside authority. One speaker contended that compulsory membership, such as was essential in all Arbitration Court awards, for instance, would tend to encourage disloyalty, and in suprort of this he instanced evidences of it in a recently-formed union. It was urged that the whole question should be re garded from the positive viewpoinl of the 87 per cent, and not from tlienegative viewpoint of the 13 per cent. SCHOOL LEAVING AGE. DUNEDIN, May 18. A meeting of the Chamber of Commerce this evening discussed the revised • school-leaving ages and carried the following resolution: “That this Chamber approves of the proposal t< raise the school-leaving age to 15 years and commends the Government for its decision to hold a conference to consider the employment of youths, and expresses the hope that as an out come of the conference, the presenf legislative restrictions will be removed.”