LYTTELTON COLONISTS' SOCIETY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume III, Issue 147, 29 October 1853, Page 7

LYTTELTON COLONISTS' SOCIETY.

At'the meeting of this Society on Friday, the 21 st. instant, the question of Education was considered. Judging from the numerous: attendance of members, it seemed to excite considerable interest. A very animated and interesting discussion took place in "which the Chairman, Dr. Donald, the Rev.~R. [B. Paul, Cap. Simeon, and others participated. £The following resolutions werejput from' the Chair, and adopted : 1. Proposed by Cap. Simeon, and seconded •by Dr. Donald, " That,in the opinion of this meeting a good and sufficient system of education should be provided for the youthfnl inhabitants of this Proviuce. 2. Proposed by Dr. Donald, and seconded by Cap. Simeon, " That it is the duty of the State to provide for the support of this system." 3. Proposed by Dr. Donald, and seconded by Mr. Thomson, "That it is the opinion of this meeting that the necessary fund should be provided by the levy of a rate to be called the " Education Rate,' and to be exclusively devoted to that object." 4. Proposed by Dr. Donald, and seconded by Mr. Fyfe, "That this Meeting is of opinion that the J system of grants in aid of Denominational Schools has a tendency to perpetuate divisions and limit the scale of education." 5. Proposed by Dr. Donald, and seconded by Mr. Fyfe, " That a Committee be appointed to consist of Dr. Donald, Mr. Fyfe, and Mr. Alport, to draw up a Petition to the Provincial Council, embodying the foregoing resolutions, to be signed'hy the Chairman on behalf of the Society, and that the members for Lyttelton be requested to present and support the same." These resolutions, except the 4th, were carried unanimously. The fourth resolution was carried by a slender majority, a vigorous opposition being made to it by 'the Rev. R.^B. Paul and others. The following protest was afterwards made thereto:— " We, the' undersigned desire to express our dissent from the 4th Resolution, on the o-rounds embodied in the following amendment :— "Resolved, that in carrying out any such plan, it is incumbent on the Government distinctly to recognize the tight of every religious denomination to receive State assistance for the purpose of carrying out, according to its own views, a system of united secular and religious education —it being however distinctly understood thct no religious teaching shall be forced on any child whose parents object to the same. R. B. Paul, Mover of the amendment, Charles Simeon, Seconder, B. W. Dudley, «*' W. Thomson, S. Gundky, William Graham, John Jambs Turnbull, John Grubb, George Marshall, Crosbie Ward. "" At the Meeting on Wednesday, the desirability, of having Municipal Institutions was discussed." Avery general feeling prevailed of the necessity of some efficient system being speedily adopted for the general government of the town. It was felt, however, that Municipal Institutions were undesirable at present, and after considerable discussion, Mr. Alport moved, and Mr. Birch seconded, a resolution to the effect: — " That a Petition be drawn up and signed by the Chairman of the Society, to be presented to **• His Honor the Superintendent, praying that such a Force may be added to the Police as will secure the benefit to the public of the Prison Labour; such labour being at present unavailable in consequence of the inadequacy of the .--.ForcerHFisiHg' from-the-low reale -otfrenmnera" tion paid them." Mr. Willcox moved, and Mr. Thomson seconded, an e.mendment to the effect that

the said petition be [drawn upland signed by the inhabitants of Lyttelton, and not by the Chairman. It was argued that a petition signed by the inhabitants would carry more weight; that the interference of the Society would create an imperium in imperio in respect to the Provincial Council; and that its functions were to prepare and discuss questions to be afterwards submitted to the public for approval and adoption. On the other hand, it was maintained that as the Society numbered nine-tenths of the inhabitants of the town, and as due notice was always given of subjects for discussion, so that all who took any interest in them might be present, it was fair to assume that questions thus argued and carried, and signed by the Chairman, were fairly entitled to be considered as the expression of public opinion, The resolution and amendment were severally put from the Chair, when the latter was carried. Messrs. Willcox, Thomson, and Grubb, were appointed a Committee to draw up _the petition. A discussion afterwards ensued respecting having a deputy Registrar of births, &c, appointed for Lyttelton, as it was impossible for persons living in the numerous Bays of the Peninsula to attend at Christchurch, and therefore the objects of the Ordinance were frustrated. The question was postponed for further consideration, as also a motion to take steps for the enclosure of the Market Place.