HON. H. ATMORE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 26 March 1930, Page 6

HON. H. ATMORE

VISIT TO MOTUEKA GATHERING AT HIG.MSCMOOL At Molucka yesterday the Hon. Harry Atmorc, Minister of Education, visited the Motuckn District High School, in company with the Hon. Sir Apirana Ngata, .Minister of Native Affairs, Mr G. ('. Black, M.P. for Motuckn, Mr Taiti Makitauara, Member for Southern Maori electorate, Mr K. W. 0. Smith, chairman of the Nelson Education Board and Mr S. P. Clay, .Mayor of Motuckn. The scholars were assembled and addressed by various speakers before a large gathering of residents. Mr E. Trevena, chairman of the School Committee, said that they were pleased to have the Hon. Mr Atmore with them, also the other distinguished visitors. The presence, of the Minister of Education clearly demonstrated his undoubted interest in (lie welfare of the school children. They had followed Mr Atmore's career with great interest dining the past few years, and they wero delighted to know that he- had attained such a high position in the Government. 'l'he Minister had proved his ability to hold such a position, and his visit would be an inspiration to the children to follow the example set them. It was true that all the boys could not he Minister of Education, but. they could see the advantages and possibilities that Jay in their' power. Mr Smith said that it was a red-letter day for the Motueka schools, because they had with them two Ministers of the Crown, and two members of Parliament. As chairman of the Board it gave him. great pleasure to join in the welcome. 'flic Hon. Mr Atmore was well known to all and did not require any introduction. In Sir Apirana Ngata they had a worthy representative of the Native race. Personally he had the greatest admiration for the native people and he sincerely trusted that they would live happily side by side with the pakeha people in the future. It was not necessary for him to remind the children that the Hon. Mr Atmore was a Neisonian and that he had received his education in Nelson. Through pluck, perseverance and determination he had climbed his way to the highest position in the Dominion from an educational point of view. Mr G. C. Black, M.P., expressed his pleasure in being able to join in the welcome to the Hon. Mr Atmore, and to such a distinguished member of the Native race as the Hon. Sir Apirana Ngata. Mr Smith had mentioned that Mr Atmore was a Nelson boy and bearing in mind the part played by the early pioneers of Nelson in the educational history of New Zealand it was fitting that it should fall to the lot of another Neisonian to give the Dominion a revised system of education more adapted to the needs of the country. The headmasters of many of our larger secondary schools wore old pupils of Nelson College, and the, largest primary school in the Dominion was under the headmastership of an old Motueka hoy. Without committing a breach of privilege, ho could assure the 'gathering that when the Education Committee presented its report to Parliament, and when the Minister of Education brought forward this policy, the school life of the children of the Dominion would he a much fuller and happier otic than it was to-day. Referring to the Hon." Sir Apirana Ngata, Mr Black said the Minister was not only a distinguished son of the Maori race but a brilliant scholar. Sir Apirana was a graduate of the New Zealand'University, a barrister at law, and last but not least a scientific farmer.

SIR A. NGATA'S TRIBUTE TO MR .ATMORE The Hon. Sir Apirana Ngata said that it was not on the programme when he left Wellington that he should he associated with his colleague, the Hon. Mr Atmore, on the occasion of his visit to the schools at Motueka, and that he i should have to address some of the future men and women of New Zealand. Had he known he would have been shy about coming along, because he thought there was no more difficult task than to have to talk to children of school age. He remembered that when he was at school one of the 'greatest ordeals was to listen to the' addresses of distinguished visitors, ai'd for that reason he sympathised with the Motueka children. lie remembered aho that it was a serious matter for him when the headmaster asked the pupils to tell him what the distinguished visitors had said. It would have been a different matter had they been asked what they thought of the addresses. As a representative of the Native race he extended to those present a message of goodwill. In going round the Dominion one of the most pleasing things he found was the spirit of good fellowship and comradeship that existed between the pakeha and the Maori, more especially among the youn'g people. Time was when things were different. He referred to the Wairau massacre, which unfortunately had been brought about as a result of a misunderstanding The Taranaki war was also the result of a misunderstanding, and also the trouTne at Waikato. The latest instance of misunderstanding was tho unfortunate death of Tamasese. History had a way of covering up niisundei standings and to-day, not quite a century after the Wairau massacre, we found the two races together with tho same prospects in front of them as wero given only to the pakeha boy at oi;e time.

He was pleased to be with his cnl league, the Hon. Mr Atmore. No man had had greater difficulties in Parliament than Mr Atmore, because of his independent attitude in all things. The Jast thing an Independent member received in Parliament was Cabinet rank, hut Mr Atmore had broken through tradition and obtained that rank, and if lie were allowed to remain Minister of Education long enough ho would write his name in the history of New Zealand as one of the most efficient and original Ministers of Education New Zealand had ever had. The trouble for a long time past was that Ministers were afraid to break through tradition. However, the time came, as it must .sooner or later, when it was necessary to break through tradition in order to get anything done, and he hoped that his colleague would he, able to remain Minister in order that he might 'shako things up' from an educational point of view. The present Minister of Education was the most unorthodox man in New Zealand, and if he did not do this he was not the. "Marry Atmore" he had known for some 19 years.

One of the outstanding characteristics of Nelson was its environment for the development of scholarship. and it should have been the centre for a university. He was 'glad to be associated with Mr Atmore in the Cabinet, but he did not envy him his job, which was a very hard one. They had a young New Zealander in charge of the portfolio of education. He was not a university student, and did not have a long string of letters behind his name, but they must not run away with the idea that a man with letters

was a better educated man than cue without. "For instance," Sir Apirana continued, "I have the right to put a string of lot tors after my name, but Mr Atmore knows more poetry than 1 do, and also more English prose, and he is one of the best road men in the Dominion." Notwithstanding what some of tho critics had said he was sure that Mr Atmore would bring about a change in the education system which would benefit the children and make for greater progress in the future development of tho Dominion. 'file Hon. Mr Atmore then addressed (ho children, at the conclusion of which .Mr Trevena thanked tho Minister for his iiirpiriug remarks. He said that by Mr Atmores own example and words of wisdom he would leave an impression on the minds of the children which would cause them to (unbrace every opportunity within their reach, and ."-o enable them to be good and useful citizens in the future.

Hearty cheers were 'given for Mr Atmore and the visitors and for the members of the School Committee and teaching staff.