MEETINGS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13278, 10 September 1906, Page 7

MEETINGS.

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF NEW ZEALAND.

DEPUTATION TO HEADMASTERS'

ASSOCIATION.

The ordinary monthly meeting of the Auckland Headmasters' Association was held on Friday night. Mr. R. B. Heriot, president, was in the chair. There was a full attendance of members, who listened with great interest! to addresses from Mr. W. B. Leyland, president of the National League of New Zealand, and Canon Mac Murray, one of the members of the General Council of the league, who attended as a deputation, upon the necessity for and object of that organisation. Mr. Ley land said that he had not yet lost his awe of the schoolmaster, and felt some timidity in addressing such a number of them, but that, recognising their importance and influence in the community, he wished to secure their co-operation in the National League movement. New Zealand had been called " God's Own Country," but did we think enough of it to defend it'.' And if we did not think it worth defending, were we worthy to live in it? The headmasters had taken such an interest in the school cadets movement and had done sin-it good work in . instilling patriotic thoughts into the minds of the young that he knew he .should not appeal to them iu vain to assist in bringing about the universal defensive training, which alone could make the colony safe. Canon Mac Murray. who said that lie had | been a teacher himself, delivered a powerful j and eloquent address. Tracing the develop- | ment of the educational system, lie pointed j out that the central idea was to train the ' children so that they would in later life be j good citizens. The first civic duty of every citizen was to defend the country in which ho lived. History showed that the nations which left their defence to hirelings always perished. In ten years Japan had made herself able to defeat one of the greatest European military nation*; she was to-day Uie si longest naval Power in the. Pacific. Sue was our friend now, but who knew how lon'g she would be our friend? It was natural that- she should turn her eyes towards Australasia, whose domestic policy of Asiatic exclusion was calculated to wise international dissension. That domestic policy could not be changed. If the Imperial navy were engaged elsewhere there was nothing to prevent Japan from landing half a million men in Australia and New Zealand. It was imperative, for this and other reasons, that our colonists should make themselves able to defend their country against any foreign interference. 1 The school masters could do more than any other body to educate the public mind on this national and vital question; therefore, the league had appealed to them first. He was confident .it would have their hearty support in securing the national safety by universal defensive training. The Chairman thanked the deputation for their addresses, and assured them of the hearty sympathy and support of the members of the Headmasters' Association. Several members also spoke in approval of the object of the National League. It was pointed out that the training proposed would be supplemental to the cadet training already carried out in the schools. One of the speakers thought there was as much to fear from Germany as from Japan. Mr. Leyland thanked the meeting for the reception accorded the deputation. Most of the members of the association enrolled themselves as members of the league.

AVONDALE ROAD BOARD.

A special meeting of the Avondale Road Board was held on Saturday for the purpose, of confirming by-laws for the regulation of heavy traffic and to prohibit excessive weight and traffic of a particular kind being conducted on the roads of the Avondale district, the said by-laws having been passed at a previous special meeting of the Board. "With the exception of two items the whole of the clauses a* previously agreed upon were confirmed, the exceptions being that buggies and gigs were deleted from the clause that necessitated all vehicles and machines having marked thereon the weight of such vehicle iu a conspicuous manner; and having regard to tho district being chiefly devoted to market gardening the restrictions re cartage of stable manure were struck out of the by-laws.

■■ ONEHUNGA LITERARY CLUB. ' At the last meeting of the Onehunga Literary Club a paper was contributed by Mr. J. H. Simpson on "The Borderland of Science." The writer dealt with psychology, mesmerism, and topics of a similar kind.