LOCAL EDUCATION TAXES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14146, 23 August 1909, Page 6

LOCAL EDUCATION TAXES.

NOT .BEFORE TEE PUBLIC. [»Y TELEGRAPH.OWN CORRESPONDENT.] CiraiSTCHURciT, Saturday. When a motion condemning the proposal to tax local bodies for educational purposes was under discussion by the Linwood Citizens' Association last evening, Mr. W. W. Tanner, in slating his opinion against the suggestion, urged the necessity for united action being taken by the various local bodies interested. In support of his contention he stated that during the election of 1905 a certain political proposition was mentioned by two or three individual candidates, but no Ministerial utterance was . made on the matter whatever. When Parliament met, however, a Bill was introduced dealing with the proposal, and the Ministers assured the members that the matter had been fully placed before the public at a previous election. On the strength of this statement the Bill was placed on the Statute Book, although the proposal had never seriously been placed before'the electors as a whole. -In the present instance it was true a suggestion had been thrown out by the Minister at ■ Uddington, but the Minister had not elaborated his statement in any way, and it would not therefore be correct to say that the question had been fully before the public. It was a matter for the public at < large, and should be taken up by all the ■ school committees and kindred bodies interested. He believed that our free education system was as good as any in the world, and it seemed to him to be the only 'institution of value of the working classes ; •■which remained from the hug© expenditure of tiit past.* .:.. The; association should do all ■ ; in iUs power to oppose : the proposal hinted Wt by the Minis***-, . v =;*! : '»». ~- ■'.'■■">' * ■".".""' l.r