BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19627, 4 May 1927, Page 13

BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

ACCESS TO THE REGISTERS. DEFENCE LEAGUE PROTEST. BOARD CHAIRMAN'S COMMENT. A protest against the Bible in Schools League being given access to school registers is contained in a letter from the president of the State Education Defence League, Mr. C. E. Major, to the Prime Minister. "It has been reported,'' states the letter, "that the Minister of Education has given permission to the Bible in Schools League to consult the registers of public schools with a view to conducting a referendum among parents on the question of religious exercises In schools. "I am instructed by my league to protest emphatically against the Minister of Education, who is a member of a Ministry pledged to defend the present free, secular and compulsory system of education, using his official position to help forward those who are endeavouring to destroy that system. It is, to our minds a reprehensible precedent that a partisan body should be allowed access to official records in the "furtherance of its partisan objects." ' The protest was referred to the chairman of the Auckland Education Board, Mr. A. Burns, who said he was not aware the Minister had permission as stated. As far as his recollection went, the Minister had said he would raise no objection if permission to consult the registers were given by the education boards. The chairman of the Auckland Bible in Schools League, Canon Percival E. James, confirmed Mr. Burns' statement. He added that his league had no intention of using the privilege if it were granted of consulting the school registers for propaganda purposes. What the league wanted was to obtain the names and addresses of all parents or guardians responsible for children attending State schools. A ballot paper would then be posted to them asking them to vote "Yes" or "No" on the question whether they favoured the introduction of religious exercises into schools. No attempt would be made to influence the voter—the envelope \yould contain the ballot-paper asking for an answer to a single question. The league had not been granted the national referendum for which it had asked, and was now seeking facilities to obtain the opinion of those most nearly concerned—the parents or guardians. STATEMENT BY MINISTER. A MATTER FOR THE BOARDS. [by telegraph.—own correspondent.] WELLINGTON. Tuesday. The Minister of Education, Hon. R. A. Wright, stated to-ds.y in reference to several resolutions passed at school committee meetings last night, that he did not intend, when interviewed on Saturday on the subject of the voting paper prepared by the Bible in Schools League, for submission to parents, to convey the impression that it had been represented to him that headmasters might object to the paper. "I know nothing about any objection by headmasters," said Mr. Wright. "I know that the headmasters of every primary school are engaged by the education boards and can be dismissed by the education boards without myself or the department being consulted. Therefore, obviously would be s useless for me to try to influence a headmaster in any direction and I have no intention of doing so. "To reconcile what happened between the Hon. L. M. Isitt and myself," added the Minister, "I may say that he simply asked me if I would read the proposed ballot-paper (which I did), and if I had any objection to it. I said that so far as I could ss# there was nothing objectionable in it. but that the question of taking a plebiscite among the parents of children attending the schools was one that rested entirely with the education boards, whish had statutory powers which were invulnerable."