FREE RAILWAY PASSES

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1745, 16 August 1905, Page 61

FREE RAILWAY PASSES

FOR CHILDREN ATTENDING CATHOLIC SCHOOLS. THE COUNCIL OF CHURCHES INQUIRY. In the House yesterday the Govern® In the House on Wednesday the Go* vernment replied to a question by MjP of the Minister for Railways had beet} drawn to the following resolution passed! by the Council of Churches:—“ It is reported that the children of certain Roman Catholic residents in a suburb’ of one of our cities are carried to school by the Government railway free of charge, whereas the children of Prow testants have to pay their way.” The Minister for Railways addressed the question to the general manager, and received a reply from his department stating that the practice was ono which had been followed by the Railway Department for the past nineteen yeans. The jjrivilege granted to- thd Catholic children in this respect is, moreover, extended to the children of members of the community who are of; Protestant persuasion in cases where they desire to send their children to private instead of to State schools’. Wheai the regulation governing the issue of free school tickets was firsfe Sazetted it applied only to the chijlren up to fifteen years of age who attended the State schools for primary, education, and those members of the community who desired to send their children to private sehools for primary, education had to pay the ordinary, school fee of 10s per quarter for the tickets necessary to enable the children to travel by train. After explaining very minutely the alterations in the regulations which hadl been gazetted from time to time, the General Manager pointed out that it would appear that the Rev Mr Blamires (who brought the matter up at the meeting of the Council of Churches) had endeavoured to show that a differentiation was being made in favour of Roman Catholic children. Such a conclusion was incoi'rect and opposed to facts, which could have been ascertained by tli© most casual inquiry. Thet facilities -which are granted to the children of Catholic parents in respect to primary education are governed by the regulations, which are applied impartially to the children of all members of the community. To show the absurdity of the contention that Catholic children are being favoured in respect to the regulations, he had taken out the number of free school tickets issued 1 by the Railway Department for th<j» year ending March 31st, 1905. The particulars showed:— To children attending Government schools for primary education ... ... ... ... 4562 To children attending Government schools for secondary education ... ... ... 4449 To pupils attending manual and technical instruction. ... ... 110 Q To pupils attending private schools for primary education (other than Catholic) ... ... 1001 To pupils attending Catholic schools for primary education 2055 It. was stated, in conclusion, by the General Manager that the existing regulation governing the issue of free school tickets to the children of alii members of the community had been in operation since 1889, and it was interpreted in its hr >adest sense by the Railway Department alone. The children of every member of the community are given all the benefits they are entitled to under the regulation without respect to their denomination.