DEFENCE AND EDUCATION

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8364, 26 February 1913, Page 10

DEFENCE AND EDUCATION

FREE PLACE RESTRICTIONS. SOME OUTSPOKEN COMMENTS. The memorandum issued by the Education Department, imposing fresh conditions in regard to free place tenure, and making this conform to tho defence regulations, was considered by the Wellington Education Board yesterday. The memorandum, which was signed by the Assistaut-Inspector-General of Schools, Dr Anderson, read; “As among tho large number of boys who obtain free places and scholarships granted from the funds of the State there are probably some to be found who decline or fail to carry out the obligations imposed upon them under the Defence Act, I have by direction of the Minister of Education to intimate that in the opinion of the department the conduct of a free pupil should not be held to be satisfactory if the requirements of the defence regulations are not observed, and to request accordingly that in future in the periodical reports upon the holders of free places and scholarships this matter will receive the necessary consideration among the conditions of tenure to be fulfilled.” Mr A. W. Hogg said he .desired to enter his protest against coercion of this description. The authorities had been imposing punishment after punishment upon the young people of this country who appeared to have violated the defence regulations. He knew that throughout the district where he came from there was a growing feeling that these defence regulations . were going to be a, most infernal nuisance. Settlers to whom he had talked lately had complained bitterly. Two years ago the defence vote was £205,000. This year it had grown to £480,000. In addition to that there was £200,000 due for the Dreadnought and £102,000 for naval subsidy, or £600,000 altogether this year. We had only 200,000 wage earners in New Zealand, and it meant a tax of £3 or £4 on everyadult earner. The money had been thrown away in a most extravagant manner. There was also a school of seventeen New Zealand officers receiving instruction in the Old Country costing £BOOO a year, each getting from £3OO to £750 per annum. He looked upon the whole position as being very serious. They had arrived at a period when they would have not merely compulsory military training but conscription, a thing to which the people were entirely opposed. He noticed that no less than eighty men had been summoned at Oamaru for not carrying out their defence duties, whilst there was a sort of strike amongst the young miners of Greymouth against tho defence regulations. Now they found the young men were not only being fined and imprisoned, with loss of franchise, but their education system was being interfered with. It simply meant that those who wanted superior education were to be debarred" unless they believed in the defence regulations. In a short time New Zealand would be rendered too hot to live in. The department’s letter was received and referred to the finance committee to report to next meeting.