PARLIAMENT

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9784, 6 October 1917, Page 8

PARLIAMENT

YESTERDAY’S SITTING LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL SALE OF LIQUOR RESTRICTION BILL PASSED. Tho Legislative Council met at 2.30 p.m. yesterday, the Acting-Speaker (the Hon. W. C. F. Carncross) in the chair. The Sale of Liquor Restriction Bill was reported with amendments from the Statutes Revision Committee, and after a short discussion put through all its stages and carried. The discussion on the Bill is reported elsewhere. LOCAL BILLS. The Day’s Bay Sanitation and Water Supply Bill, the Wellington City Trading Reserve and Renewal Funds Bill, the Tauranga Harbour Amendment and Foreshore Bill, the Taieri Land Drainage Bill, and the Manawatu Couutv Loan and Empowering Bill were reported from the Local Bills Committee without amendment. The second readings were set down for Wednesday nest. At 4.45 p.m. the Council adjourned till Tuesday next. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY EDUCATION ESTIMATES DISCUSSED. MORE MONEY WANTED FOR SCHOOL COMMITTEES. A FLEA FOR BACKDBLOCKS SCHOOLS. The House of Representatives met at 2.39 p.m. yesterday, the Speaker (Sir F. W. Lang) in tho chair. Preliminary' business was disposed of by 3.15 p.m. and the House then went into Committee of Supply on the Estimates. Mr G. Witty (Riccarton) moved that the vote of -£14,183 for the head office of the Education Department 'be reduced. .by J3l as an indication that the school committees were not getting fair play, the ‘funds allowed them being quite inadequate for the work they had to do. A small supplementary vote had Been promised for the school committees. but a small vote would be no good. It should be a very substantial vote. It. was very unfair. Education was supposed to be free, but people who had children at school had bo be always putting their hands in, flhei'r pockets under tho present system. OVERCROWDING IN WELLINGTON. Mr A. H. Hindmarsh (Wellington South) asked. why the Wellington schools, naming especially the Eerhamnore School, should remain so overcrowded, even if it was war time. No teacher could teach 9U children, and it would be better to put an end to tho expenditure of tho Tourist Department and on Parliament Buildings and to give proper school accommodation for the children. If any farmer- was treating stock in the way that tho children were treated in tho schools the House would take notice at once. He thought that the reason why these, matters were so neglected was that tho people who governed New Zealand did not send their child-rein to tho public school?. They despised tho public schools. Many of them, .in-fact, did not want the children of the workers, educated for fear they should be educated above tho position in life they were born in, and would cease to bo workers. (Hear, hear and laughter.) 'Mr G. J. Anderson (Mataura) said that tho ion. member had been talking bunkum. Members: ""Order, order!” Mr Hindmarsh asked if such language was in order. Mr Malcolm (Chairman of Committees): “I -am afraid that I have heard the word used so often in this House that I can hardly rule it out of order." (Laughter.) •Mr Anderson said that the hon. member for Wellington South usually talked sense, but he -had lapsed into' bosh when ho said that there were people in tho Dominion who did not want the children of the workers educated. He would support tho hon. member, however. if he moved to stop the expenditure on the Tourist Department. The Dominion, could- not afford to waste a shilling on such expenditure at the present time.

Mr T. M. Wilford (Hutt) supported tha complaint abput the overcrowding of 'schools- and also urged that school books should be standardised throughout tho Dominion so as to save much unnecessary expense to the parents of chilidrem attending the public schools. (Hear, hear). Mr Wilford also strongly _ protested against a part of the only suitable section for a public school near Heretaunga station having'been "stolen” for a post office, thus spoiling the site for school purposes; and all, because the owner of the adjoining land did not want to have children playing alongside his land. Mr G. Hunter (Waipaiwa) put in a plea for bacfcblookis schools. Mr L. M. Isitt (Christchurch North) said that Britain was increasing her expenditure on education in spite of the lairge cost of tho war, and New Zealand should do the same. He did not blame the Minister for Education altogether for the. present position. He did not believe thait the country had ever had a Minister for Education who gave more detailed attention to or had been more enthusiastic in his work than the present Minister for Education. (Hoar, hear.) lit would be a wise and economical thing, ho hold, to standardise the school books throughout the Dominion. He also supported the demand for more money for the school committees. The Hon. J. A. Hanan recognised .that the cost of materials and tho cost of cleaning tho schools had increased; and he had made a suggestion to Cabinet that a certain sum—larger, he thought, than the hon. member expected—should bo set aside to meat that temporary difficulty. Mr E. Newman (Bangitikei) said that he was quite prepared to vote to stop the work on Parliament Buildings and spend the money on bsckblock schools. Nest to the war. he held that education was the moat important work before the country, and the backblock districts were not getting fairplav in regard to education. So far os he know, no provision mas being made for schools near the eoldier settlements. He complimented tho Minister on the general good administration of the department. On a division being taken the amendment was lost by 39 votes to 17. CHARGE OF MALADMINISTRATION "AN EXHIBITION OP SPLEEN." Mr B. McCallnm (Wairau) said- that he could not join in the tributes to the Minister. He wanted to know why so many good men had been forced out of tha department. Why. for example, had Mr GUI left the deparipent? Was it not the case also that the department had endeavoured to remove a certain "inspector from Wellington, but tho Minister found that he would lose the stmnart of ter «»-Unt bedy and the

matter ■was not persevered in? He had challenged the Minister on the point before, but he had made no reply. Hr Hanan: "I treated it with contempt.” Mr McCollum charged the Minister with maladministration o£ his department, instancing a hat he aliened to bo rcmif.tness in not securing tno most suitable school site in a certain part of the Wairau electorate. Mr Hanan deprecated the ‘'exhibition of spleen just made by the hou. member.” McCALLUMITES v. MASSEYITES. There had been a dispute between tho AicCallumites .and the Masseyitea about a school site in the district. The department went into tho matter, end in what he considered the hest interests of the children ho opposed tho wishes of the hon. member. As a result tho hon. member had shown his spleen by threatening to block his bouse allowance as a Minister. (“Ob!” and laughter.) He was sorry that the hon. member had brought up tho case of Inspector Gill. As a result of reports made to him, he had not been satisfied with regard to the inspection of secondary schools, and instructions were given that the inspector in question was to go down to Utago to inspect primary schools. He then made application, on the grounds of ill-health, to bo allowed to retire on superannuation, and he was allowed to do so. With regard to the changing over of inspectors, that had been done because it was the policy of the department that inspectors should go out into the country districts and help the country schools, instead of remaining in the towns, and tho system had been found to work well., (Hear, hear.) Mr ,T. Anstey (Waitaki) and Mr E. P. Hudson (Motueka) urged that, notwithstanding the cost of the war, everything (possible should be done for the education and for the physical welfare of the children. More and better school buildings, they stated, were badly needed in many country districts. ,'MXWS.E SUNLIGHT WANTED.

Dr Newman (Wellington South) complained of the ugly, prison-like character of many of tne schools. They should bo situated and planned, ho contended, dn. such a way as to get as much sunlight as Even with tho old schools, a great deal might be done, ho said, ■by the expenditure of a little money on white paint, by enlarging the windows, and so on.

Mr Witty again pressed the necessity for more liberal allowances to school committees and for the standardisation of books. Mr Hanan said that he agreed that there should be one arithmetic, ono geography, and . one grammar for the whole of the Dominion. '

Mr W. J. Dickie (Selwyn) urged the necessity for higher allowances for school committees, and for school improvements in. the country districts. VARIOUS OPINIONS.

Mr Payno said the trouble was that the Minister for Education had no money to carry out important .works that lh 9 would otherwise do. He was one si tho most active and live Ministers who over controlled the Education Department, but was , surrounded in Cabinet by a collection of useless Ministers.

Mr A. H. Ilindmarsli criticised at length 'the present system of education. A. report should be presented -on 'Secondary education. More practical edu. cation was needed in. place of the present multitudinous and useless subjects. Mr McCallum strongly criticised the Minister for Education, who, he said, was not working in the best interests of tho Department ho controlled. He took no interest in secondary education, in fact ho was determined to undermine itHo was guilty of lavouritism. in the direction of the primary, system. Ather members had declared that Mr Hanan was a tine Minister. He was not a fine Minister. Mr Hanan had absolutely neglected his (tho speaker’s) district in educational matters. Mr Hauan had caused unrest amongst a large section of the community by his actions. Tho Minister said the . Department was fully alive to reforms in secondary education. The education system was in a better condition in New Zealand than it had been fox a lone time. Dr, Newman drew tho Minister’s attention to the inefficient ventilation in school buildings. Thousands of children Were living in a most unhealthy atmosphere. The windows should be altered so as to allow more sunlight into the school rooms.

Sir Veitch (Wanganui) urged that the vote for incidentals be increased so that the present unhealthy State of many schools due to overcrowding could be remedied. Tho vote was passed. On the vote of .£10,015 for schools for feeble minded children Mr. Jennings (Taumarunuii) strongly advocated the establishment in the North Island of a school for feeble minded children. Mr Hanan said there was a vote in tho Estimates fpr a teacher’s salarv for an institute for feeble minded children at Auckland. The total education vote of HI ,483,051 was passed after further desultory discussion. LANDS AND SDBVEY. The Lands and Survey vote of ,£218,731 was passed without discussion. LABOUR DEPARTMENT PBEVENTION OP ACCIDENTS'. On the vote of .£33,585 in the Department of Labour. Mr Veitch asked the Minister for a general stiffening up of the scaffolding regulations. Labour people were not asking for drastic regulations. but merely for such regulations that would provide reasonable safety for workers on scaffolding. Mr Massey said that if legislation were necessary to stiffen up the regulations it would be introduced next session. Bather than have any risk this would bo done Mr Hindmarsh said he was sure that a great many oi tho accidents on the wharf could be prevented if the Labour Department exercised stricter supervision. Mr Hindmarsh added that the position in regard to workers’ cottages was anything but satisfactory. It was a great nitv that the Labour Department could not satisfactorily carry out the erection of these workers’ homes. He had reason to believe that there was grave cause for complaint on cottages erected at Lyall Bay and other suburbs. Mr Mas&ev said that his department bad nothing to do in regard to accidents on the wharf, but ho had just been talking to the Minister for Marine, who said he was looking into the matter. In regard to workers’ homes .the policy of tho department here had resulted perfectly satisfactorily. Sixty-five dwellings had been erected last year, and 433 during the last five years. It was hoped to do a great deal more when the war was over, and the price of building material grew more reasonable. Mr Walker (Dunedin Nortbl ino.uired what was to be the. policv of the department n« to the vacant lands purchased some time ago for workers’ dwellings. Mr Webb pleaded for better treatment and consideration for Labour. The Prims Minister said that the present. high cost of materials and labour meant a verv heavy charge on the'" occupiers of workers’ homes. He was asking for a large sum for workers’ homes, and he honed to- be able to spend it. He bad been 1 -political head of the department for. five veers, and during those five years, though three years were th" period of tn<> war. they i.ed averaged about 90 workers’ homes built each rear. That, he thought, was not a bad record. Tho vote was passed. . AGBICDLTHBAL DEPARTMENT. The Agricultural Department vote, totnlHnpf .£220,375, was passed without comment. STATE FORESTS* ACCOUNT. The nest item on the Estimates wae

the vote of £33,882 for Hie New Zealand State Forests’ Account. . Mr Hindmarsh emphasised the necessity for full attention being paid to the question of afforestation. ' , Mr Massey said that the Government was fully alive to this, and proposed setting up a special Forestry Department with a special Minister. . Mr H. G. Ell said this was the best piece of news the country had had for a long time. It would be of great value to the country. Mr G. IV. Forbes (Hurunui) advocated the appointment of■ a public head forester for New Zealand. Hoh. W. D. S. MacDonald said that undoubtedly a State forester would have to bo appointed when the new department was sot up. Forestry ultimately would be a most important industry in the Dominion, and should afford many openings for tie employment of the soldiers on their return after the war. The vote was carried. OTHEE ACCOUNTS. The votes of £282,255 for the State Coal-mines Account, £8,300 for the Lands for Settlements Account. £74,331 for the Public Trustees’ Account, were passed with little or no comment; as also were the votes of £69,274 for the Government Insurance Account; that of £7,200 for the Government Accident Insurance Account ; that of £21,678 fo-.'tiic State I ire Insurance Account; that of £587,584 for the State Advances Account; that of £2105 for the -Native Land Settlement Account; and that of £30,453 for the Scenery Preservation Account. On the last-named vote Mr H. G. Elf and Mr J. T. M. Hornsby earnestly urged the Minister to save from destruction the fine bit of primeval forest still left between Masterton and Carterton, which thev stated was in imminent danger of destruction at the hands of tho sawmiller. The Estimates were all through. Committee by 11.50 p.m., and two minutes later the House adjourned till 7.30 p.m. on Monday.