PARLIAMENT.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 10561, 16 September 1910, Page 1

PARLIAMENT.

(Per Press Association.; LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Wellington, September 15. The Council met at 2.150.' —A Rill Tlio IJc.man Catholic Archbishop of Wellington l?i!l passed. —Debt Extinction Bill. — Air Loughuan rosumed tin? debate on the Public Debt Extinction Hill, iinfl expressed approval of the measure. Flo advocated :i gradual tapering off ill borrowing. Air Jenkinson criticised the Bill at some length. ;md said it appeared to iiiin that the fund would require more assistance than .the Bill proposed to give. The Bill as a whole was the most inconsistent and ill-devised ever put before tile Council. The debate was adjourned and the Council rose.

MOUSE OF REPRESENTA Tl VES. The House met at 2.30. —Local Bill.— The Selwyn County Subdivision Bill (Mr Witty) wars read a first time. Education Bill.— The House went into Committee cn the Education Amendment Bill. At clause 3 Mr Fowlds said he would insert a pioviso to enable payment of expenses to be made in ea.ses where members uf an Education Hoard used their own vehicles in travelling to and from Hoard meetings, also to substitute the word "visit" for "inspection" in subclause 3. Mr Alassev suggested that mem hers of Education Boards should be put on :.iie same footing as members of Laud Hoards, and be paid for their services. .Mr Wallace advocated adding a proviso providing for payment of 10s a day for each attendance at Hoard meetings. .Mr Kowlds pointed out that this required an appropriation clause.

On a division the clause, as amended, was passed. At clause which provides for the medical and physical inspection of school children, the Minister stated that the regulations would probably not he ready for presentation to Parliament this session. It was intended that teachers should be instructed at the training colleges, so that they would be able to discover defects in children, such as eve and throat diseases, deafness. and adenoids. If they considered medical attention was necessary there was power under the Public Health Actto obtain it. The House rose at 5.30. The House resumed at 7.30. A.t clause 8, which provides for the compulsory attendance of school children under 14 on. every school day, Air I'earce moved as an amendment that the clause should only apply to .schools in boroughs. Air Herdman. in supporting the amendment, said the education system was running mad. The clause would interfere with industrial life. Air Kowlds said he was surprised to' hear Air Herdman's speech. The Dominion was only following the example of every other country. How could compulsory attendance of children under "l-l interfere with industrial lifer 1 Air M'Laren upheld compulsory attendance in the interests of the children. On a subdivision the clause was retained hv 39 to 28.

Clause which repeals subclause of section 1.50 of the principal Act, allowing exemption from attendance of children holding certificates, raised considerable opposition. All' Alassev warned the Minister that the passing of the clause would result in serious trouble, but he washed his hands of all responsibility. Air Russell strongly opposed the clause which would prevent children under 14 years of age going to work even if they had complied with the regulations. Mr Fowlds said the Education Conference had decided in favor of the principle contained in the clause. It was not desirable that children should be dragged from the schools and put- to work before the age of 14. At clause 1", providing for compulsory attendance at technical schools —

Mr Malcolm entered a protest against the compulsory principle, which was unscientific. It was based on the idea that all young people .possessed like minds and capacities. Air Allen moved that the word "perniirf ing" lie substituted for "requiring" in the clause so as to make attendance at classes permissive instead of compulsory. Air Thomson (Dunedin) opposed the amendment. Technical education was rui urgent need if the Dominion is to keep abreast of other-countries. Air Malcolm favored the voluntary system. All men were not cast in the same mould, and could not receive the same benefits from education, which in many cases paralysed the - power of actions.

After further discussion the amendment was put and negatived by 35 to 28. On the motion of the Minister, subclause 17 was amended by adding a definition of itlic hours of employment,, which won Id have the effect of making these identical with the hours fixed by an industrial award or in the absence of such the usual hours observed in the trade followed by young persons.'

Mr Guinness moved to insert a new" clause amending section G7 of the principal Act, so as to make scholarships heretofore established by the Board to apply to private schools. Mr Fowlds said he saw no objection to the proposal, but would impose a condition that children should have been resident in the Dominion three years immediately preceding the date of the examination.

. The new clause, as amended in the direction proposed by Air Fowlds, was carried, and the Bill reported with, amendments. —Tobacco Bill. — The Tobacco Amendment Bill was committed and reported with amendments. The House rose at 12.55.