YESTERDAY’S PROCEEDINGS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21775, 14 October 1932, Page 10

YESTERDAY’S PROCEEDINGS

I • LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL (Pee United Press Association.) { . WELLINGTON, October 13. The Legislative Council met at 2.30 4). m. SPEED OF VEHICLES. The Limitation of the Speed of Vehicles •n Public Roads and Streets Bill was introduced by Mr D. Buddo and read a first time. BIBLE-IN-SCHOOLS, Continuing the debate on the second reading of the Religious Instruction iu Schools Enabling Bill Mr L. M. Isitt said he supported the Bill because thousands of children were living in heathenish ignorance of even the simple religious fules. Parents who had not been taught religion could not be expected to hand on teachings to the children. He was pleading for the child life of the nation. The evil effect of the secular system was cumulative. When the system was introduced young people lived on the teachings their fathers had received, but this process could not go on. Magistrates had pointed to the growing evil of education without religious instruction, and he was convinced from experience that the ground could not be covered adequately by the Nelson system. The bogey of sectarian strife had been raised, but there was no strife in the secondary schools where religious instruction was given. Roman Catholics in agreeing to the Bill had promised not to press for State grants. Sir Francis Bell said the whole question was whether the spiritual aspect of the child should be under the care of the State. It should not be part of the State’s duty to direct religious training, because it was an individual matter on which no two men could agree. Statements made by the sponsors of the Bill were a libel on the children”which he refused to believe. If children were dishonest or immoral they could not be saved by dogma. It was a question whether the essentia! characteristics could be built up by the dogma which was necessary for religious instruction. There was no doubt that the reason why a section of the Roman Catholics had recoiled from agreement to the Bill was because the promoters wished them to promise that they would not ask for State grants if the Bill were passed. He, as a lawyer and a politician, contended that they had * K r i?ht to ask for State grants. Mr G. Witty said if the measure were passed it would result in sectarian bitterness which was at present entirely absent from the children. When Mr Isitt ■ had been in the Lower House he had opposed the Bible-in-Schools Bills, but now he did not halve to depend on the electors for votes he had become a supporter of the measure. The Council rose at 4.15 p.m. till tomorrow.