REPENTANT DEFAULTER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25301, 11 August 1943, Page 2

REPENTANT DEFAULTER

AWARD OF DENTAL BURSARY QUESTION AGAIN RAISED IN HOUSE (F.0.F.R.) WELLINGTON, Aug. 10. The granting of a dental bursary to a student who had been In a detention camp as a defaulter, had undergone a sentence in gaol, and repented, was criticised by Mr W. J. Poison (Oppn., Stratford) during the discussion on the Estimates of the National Service Department in the House of Representatives tonight. The Prime Minister, Mr P. Fraser, replied that he was not familiar with the circumstances, but he would have them investigated, and if the situation required to be rectified he would have that done.

Mr Poison pointed out that the question had been raised on a previous vote when the Minister of Health, Mr A. H. Nordmeyer, had stated that the student concerned had slipped in and been allowed to remain.

Since then, Mr Poison added, he had made further inquiries, and there were some deplorable features of the case. It seemed that the bursary was the instrument by which the student had escaped his army obligations. Apparently special consideration was shown this student, who had nothing like the high academic qualifications one was led to believe lie had. It was not right that a man with such a record should be favoured with a dental bursary. In university circles the whole question of the method of awarding dental bursaries was considered to be unsatisfactory.