HEALTH OF SCHOOL CHILDREN

Otago Witness, Issue 3782, 7 September 1926, Page 28

HEALTH OF SCHOOL CHILDREN

MEDICAL INSPECTION. EXTENSION OF SYSTEM URGED. . WELLINGTON, Setember 3. The right of children attending private schools to have the advantage of the system of medical inspection which the pupils of public schools enjoy was debated in the House between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. on Friday. Mr 11. E. Holland maintained that the children of registered private schools had as much right to State medical examination as had the children who happened to go to publio schools. The children had no choice in regard to which school they attended. That was a matter for their parents. If those children grew up with defects which could have been remedied the community suffered. Their parents were taxpayers the children themselves were the future ci*tizen9 of New Zealand, and in that respect they had the same right as the children of the publio 6ch0019. Mr H. Atmore said that one could give illustrations of the withholding of grants for swimming. The children had to undergo drilling no matter what school they attended. The Prime Minister said he had stated from the publio platform that in the interests of the general health what was asked should be done a 9 soon as the money was available, but the time had not arrived when they could say that they had sufficient money to carry out the idea. The first call wa9 to the children of the State schools, and as soon as the requirements in these schools were attended to the requirements of the others would be tackled. That had been stated by Sir Jame 9 Parr also. Mr Coate9 said he had spoken to the Minister of Education that afternoon, and the Minister had readily agreed to ha*e the clause which was being objected to reconsidered before it went to another place. Mr P. Fraser thought the Prime Minister had stated the position clearly. They knew they could take his word for it, and they were glad to do so. Mr Ooatea had done the right thing. After the Hon. Mr Nosworthy had addeJ a few words to the debase, one of the Labour members ; who seemed to get a different impression of the Ministers remarks from that which members of the Press Gallery gathered, accused the Minister of going as nearly as he could to smacking the Prime Minister in the face, .arid of endeavouring to whittle away and make of no value the promise of the Prime Minister. In this, he added, he had had a very definite display of the differences in Cabinet. First, the House had seen the broadmindedness of the Prime . Minister, and then the bigoted and sectarian attitude of the Postmaster-general, who putis foot down and told the Prime Minister he had done a wrong thing. The House had witnessed what nad happened to another member of the party who had taken the Prime Minister to task. Would Mr Coates read Mr Nosworthy a cur'tain lecture?

Mr Coates: Don’t exaggerate. Mr M‘Combs: You were very busy talking to another Minister and probably did not notice what was said. The Postmastergeneral took the first opportuniv of whittling away the promise of the Prime Minister. Mr Nosworthy said he had been entirely misrepresented. Mr Coates: Deliberately misrepresented. Mr Jordan objected to Mr Nosworthy having described the secretary of one of the teachers’ bodies as a Bolshevist. Mr Nosworthy: I hate humbug. Mr Jordan: It is no argument to call a man a Bolshevist because he differs from you. The Hon. Mr Young said there seemed to be a good deal of misunderstanding about clause 14 which it wa9 proposed to drop from the Bill. The only effect of dropping the clause was to hold over the medical inspection—under statutory right—of secondary schools (including public secondary schools as well as private secondary schools). Mr Fraser: It is a dead letter sine© your department got it. Mr Young: What is the good of loading on to my department extra work when I have not the staff nor the money to do it with? Mr Fraser: Get the staff and the money. We have a suspicion the Minister of Health is to blame.