NO-CONFIDENCE DEBATE CONTINUES

Stratford Evening Post, Volume I, Issue 434, 6 May 1932, Page 5

NO-CONFIDENCE DEBATE CONTINUES

[ SEVERE ATTACK ON GOVERNMENT'S PROPOSALS < i .-. -«■'■ /x ■ \

[MR CRITICISM OF SCHOOL AGE

REVISION"',

f ,JThe debate on the second reading «of the Finance Bill continued through>but an "afllnight sitting of* the House of Representatives, and was still in .'progress'''Avheit the flottse adjourned <at 7.30 < a:rh.;.for' ; breakfast. * A', strong'attack on ' the clause "of •the Bill was made by a Coalition •member when Mr. Stalhvorthy pro- . tested > Rigorously against the propo 1 - :sal -to raise the permissive age for admission to schools'from five to six 'years.'. - He expressed astonishment at the relative importance the National Expenditure Commission had at'tachejtl to certain; values of life. It 'had -Ji'een prepared to recommend reductions in pensions, but it,had. made .no suggestions, far the application of :the cut to allowances of higher graded superannuitants, and there •was no reference to salaries of the .{judiciary. •■;•■■*■ y - .' In his the ideal of equality !faf: sacrifice had* not been attained. "He said he 'bid recently come' in. contact 'wltli 7 miners* widows wiio had been- grehtiy distressed as a result of the 1 reduction,'''and were' fearful of i;h'e,'.futurer,U"'He .found it irn-. 'possible ito stand" for "that sort gt .thing. ' ' '.;"_ " ] / i [ h ' .J > Mr. ' Bltchener: You have joined •jthe • Labour Party now. ; "' *

Mr. Stallworthy: If it is; the conception of the honourable , memberthata man in this House ;.' is hot able ° to. have an honest opinion and belong to the Government or any other party, then afWcah say. is" politics in New Zealand, have come to a sorry pass indeed.'. 1 If the Government party lias no roiom for honest men v/f then I will know what to dp. . ",,

f Mr. Stallworthy said"it was stated hy an' educationist' that the einploysnent of between 200 and 400 teachers would be affected, and it was reasonable to assume the majority of Jtheisq| would be : women : who, l upon losing positions, -would become 'a •'drain< on /the public funds. If sustenance'.were; to be provided at rates;! ot';£l -per"week, the expenditure would amount- to £15,000 a y'ear f< 3f ; •300 were the" number. This- sunf •was- £4OOO in Excess of the amount it proposed to save by raising the school;age.- . '

"> of children.were ai- i i i ready affected by withdrawal of. . the subsidy to. kindergarten asso^ ."." ciations.sirn.CJj ■■.■ *.<.•.- - -.. j.. •,

- Mr; ■Stallworthy went on to sayexperiences- had shown when the. , ,permissive age of entry was Uveitis years, that the actual average age of entry •■') was five and a-half, be-;' cause children's birthdays did not jt always occur at the beginning of-.&j the <year.' ! If the permissive age, were increased to six it would . mean the average, child would . not commence primary .education until six and.a-half years of-age, and this would be a ..substantial \ handicap.' ■ -

Continuing, .he, said even if it had

•to lie did not.admit it—that > -economy, of this nature was necessitated by : circumstances, this was not tire time to do it., He would not have it .on ; .his conscience to be, a party ..to,, keeping children out of public schools at a time when motherg', were, at their wits' end to know what to do witti them. He was of the opinion that there were/ still means of saving many thousands in costs ~_; throughout Government departments ■ and- he urged that steps should bo taken -in this direction, rather than reduce the age of admission ..to schools; • He trusted if the Prime Minister -was .determined to. reduce the age of.admission that he would rectify, ?;the position to some extent by making an increase in grants, to free kindergartens,. ■ . : . The,-House -adojurned till 9 a.m. .._.. The House 1 resumed at 9 a.m., when the debate on the second reading of the Fihahce Bill and no-confidence motion of the Leader of the Opposition was continued. Mr. H. G. Dickie, contending that the four-year term was the most suitable period for Parliament, said he had always advocated this « change, and his only regret was the Bill did not propose it should be a permanent change. -*. ' • •• ■

M*- Armstrong characterised the j proposal relating to the dismissal ' of | public servants as an. act of a despo"-. j He attacked the proposal to extend | tho life of the present Parliament, j Mr. Samuel'; described the clause , which raised; the age of admission to sohcols as inimical to the welfare ol | the children of the .Dominion. He i supported the contentions of Mr. I Stailworlhy and suggested that' th°. Government would be well advised to wHi -.draw the clause, to which a fair number of. Coalition members wer<j definitely opposed. .;■' Mr, Samuel also expressed his 'intention to vote against the proposal to extend the life of Par-. liamemV" declaring that he had pledged himself . t0,..-adopt. this Wijfffijfljfil'aii ■■■■■■■■ '• • situ* -r. I' >.■ nofi'ioa 'i&uti ..;{■; *. .... •.'. ,:.t,„ 'Mr-' Gojeman said, m. opposing* the-. Increase in the school admission age,-! that the Government, was accepting.] the-views of. the National"Expendi-fj tvve ' Commission in. ■ the ■ views, of educationists, Who ■ Maudefinitely stated tht? .pferiod between' five and six years'of age'^as-parti-cularly valuable in * training -thechild's mind." ' ■ ."! The debate was still in progress at | the- one o'clock adjournment. j

AMOTION of hd-fc6fificlerice in the-Government was moved .:-' by,the,i Leader of the. Opposition in 'House of Repre- '!' J( . Isentatives last night during on the second reading of the Finance Bill. The*rn'otiOn"was baSe'd on-the'pr.6b6 , §e 1 d Kl ex- V tension or the lire or ec t oni3irnje3 t ;i laities, on public .«ervante. The debate lasted throughout the aljjggight sitting and continued to-day. f It i^as-marked by a ; 'vigdfpus attack on the Government's proposalsi to extend Parliarrienjt's term to four years, to raise the schbol; admission .age aricl to summarily-'dismiss disloyal civil servants. - ■ < - *•■■%■*