Bible in Schools Battle Starts Again CAMPAIGNERS READY

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 416, 26 July 1928, Page 2

Bible in Schools Battle Starts Again

CAMPAIGNERS READY

MR. H. HOLLANDS PREPARATIONS

(THE SUN'S Parliamentary firpor'.tWELLINGTON, To-day

Wise, now, in Parliamentary exper . ence, Mr. H. Holland (Christchun. North) seems to have safeguarded h Religious Exercises in Schools Bn which comes on next 'Wedneodr against the mischances that befell n last session, when the major calami: was undoubtedly the long period wh* intervened before the second readis? could be completed. This was largely the result of a shrewd stonewall on two innocuou? loogink minor bills which were n. front of Mr. Holland’s Bill on tkr Order Paper for the chosen dai* Ordinarily they would soon have been cleared away, but under th* special circumstances they were nud. to carry protracted debates whk finally absorbed all the time immt diately available, so that the ReligionExercises in Schools Bill stood dene for a further four months. By th time it came up again supporters h* been won over from it, and a mot* countering its adoption, though nr necessarily expressing antagonism i the principle of religion as a the school curriculum, was passed b? a narrow* margin. In conning the House to-day M Holland probably finds difficulty ® estimating exactly what amount of increased support his Bill will attract Sir Joseph Ward, who opposed him lar. session, is away. So is Mr. Anderson, one of the seven or eight Ministers who were with him; but the Hon. J. A Young is unlikely to be again remove as he was last year, by sudden sickness. which prevented him from sirporting a Bill in which he was warm interested. On top of all other factors. Hr. Holland is opposed by a very exper enced champion of secular educatic in Mr. H. Atmore; but he believes tfcs year that his Bill may get through with a vote or two to spare. In its essence the Bill is not alter* since last year, except that there is no provision for its application to nativ* schools. This part was dropped, m: because the Bill’s sponsors believe native schools should be overlooked but because these establishments under the direct control of the Goverr ment, which would incur additions expenditure, in providing books, were the Bill to be passed. This introduce the appropriation contingency, which Mr. Speaker would be compelK to rule the measure out. as a private Bill involving Government expenditure, even if it did have the support of tr House. On this account the native schools’ provision has been withheld.