MALTA A CROWN COLONY.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 January 1934, Page 19 (Supplement)

MALTA A CROWN COLONY.

THE REASON WHY., ' The people of Malta-have once more been deprived for a- time of the Constitution granting them self-government. The island is again being governed as a Crown Colony; its native ministers have been dismissed. The reason, for this regrettable step is that the. ministers have not only been wasting the financial resources.,of the island but have been defying the terms on which the Constitution was granted, refusing to abide .by the- language settlement and endeavouring 'to force Italian on the children jn the schools. These children speak a native tongue of the Maltese, and .when the -British Government held .a plebiscite of the parents, a'few years ago, asking which extra language they wished their children taught, 98 per cent voted for English. The reason for this decision is that English will be more useful to them in trade and business, and it was laid down in the 1 Constitution that, while Italian should be recognised in the Law Courts, only Maltese and English should be taught in elementary schools.