PEACE AND EDUCATION

Taranaki Daily News, 25 November 1935, Page 11

PEACE AND EDUCATION

OBJECTS OF INDEPENDENT MISS ANDREWS AT VOGELTOWN. CHILD WELFARE AND MAORI WORK More than 50 Vogeltown electors gave Miss E. Andrews, Independent, an enthusiastic reception on Saturday night when the candidate explained her. policy on the lines of previous addresses. Mr. D. Kemp presided. Miss Andrews dealt first with pacificism. Force, she said, would never achieve anything and the price paid for peace could not be as terrible or as devastating as that paid for war. Countries that took up arms were ready to sacrifice every scrap of decency and to give up people, goods and property to destruction.

“Every problem in the world to-day comes back to the individual,” continued Miss Andrews. “Einstein said if 3 per cent, of people genuinely- wanted peace the world would have it. It is only when a person has clarity and firmness of mind that he can radiate influence over those round him. We always try to shelve the blame of war on somebody else—the Government, the Press, arms manufacturers, capitalism, international financiers. But who sup-' ports alt these? Public opinion. You and I are responsible for war because we are afraid to think straight, afraid of blaming ourselves. War is not only silly and wrong, it is too expensive.” To be rid of war, Miss Andrews said, there must be sacrifice of national arrogance. Nations, too, must sacrifice the right to fight. Peace would not come but by years of effort and co-operation. “It is the duty of Britons the world over to make unremitting efforts for peace because without peace there will be nothing else but destruction,” Miss Andrews said. IMMIGRATION FAVOURED. Miss Andrews contended New Zealand was under-populated. Sooner or later a time would come when the country would have to receive an influx of immigrants. Its best plan would be to encourage new people of nationality akin to the present population. Sir Philip Gibbs had a scheme of organising colonies of immigrants to come out from the distressed areas of Britain. He suggested they should be led by the Prince of Wales, j,who would go with them in the first instance and afterwards maintain active interest. England spent £700,000,000 a year, on poor relief. This now utterly unproductive money could be spent, according to Sir Philip’s plan, on making a new way of life for a modem pioneer stock. Sir Philip submitted his proposal to various Dominion Governments and they agreed it was perfectly practicable, said Miss Andrews. It provided for leadership by the Prince and for organisation by a group of experts; it would be big enough and bold enough to appeal to iHiiHiiiifiiitiiiiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiMtiitiiiaiiiiHiiituiuiiiittiitimii' Photographs of the Hawera Show which are reproduced on this page this morning are obtainable by placing orders at the Taranaki Daily News Office, High Street, Hawera. Price 2/- each. Copies of these photographs, as well as a number of others not reproduced on this page, are at present on view at the Hawera office of the News. the people. It could be adapted to meet special circumstances in New Zealand. Now the Dominion was sending considerable sums to England in interest. What money England saved on poor relief through the immigration scheme could be spen annually in wiping out the interest. Moreover, the immigrants would mean expanded home markets, reduced taxation and the occupation of New Zealand’s “back room.” MONETARY SYSTEM ATTACKED, Miss Andrews attacked the present monetary system because, she < said, it was formulated in times of scarcity and was inadequate for modern times of plenty. Discussing party’ politics she remarked that parties were described as “a natural growth.” She thought them “an unnatural growth that should be removed by serious operation if necessary.” Miss Andrews also advocated the reduction of electorates by half, a fouryear term for Parliament but not an extra year arbitrarily voted, and an elective Cabinet. Reviewing educational provision in New Zealand, she said there were 30 teachers coming Out of Training College next year; the annual wastage from the profession was 500 or 600. Staffing would be a serious problem and classes were already too large.

It was the responsibility of the State to give children the best education, continued Miss Andrews, yet teachers’ training was now cut down by half. ; The Minister of Education had taken Miss Andrews to task for saying grants had -been cut down. She denied stating capitation grants were affected but as- : serted again that they had never been sufficient. Schools had been starved of equipment even before economy measures. The Labour- party had a much finer educational ideal than the Government, perhaps because its ranks were made up of many who had struggled hard for their education and appreciated its benefit. 1 Miss Andrews did not agree with the policy of the Government concerning unemployment. She described it as “completely out-of-date” because it rested on the basis that work was the end of life, not a means to a real end that involved comfort, security and opportunity for higher development. CHILD WELFARE PROBLEM. The problem of child welfare was another matter discussed by Miss Andrews. She felt it was one thing for the reform of which women were particularly necessary in Parliament. There was something gravely wrong with a society in. which the number of illegitimate births, amounted to 1116 in one year. Miss Andrews questioned whether such figures might not be ascribed, in some part, to purely secular teaching in schools. She did not contend that Bible reading would make a wholly. virtuous race, but it might give children a ledge of the inspirational teaching on which the canons of society were supposed to be built. Miss Andrews expressed sympathy with the Maori race. The old-time Maori was industrious, highly organised, not given solely to feasting and fighting. His colonising record equalled that of the white man and he had laboured side by side with the pakeha in carving pioneer homes. “We under-estimate the capabilities of the Maori and we forget our own responsibilities,” concluded Miss Andrews. “We have a big debt to pay for years of hostility and distrust which have bred in the Maori a spirit of non-co-operation and passive resistance. What the Maoris want is to be taught to be self-reliant and to stand on their own feet as they did in the past. Our part is to encourage them and help to preserve the race as an entity." A vote of by Mr. R. A. Gilbert and seconded by Mrs. < R. Burke, was passed to the candidate.