MINISTER IN SOUTHLAND.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17177, 22 October 1923, Page 11

MINISTER IN SOUTHLAND.

HON C. J. PARR’S VISIT. i,• “ | (Special to the “S I tar.”'t TNVEROARGIIX. October 21. | I A luncheon was tendered by the } j Southland Teague and Chamber of j I Commerce to the of h-duea- j i tion, tlie JTon C. J. Parr, on Satur- | day. . 1 Speeches of welcome were given by j the president of the League. Mr Brod- , orick. and th© chairman of the Cham- ! her of Commerce. Mr Hoyles, who rei ferred in a complimentary manner to j the Minister's great work for the cause jof education since taking over the | portfolio four years ago. Mr Hoyles ! expressed a hope that as a Minister of the Crown Mr Parr would extend j sympathy and support in any matters [ affecting the well-being of Southland, j particularly concerning railway and | postal facilities, which at present j greatly handicapped the province, i Being an integral part of the Do- ! minion, with greater opportunities for j expansion than many other districts, j they only asked what was fair and reasonable. In the course of his reply, the Mini ister thanked them for their hospital- ' ifcy. He briefly reviewed the work of i the Education Department, and re- ; ferred to such questions as the coni solidation of rural sfchools and giving j equal opportunities to country chilI dren with those in towns for a sounder i education, with a view to overcoming ! the present tendency to drift from the j country to the towns. He also made I a few observations regarding the posi 1 tion of the country financially, both ; public and private, and sounded a i rote of caution against another orgy | of extravagance and land gambling as i likely to lead, to a repetition of the 1 slump of 1920-21. The country was i well round the corner now, and ha | hoped that recovery bad not been too i quick, which sometimes was dangerous. The 7>ublished returns for the six j months had indicated that the esti ! mated revenue was exceeded by | £900,000. principally in Customs, , which indicated larger importations, i It was absolutely essential to keep | the trade balance right. Retailers | were, he thought, inclined to be a little i too optimistic, and should exercise caui tion. There was no cloud on the horij zori, but he thought it better to be j careful of land values and importations | j during the next twelve months. The railway returns for the six months j just closed indicated a remarkable im- | provement over the corresponding [ period of last vear. to the extent of £227.000. I Subsequently the Minister laid the ! foundation stone of a new building for the Boys’ High School, which is being erected at a cost of £35,000. Various speakers referred to the steady progress mad© in education in ilie district, and the Minister, in a j stirring speech, commented on the necessity for secondary education to fit ! boys and girls for their future life. Over 20.000 scholars were being trained in secondary schools to-day, and those in primary schools who gained a proficiency certificate with •54 per cent took a higher education. The new building will be on,e of the best ni the Dominion, having ten class rooms, with all modern adjuncts, and The Min ister will return to Dunedin by Monday afternoon's express.