ST. MARY'S SCHOOLS, NELSON.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume VII, Issue 325, 11 July 1879, Page 17

ST. MARY'S SCHOOLS, NELSON.

At the breaking-up of St. Mary's schools for the winter vasation, the Key. A. M. Gann, in addressing the pupils, said that St. Mary's schools had had to contend against great difficulties. They were formerly supported by weekly fees, then for several years they received Government aid, but that had been withdrawn, and they had now to resort to weekly fees again. They were used to such vicissitudes, as they could not stop them. They were treated unjustly and unfairly. At the last election, on the nomination day, Mr. Adams had stated that St. Mary's schools had been a great expense to the Government, but this evidently was untrue, because St. Mary's teachers received the same salaries which were given to Government school teachers and no more ; and, besides, the Catholics had to provide and repair school buildings without any aid from the Government, which evidently showed the fallacy of the assertion. The same gentleman went on to say that the money received from the Government by St. Mary's schools went to improve their own church. No chance was given them to contradict the falsehood. The meeting came to an end against all rules of fairness and courtesy, and the papers at the time declined to insert any more letters on the subject. But let such men make a just cause as bad as they can, they would never have the satisfaction of having done justice and of having fairly represented their constituents. After these remarks, the Rev. Father Mahoney congratulated the children on the satisfactory manner in which they had gone through the examination, and said that they had every reason to feel grateful to their teachers for the interest they had taken in their advancement during the past six months.— Nelson Ecenina Mail. J