FREE RAILWAY. PASSES.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XI, Issue 5, 25 May 1883, Page 17

FREE RAILWAY PASSES.

The following letter on the subject " Free Railway Pasaeß "to denomiS national school children, from the pen of Mr. Henry Copeland, M.L. A., appeared in the Sydney Herald : Sir,— ln yeur Parliamentary report last week, on the above motion of Mr. .M'Laughlin, you only gave the division list on the amendment, and not on the original motion, which has evidently been somewhat misleading, as some of my frierds have drawn my attention to what appeared to them inconsistency on my part — they thinking I had voted against the motion after speaking strongly in favour of it ; whereas I voted in favour of the motion, but against the amendment, which proposed that children going to school should travel free on tramcara and steam Jerries, which seemed to be undesirable in itself as well as tincalled for, seeing the privilege had not been granted, to children attending public schools, and it seems to me we shall act wisely by not importing the question of " secular " versus " sectarian " into the working of our railways, tramways, and other works of general utility constructed and maintained at the cost of the wholecommumty. Hitherto steam power has not been known much as a religious question, nor have locomotives been worked as a general thing on principles of church doctrines, though it may be said that tram motors have- sometimes developed free- thinking proclivities, and have on many occasions decided ou leaving the orthodox track in search of a better way; but now it appears we are to have "secular, compulsory, and free," railway trains, which sectarian children may not ride to learn that two and two make four. • Oh, for the rarity of Christian charity ! This is State aid to religion, say some; and I suppose on the same principle we may make good roads to State schools, but a road leading to a denominational school must be left unmade, as this expenditure would be equally State-aid to denomiuationalism, and the children must pay the penalty for theix parents' conscientious religious scruples by trudging through the mud or dust, the rain or heat, footsore and weary to school, while the secular or State school children ride in a comfortable State railway carriage ; and if police protection was required on the roads to the two classes of schools, it would be granted to the one but refused to the other, and if the two schools weitfon the other sidft of Pyrmont Bridge, the denominationalist children would have to pay tolls, while the secularist children would be permitted to pass over free ; for if you take them free by rail, why let the bridge-tolls stand in the way of children going to school— that, is, a State school— but it would be State aid to remove t|je same obstruction to a denominational school. Only a few month* ago, Sir Henry Parkes strongly opposed Mr. Buchanan's motion to withdraw tn-i stipend from prison chaplains ; but he was in office then and could not see his way to withdraw this direct State aid, in which I agreed with him as a matter simply of expediency j but it seems peculiar logic to say that while the children are innocent and respectable, you will treat one class as those of an outcast race by making them walk while others ride, but no,Booner do they become criminals than the principle of State, aid is on all. sides nearly allowed to sink, oat of. sight, and the "denominational" criminals are treated with {the same degree of liberality as the '{secular, compulsory, and free ' criminals, and .each haye their -spiritual welfarcdeUcately, cared.for at the* cost of the State, *" t&i