The English Education Bill

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXVI, Issue 18, 7 May 1908, Page 33

The English Education Bill

Mr, J. E. Redmond, .M.P., addressing a crowded meeting in the Free ITrade Hall, Manchester, on March 15, referred as follows to the English Education Bill : I (object on .prinaiple to any scheme of contracting-out,. .What we claim, and have a right to claim for the Catholic schools of this country, is equality of treit-* ment, and the contractin^-out means the creation of two classes of schools— a superior class and jan inferior class. It puts on our schools— there is no getting away from it— the badge of inferiority, and from the point cf view of justice, >it seems to me incomprehensible how any man in his senses can say, that it is just to call upon 1 Catholics to pay schooL, rates for the public . schools and then pay over again for the maintenance of their own." 1 ' There has been a .great cry within the last few years from certain- sections ,or the= population,- agan.sf. what is called •' Rome.- on the rates:'. That is~ tor sayp Protestants object to pay for the teaching; of the CathoMc religion in the Catholic schools. Wel^^Sitow, I have two things to s>ay about that. First of all, it is no worse, to ask them to pay rates for Catholic schools than to ask us Catholics to pay rates for Protestant schools. But I "nave a t better |answer even than that. Protestants in England at present do not pay rates for the mad'ntens.nce tof Catholic schools. If the rates paid by Catholics in- this country were earmarked and pooled', they would be sufficent to pay for every Catholic school in the eourtry. If the Catholics of this country pay enough |to maintain their schools, what is the meaning of talking of making Protestants pay for their schoolsr? Thby do nothing o f the kind. On ■the second reading, of Mr.. Birrell's Bill in 1906 I made a suggestion that the Canadian system, Ithe system that is on foot in the Protestant Province of Ontario and the Catholic Province of Quebec, should apply. It is perfectly .simple. When a rateDayer in those provinces is called upon to pay school rates, he has to fill up a form, |to say whether he wishes it to go t 0 the |public school, the Protestant,- or" the separate school Ihe Catholic. Then all. the money so car-marked for the Catholic schools is pooled together, and handed over foi these schools, an'l if there is not enough,, the G^thcljcs have to provide this difference, and so far as the! Catholics of tbis country are concerned, I am perfectly sure, they would be ready to take that risk. At present, as I have said, the Catholic ratepayers pay enough to maintain all the Catholics schools • but if that were not so, and were to change in the future, I beheye the Catholics would be contented if the |Eduoation rate paid by them were ear-marked, pooled, and handed over as I Shave stated, and then find the difference if need be. But I ought to say Ido not see that it is an •impracticaßle suggestion. In (1906 I got. an a nswer in the House of -..Commons : ' That it is all very well m panada, but it could not 'be carried out in England ' I do no^-see why every Catholic who pays his rates should not be allowed- to declare that he wishes his money to go to the Catholic schools, and if that were SUjJ?. "SuV I^m Vt£tJ»J^^ ZL^U v^!n^t v c&tholic schools ift a p° sitlo » 5 «,» T^l xpense of education has rapidly increases within fuW ™ W - y ' earS ' and will **evitably increase in the 'It wil?L mCr^ c Un^ r the scheme of «*e l?v 9 n!!L met ll ti*: *&*e of the Protestant schools LrJSv 6 l n , the , sch °° l rate ; but in the |case 6f the Catholic schools it win , have to be met out of the Voluntary contributions of the people