Equality for Catholic Schools

New Zealand Tablet, Volume L, Issue 29, 26 July 1923, Page 17

Equality for Catholic Schools

Mr. T. T. O’Connor’s motion in the House of Commons, for compdete educational equality for the Catholic and other denominational schools in the country, came up lor a hearing, recently, after having been snowed under in a previous debate. The resolution asks for no more than the denominational schools may justly expect before the law, and declares that the present system of obliging the Catholics in England to build their own schools is contrary to religious and economic equality. There was a slight formal objection to the motion, but as the objection was not persisted in, the motion was carried without further discussion. Whatever objection there was did not come, strangely enough, from the side of the Conservatives. Mr. O Connor himself says that the Conservatives are with him, practically to a man. The slight opposition, such as it was, appears to have chiefly come from the rump of the Non-conformist Conscience, which, as a political force has sunk very much into the background. It has long been a notorious grievance that parents and others believing in a definite Christian education, have not only had to pay their taxes for the building and upkeep of the State schools but have had to put their hands deeper into their pockets to provide the buildings of . their own confessional schools. The acceptance of Mr. O’Connor’s resolution by the House is thus a step towards abolishing believers in Christian education having to pay twice over.