THE W.E.A.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 236, 5 October 1928, Page 9

THE W.E.A.

POLITICAL BIAS ALLEGED. MUNICIPAL GRANTS. LIMITED TO £100. (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Thursday. The special proposal that local authorities should be permitted to make such grants as they think fit out of the general account for the purposes of the Workers' Educational Association, gave rise to a close division in the Legislative Council to-day, the fear being expressed that the association was working in the interests of a certain political party and that local bodies of the same political colour might make unduly large grants. The Hon. T. S. Weston said that while he supported the objects of the association, he thought there should be some limit to the allocation of funds by municipal corporations to the W.E.A. * The opinion was expressed by Hon. L. M. Isitt that the movement worked in the interests of one political party organisation, and that there was not

sufficient oversight of its operations to prevent that. The Hon. G. J. Garland said he was certain the association had got into the hands of a certain claea of lecturer. Lecturens would not be tolerated unless they were favoured with party politics. If the clause was passed it would be possible for a local authority to give away thousands of pounds of the ratepayers' money. Col. Smith deprecated the remarks, which he said were unduly hard on the W.EA. He added that there was no doubt that the movement had been a power for good in the community. The Leader of the Council, Sir F. D. Bell, said he quite agreed that there be some limit, and he moved the insertion of words to fix a limit of £100 in any one year. Col. Smith: I suggest you should double that amount. Voices: No £100 is quite enough. "I marvel," said the Hon. L. M. Isitt, "that the Government should 1 be so blind as to allow grants to be made to a movement which, while inaugurated for a magnificent purpose, is, I am quite certain, wielding a major influence, which is not for the good of the class for whose benefit the movement was inaugurated." The £100 limitation was agreed to on the voices, and the clause, as amended, was then approved by 15 votes to 12.