"Delightful Statements"

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31113, 16 July 1966, Page 1

"Delightful Statements"

(From Our Own Reporter) WELLINGTON, July 15. “Delightful statements” made by the Wellington Teachers’ College Students’ Association in a submission to the Statutes Revision Committee on the Electoral Amendment Bill were quoted in Parliament today by Sir Leslie Munro (Govt, Waipa). The submission was tabled in the House, and disclosed, in addition to nine spelling errors, several instances of bad grammar and many uncorrected typing mistakes.

Sir Leslie Munro said it was the submission of the “learned people” who

supported the case of the Opposition in relation to voting and the Vietnam war. “I do not suggest that these students are representative of all the teachers in this country—God forbid,” he said. “But let us have a look at the letter. It refers to Yearbook statistics and says: ‘ln 1961 well over 14,000 people below the age of 21 years were married. In 1963. 18 per cent of first births were bom to mothers under the age of 21 years.’ “Then we come to a delightful statement—‘There has been a steady

upward trend towards younger motherhood.’ “Then these learned people who support the case of the Opposition refer to the responsibility of marriage. Let me spell responsibility as they have given it—r-e-s-p-o-n--d-s-i-b-i-l-i-t-y and marriaage is spelt m-a-r-r-a-i-g-e —is that not delightful? “Then we come to the ‘an extension of suffrage’, and that word is spelt s-u-f-f-e-r-a-g-e. “How do they spell eligible? These people, who have supported consist ently the opinion of the Opposition on Vietnam, spell it e-l-i-g-a-b-l-e. “Is not that lovely?”