WIDENING THE DOOR.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 743, 16 February 1910, Page 4

WIDENING THE DOOR.

STATE 'nOR. -ALL^v;

. A; most interesting.Vdiscusskm' on''-the' subject of : &tate .scholarships:'arose when' Air. Mulgan (Canterbury);'m6v«b—*.':rhat'subjiect..'to. the ■ .rtsrriijtio'iis' : ir«ferred%: in" Section J2 Subsection. -tion. Aot,; lSQß,':as:amenaed.:!ii6"th&Educa-' iJ!?a•Amm^ ? 'tional.soholarshißs."ibe^. J opeh--to;:j)vipils l from, all schools which! have beeh?s'ubfec't to inspection under the Education Act for: three years .immediately-.." preceding.' the' date of-the.scholarship examination." ':' ... Ihe mover saidthat.he-was not''at'alr. prepared' to/say'.'that /the present basis of selection of scholarship holders.was tho best.- They ought to' get'-the'bcst brains ,in the'country, ...and'.'h'e ' thought that' . might best .he achieved-by, allowing'all' those who: had- been;subject- to ; inspection under the. Education-Act for three-years . -prior to,'the (date'-of''Hie 'examination/ te' ■ compete -in. such ; examination.--AVhat he , ;proposed.:,was. really-.tos'oßen..thb'-door a httle wider, so v tha£-.aU:'ohildren,'whether .attending the- State not—so .long ,as they; ; w-e're, : uhdei'.-inspection i ac-' ; cording to' be -eligible i.td' ; compete. l . ...';.•/•■:. ?^i*f;;,.;7 •;:7.<9-r.<%,y£>:* ' T:'*vY.- ;V Ca^ i -schools-alsoP.'-'..-..•''. '•"■ ::■ •:-•.,iV.'- .-■ ••'- - t'Mf.: Miilga'ri:'Yes; if they, have '-coin-" plied;.witb.,'the.conditions. -f-.-■.'. ■ .., ■.; .: 77Mr:,'Potrie .'(Auckland) seconded the.hio;tiou./He could see.no reoson.why Catholic', schools ; -should 'not. participate :.'in the .benefits,of scholarships. l .:.-..!. ; .'.r?Jlr.. Bird. (Inspector of Native, Schools). ■ .-'supported-? the-; motion,-; It ■ would.'allow .Maorischolurs.vto' compete 'for'.: junior ; national--;scholarships.' '..-,■-,■■;..•'• J: Jli% .Braik: i[Wariijaniii),foresaw: : dimcul- : ■ties with' regard to the .-syllabuses' of'the'" iprivateischools.,:;'.i..'.'. : •■;■.•■ .'v'' -=--.\ s■ ■;' •>'<■;- :..Tlie. chairman: inspection': implies";that:'-,.'. — : \>';; ■'■:■,.' r \- ; /i-r ::'■ ..-"■ ;:.'Mr; -Bossence"(Otago)- argued!' as another!! .difficulty,, that, the private schools might-; staff.their''classes-' to' the ond that.unfair ,<rompetitjoii"wonld be.experi-' ehcod.: ' ::.:.;;:7;:V:W': ;, "'V/ :: ::.':'":-;--■■'-:---- : -' 'i.'; lilli urged'strongly 'that.,-.the corifbrericeo-'shoitlu-vadop't-''.-thof ,should / iiotipapribeyb'ndotho.,-;Batcs'ofc' I the:: btate.-.institutibns.ft-iirgjii'ro) &f'/#;, previously:.- beenvs opposed, ~-to- '::th'e' .principle ,advocated,?; but: was:' now propared-, to-Sfipport-it. The religious views- 1 ■.of'; a;;ohild'S',.,spiritual ; guardianishould: ! ,?ot..be.;a bartp his'educatioiial'iirivileges?- • -'< '¥■*■ .j.Goyen:-r(o.tego);--i was.-. in! flavour rf;of: the.benefits'■'.of /scholarships< totho.Catholic schools,. As.tb tho other',pii-'Tato-sohools,-,,tlies'o.were-CQnduotedas-'spe-- - cial, institutionS:'foiva'"spec'iar:class,:'VMiv 'able ;to; afford' to :pay; ; for'cducatibn; : <and-1 spinet,morally entitled' tois'chblarships,; -.In Ith6 Case- of, j theft Catholic -schools,., thi}'" 'paren.ts,';pf "th'e f childrenVyfere''- 1 frequently: ;poor:'^'':;''' v .'.':;,, : :'j;^-/:'-;:!:i;- ; : ;y';:"-';-'; v.- ■':■' E;-!i)-:', Stewart.' '(AucMahd^eoijsid-' ! ■ ered that the. arguments; against 'the-pro-" m'u6h':to'-sup- : Pprt---.i.t.:--:He;'co'(ild. not see that -a' class-j 'in the .community',.'which' was. taxed for: ieducatiph.'-whether^t'was'ltoman'Catholic. l ,or .anyvothcr.'.'should' be debarred 'from'-l .coiripetingv.fdiv.schplnrships.''- To-, him'ltpipearedv.to .bo';a":'very:;grave/Inspector, ;Hill had 'said that'.a .CathbliQ;: 1 •school-;'y, , p^ml' J o ba'in , iVnight-'t-'want- ,/to x ...jfo..?tb S'seiJb'nHary:'school:'simflSrlV; W%// Stewart);' submitted- tnaf'that wpuid" have,tb • como;;V'They.VbuTa r :'ha'vo' r tp--'c6irie'- ; to ■ H' of.;the 1 position...that:with re-. ■ gayd. to'''-the of funds';thqfStato'would l -'have, to. supervise every' institution devoted:. £ to'- v tho'■:-education'.of' the .people of'the: country. If "a'Catholio 'child 'gained.' a-; scholarship at', a' Catholio primary school,, and'wished to attend.l:-a'-.Gatholicseeohdary-'school, he-saw no.reason; ;.why'; such. scholarship. should - not',.be; .tenable- at' the -'higher' grade.. Catholic' -school.. There was a great principle'in-, ■volye'd'in. the'.question'.; If a■'.member, of ;tb.o contributed; to'-a public f«nd:fbr,;a'certain on no'reason'-; nblo.'ground could ho ba exclude<l from' 'tho'beheflts which that fund-'implied.:-"-" ',Jlr/'.Gow.(South Cauterbiiry).said:that ,tho-South Canterbury' Education:"B'otird, had for,,years:-adopted!the"Principle"ad-.-vocated..-The junior.:: board scholarships' in the gift of that board, were'open to all private schools;:.! "■'..;'.!:.. ,:-'.'..-:.';.'rJ;;*;: '■' H Mr. ;C., E. :,D. tiohed that, a sbmewliat similari'.p.laii was. followed ;,inyptngq.';ih-.-.Mlatiqri T tqr-j.uhibr'■• board schbla'rships.:,:, >' .".■.'•■■:- ;".-•*.-„■.;-'• feu .;.;Air. Mulgan,. in: ; reply,,;said v ''tha"t.-;the root principle ,of tha'-propositibn.was.that 'those who : contributed tp,:the re'yenue.iof; thb Slate should, participate in'its-bene-. 'fits;'-: ; .;.■,,.,;;,..,:,- i ■ ■i-',:':,:tfi : ;.i"/'-: •!:!:; : ::t.' :!The motion. : was'carried"on the"voices!,' Mhe conference,-shortly -before 4p.m'.;,adjoufned .till. 10. aim; ■to-day,',-. ..-!.- -.'■-':