EDUCATION & PARTY POLITICS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1822, 7 August 1913, Page 6

EDUCATION & PARTY POLITICS.

•» Tun anti-Reformers in the. House of Representatives pay the school teachers of New Zealand a poor compliment if they think the childish tactics they adopted _ yesterday afternoon arc going to win the Opposition either votes or gratitude. No intelligent body of men "or women is in the least likely, to be deceived

by sucli fantastic tricks, which arc sure to be received with the derision they deserve. The stupid business was started by Mil. Vigor JinowN, wlu. has become quits an adept at this sort of political tomfoolery. Yesterday ha went through the formality of introducing an Education Bill, the object of which socmcd to be, judging from his speech, to provide for an increase of the salaries of teachers. The Bill is, of course, the hollowost of shams, because a private men;ber cannot bring in a measure that would increase public expenditure; but all that tho Opposition wanted was an opportunity of proclaiming from the housetops how their hearts are bleeding for the school teachers, and how badly limy want their votes at the next election. When one of the chief figures in the farcc was asked what his party had done for teachers during the twenty years they had held offioe, he lamely replied that they had helped them "by a process of evolution." Was there ever a more glaring case of asking for bread and receiving a stone ? The teachers had asked for increased salaries, and the "Liberal" Governments bad given them "a process of evolution," which has resulted in the very state of affairs which the anti-Reformers themselves described in such woeful terms yesterday afternoon. The present Opposition party are responsible for the "evolution" of the wrongs which they arc now, for party purposes, demanding that the Governmentshould put right by a stroke of the pen. In view of these plain facts they will find it difficult to persuade any intelligent man, or body of men, that there is any sincerity in their newfound zeal for the interests of the school teachers; they simply want to get back to power, and arc trying to make use of the teachers as one of the means towards that purpose. If Me. Vigor Brown is in earnest, his Bill should have been brought in some years ago when his own party was in office; but, of course, that would not have suited his purpose at all. Indeed, his present Bill is too obviously a sham to be even clever electioneering; it will only make a laughing-stock of himself and his friends. The Government, as in- so many other instances, is in the unassailable position of being able to reply to these wild and empty words by deeds. The present Minister for Education recognises that the teachers have a just grievance, and he intends to remedy it—not to talk, but to act. In the Financial Statement brought down yesterday lie announced an increase in salaries as a first instalment of his education programme, and further steps will be taken next year to improve the lot of thd teachers. It is in some respects a matter for regret that such an' important matter should be dealt with piecemeal. It Would probably have been better to havo gone into the whole question thoroughly during the recess, ancl placed the Government's proposals before Parliament faext session in a comprehensive manner. But the definite proposals of the Government now submitted certainly make the Opposition look very cheap.