THE MAYOR AND THE SCHOOLS DEFENCE LEAGUE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2188, 29 June 1914, Page 6

THE MAYOR AND THE SCHOOLS DEFENCE LEAGUE.

($> the Editor.)

•{Sir,—lf the statement (regarding his "communication" to rae concerning the refusal to allow our Schools Dcfcnce advertisement to appear on the city tramcars) attributed to his Worship the Mayor in your columns this morning is ; correctly reported. I have no hesitation in characterising it (the statement) a's a gross misrepresentation of the facts. Here they are:— j I, on behalf of our league, communicated with his Worship (by telephone) on Wednesday, asking him_ if, he could undertake to preside at oith'er of our meetings next Sunday (that in the Basin j Reserve in the afternoon, or that in the new Opera House in the evening). 'He replied (speaking' frofti the Town Hall): "No," and, after a pause, "I- think I have engagements for Sunday. I shall let you Know later." (I presume I tlianked him.). He added: "With regard to the advortisement affair, I have been out of town, and only just return•I , krre|?sJothing about your iipplicacationforjglvertising oil the tramcars: but if you modify the advortisement and send it in, it will.-1 think, be placed on the cars."£?ls"eplicd: "It s no use ; it's too late." replied: "Well, I'm in no way•to;blajir^' ; ', and by way of winding up liis ''communication" he replied: ""Welli'Tir'seo when I get home "about my Sunday engagements, .and ring you ■up presume I agfain'thanked liim.) He i|ang up later saying lie found lie, had engagements for Sunday afternoon'and ; :eyening.'Now,-, to say (if his Worship dill really say) that, he made any reforehce (while-speaking to rae) to the Committee having met, ;br to- pur "welcome, to have the 'advertisement on the cars," and-that I thanked him^on.behalf of the leagtio or iny&plf for any services rendered,- or to' be rendered, in that connection, is simply and plainly not true. —I am. etc;, HUGH MACKENZIE. . -Hon: secretary N.Z. National Schools Defence League. . ' "V, ~ [In reference to the above letter/his 'Worship the- Mayor 'has asked- ■ us'to state that lie ca'tne back to town oil Tuesday night .from the country, and on 'Wednesday afternoon attended a meeting of the Tramwav Committee. ' The committee dealt with the implication- of the-'league for advertisements on tlie 'trams,-.and 'came'to a,decision on the mattc-r. He promised to communicate with Professor Mackenzie as soon' as possible., and just gfter. 7 ojcloclt rang up the 'University. The official who answpred brought .Professor_ Mackenzie, pnd. the Mayor then told him what was determined by tlie committco with reference to. the advertisements,, saving that the committee was . quite willing that the league's advertisements should be nut on the trams, but that the. ad-verisement-3 must be subject to revision and agreement between the Tramway Board and tho loagiie. Professor Mackenzie replied that it was too late, and that they would do nothing rriore in the matter. "I am quite willing," said Mr. Luke, "to leave it. to Official who answered the telephone whether or not 1 rang up and asked for Professor Mackenzie, and. whether qr not Professor Mackenzie came to the telephone, for whom I had a communication." Mr. Luke said tl|at lie thought'. Professor Mackenzie ntfst have forgotten' one of the occasions when he was in telephonic communication with him. Professor Mackenzie rang up first: then the Mayoiv about. an hour after, rang up to tell him about bis Sunday nn&ngeme'nts; but the conversation about the committee's decision occurred som# hours later. Mr. Luke added that Inst night lie telegraphed to Professor Mackenzie, stating that he had rearranged bis encairemrn'.s, and could take the chair at the Sun-

day ovcning meeting; but he received a reply thanking him, and stating that other arrangements had been made.]

Sit, —In your columns tlio Mayor is reported to have said at the last' City Council meeting that the advertisement of the National Schools Defence League would have been placed on the city cars, if the wording of the advertisement had been altered. What authority the Mayor had. for making such;a statement I'do not know. The fact, is that when the advertising agents reported that the advertisement had been refused, I inquired from the city electrical engineer (Mr. Ridinrdson) and from the secretary of the Tramway Board the ground of the refusal, and both informed me that the board had refused the advertisement, not on account of its wording, but, on nccaunt of.' iho controversial character of the subject advertised.. . Will the Mayor publicly state the authority for his statement?—l am, otc., THOS. A. HUNTER. June 26. 1914 [In reply to this letter, Mr. Luke said the Tramway. Board did not decide the policy of the council. . It was purely an administrative "body, and its refusal-of the advertisement was reported to him as soon as lie reached Wellington. On Wednesday the matter.was submitted ito tho Tramway Committee, which passed a resolution that a communica--tion be sent to the league 6tating that the council was prepared to receive tlio advertisement—but the advertisement would need to be subject to agreement between* both parties. It was the decision of the committee,- nbt of tlie Tramway Board, winch ho communicated to Professor Mackenzie. The. committee had no objection to the advertisement, only to some'phrases in it.]' CANON GARLAND ON THE . defence league. ; . Preaching, at -Kent Terrace Presbyterian . Church' last _ Canon Garland said that ever since Sir Charles Bcwenhad stated in '1877 that nineteen,, twentieths of' the people-.desired Biblereading in schools-for the children thero had been continual protests from tlio Christian Churches as a result of the "entirely secular"'. law,- Tlio Roman Catholic Church- liad' showiv its objection by' \vithdruwing as many of her children as possible and building schools iii-competition with the national schools. Other Christian' churches'-were more lo.val to the State, not seeking to wreck, tlio national' system; but 'continually seeking to have religious teaching restored. He did not mean to convey that- tlie' voice'of New Zealand was unanimously discontented' with the entirely secular, law,. ..There.was one section quite.'satisfied:'.;, Mr:, Jpsepli M'Cabe, on iliilv 3. 1910, 'addressed -a meeting in AYellih'gtjon;.with Professor Hugh Mackenzie of tho entirely secular'law, arid ' this 'address- was.,^r<jlJpAse^,..-.i»y > -the creation of a Secular Education'Defence.League, wi'tli ; Profe^sor l 'Mackenzic'as.trsasurer;