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EDUCATION BILL.

BOUNDARIES COMMISSION. POPULAR ELECTION; Amendments to the Education Amendment Bill were introduced by Governor's Message and referred to the committee on tho Bill. These- amendments weio those foreshadowed by tho Minister in the course of the debate the previous evening. A division was taken on Clause 11, by which it was proposed to set up district councils. An amendment to this clause, which would have had the effect of destroying it, was carried the previous night on the casting vote of the Chairman. The clause was retained by 29 votes -to 28. Mr. G. W: RUSSELL asked whether inspectors were to be classed as officers of the Public, Service, and to be appointed by the Public Service Commissioners under the proposed centralisation Bchemo.

The question was not quite in point on the clause under- consideration— which dealt with the payment of an allowance and travelling expenses to members of the General Council and the District Councis, and the Minister did not answer it at the moment.

.Part 111 of the Bill, dealing with the reduction of the number of education districts, was next considered.

SIR JOSEPH WARD said that he thought the number of districts need not be at once reduced to "not less than seven or more, than nine." He would advise the Minister to accept an amendment which he proposed to move,' allowing the Commission, if it thought wise, to set up .as many ae ten districts. '■

Mr. J. B. HINE said that he was opposed .to the settlement of this problem by a Commission. It was all very well to say that the reduction in the number of education districts was necessary in the interests of the teachers, but surely others, deserved -consideration as well as the teachers. The country children ought to be considered, and he was sure that' in these large areas as proposed the backblocks districts would be neglected. He believed strongly in the efficiency of local control. He would much prefer to see the Minister go on with his proposal as made to the House the previous day, to have nine education districts, five of them in the North Wand.

' Mr. H. POLAND said he would like to see the number of education districts reduced to four or five. To -reduce tlie number to nine would be mere paltering with the question.

. The Minister's ' proposal that tho Commission should define- districts' not more than seven or more than nine in number was agreed to by 33 votes to 25. -.■■:''■ .■■■■■

Papular Election, ( Mr. A. H. HINDMARSH moved an amendment to the clause dealing with the election-of education boards to Erovide for popular election of memers. .' The Hon. J. ALLEN said he could not accept, the amendment, which, would entail an added'cost of £18,000.

Mr. G. J., ANDERSON also opposed the amendment on the ground that ■the cost' would be great,- and- there would,bo no adequate return for it.

Mr. J. ROBERTSON said that the present method of electing school committees was farcical. It was absurd to call if election , by popular franchise. At present he Relieved the reason why the people took no interest in education was that they had no, control over it. .

The Hon. J. ALLEN said that in his original Bill he had proposed a, popular election for members of education boards in urban districts, but this had been cut out by the Committee. If the House would support him, he would reinsert this i in the Bill. Would the Opposition support such a proposal ? ' . Mr.'"Witty: Wait till you get to the clause.' •■-■■■ Mr. Allen: The honourable member blows hot and cold. ' ■ Mr. G. WITTY eaid he would support not' tho . Minister's proposa.l, hut the wider proposal in Mr. Hindmarsh's amendment (which dealt with all elections, in rural as weir as urban districts). Mr. C. A'. WILKINSON (Egmont) quito agreed with the Minister that it would cost a great deal to elect the boards' on popular franchise. The sub-clause in tho original Bill providing for the election of boards in' urban districts only on popular franchise was reinserted in the Bill (having been struck out by the Education Committee) on the voices. Mr. R. M'CALLUM moved an amendment to the effect that when an education board . was .extinguished the board; offices in the district should be maintained in those districts for local administration. The Minister declared that the proposal was impracticable, and said he would not support it. Mr. M'Callum's amendment was de-. feated on a division by 35 to 17. Urban School Districts. Respecting the provision for the creation of' urban school, districts by combining several school districts within an urban area, Messrs. T. K. Sidey (Dunedin South), and H. G. Ell (Christchurch South) protested that the proposal was dangerous and that it would havo an unfortunate effect if it did away with committees attached to separate schools which had done very good work. Mr. ALLEN said that there was nothing compulsory in the clause, but that if tho committees saw a chanco of gaining advantages ly amalgamating the way was open for them to take. He was of opinion that there were advantages in amalgamation. One Rain would bo .the opportunity of providing a special school'for backward children. Moreover, the libraries could probably be better equipped and administered by a united body. Ho added that he fully appreciated tho good work school committees had done. Mr. J. PAYNE.(Grey Lynn) said that school committees were as pinpricks in the lifo of a school teacher. The clause relating to the amalgamation of school committees in urban disetricts was amended. The clause originally provided that such an amalgamation might take place on the decision of a majority of tho committees concerned. The amendment was to tho effect that a two-thirds majority should be required to carry amalgamation.. The Nelson system. Mr. R. M'CALLUM proposed to add a new clause providing that ministers under, the Marriage Act, or their accredited representatives, should havo tho ricrht to conduct Bible lessons during ono half-hoar per week (within school hours), attendance at the lessons not to be compulsory and no payment direct or indirect to bo made by the State in connection with the lessons. Mr. T. K. SIDEY said ho feared that this would entail elections of school committees being, , fought out on the question of religious teaching in schools. Mr. -ALLEN said he oould uot accept the clause.

After some discussion Mr. M'Callum withdrew the amendment. The Use of School Buildings. The Minister said that ho proposed to _ draft the , following now clause, which had been added by tho Education Committee during his absence: "Provided that nothing in this section, or in any by-laws of the board, shall prevent tho committee from granting as it'shall deem fit tho uso of the school buildings as aforesaid for the purpose of moral and religious instruction." Mr. G. J. ANDERSON Mataura) eaid that he was. in favour of the present system of education, and during this Parliament would vote against any alteration of the existing principle. But the new clause did not affect that principle. Mr.H. ATMORE (Nelson) said that in the district where this system had worked there was absolutely no friction. A division was called for, but no one offered to tell for those in favour of deleting the clause, so the clause stands part of the Bill. Country's Business Must be Done. Some discussion ensued on the eubclause which proposed that no new school should be established within five miles of an, oxisting school (except in certain circumstances). Members said that in the interests of the country districts, the distances should be lessened, and the Minister agreed to alter the distance to "four miles by road." This amendment was made to the clause. . Half an hour after midnight Mr; G.' W.' Russell (Avon) asked how far the Minister proposed to go, during the sit--ting. Mr. Russell said that the House was exhausted. Hβ aided that he was "played out." Mr. Allen: So am I played out, but the work of the country has to be done. I understood from* ; the Leader of the Opposition last night that the Bill would go through in two nights. : The Minister said a little later on that the Prime Minister had other work arranged for for Monday, and wanted the present Bill finished. On the clause dealing with the transfer of teachers, Mr. A. H. Hindmarsh moved an amendment to the effect that in the event of a teacher boing transferred his salary should under no circumstances be reduced, unless he was transferred because of incompetence on his" part. The amendment was defeated by 25 votes to 24

Another amendment by Mr.» Hind marsh to bring secondary sohools under the direct control of education boards was defeated by 27.votes to 17. (Left sitting.)

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19141017.2.52.3

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2283, 17 October 1914, Page 9

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,467

EDUCATION BILL. Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2283, 17 October 1914, Page 9

EDUCATION BILL. Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2283, 17 October 1914, Page 9

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