CHURCH SCHOOLS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2865, 1 September 1916, Page 6

CHURCH SCHOOLS

CATHOLIC FEDERATION'S DEMANDS MINISTER LAYS DOWN POLICY NO SUBSIDIES TO PRIVATE SCHOOLS ' A' definite statement of policy on certain quostions that have been the subject of controversy between the Education Dopartment and the Roman Catholic community was made last night by tho Minister of Education (tho Hon. J. A. Hauan), in reply to a deputation from the Catholic Federation. . Mr.' D. Li Poppelwell, president of tho federation, said that tho deputation could claim to represent a large proportion of the population of the Dominion, probably one-seventh. These people paid their taxes liko other citizens, they had sent a disproportionately largo number of their men away to the war, so that they had done their duty to the State aud to the Empire. This beiii£ 60, they claimed that they had a right to share in the educational privileges enjoyed by other people in the community.

Scholarships and Frea Places. The first point he*wished to mention related to tlie holding of scholarships in Catholic schools by tihpse who had won them in open competition. The regulations provided that thoso scholarships wore tenable only at the nearest convenient school. There wore so few Catholic schools in the country that some modification of the regulation should be made to meet the case of Catholic children who wished to hold their scholarships at Catholic secondary schools. Another question concerned the medical inspection of pchools. Some timo ago the Minister had said that he was prepared to placo Catholic schools on tlie same footing as any other public schools in regard to medical inspection, but now tho Department stated that it had not enough medical inspectors to go through all schools. The Catholic Federation then made an offer to find doctors, provided the Department would allow to them the per capita, cost incurred in the inspection of tho children of State schools. To this the Department would not agree. Tho federation had a complaint also about the .regulations governing tho issue of free railway passes for children attending Catholic ■schools. For 25 years this concession had been granted without question, but recently somebody bad discovered an old regulation which imposed vexatious restriction's. ' For instance, boys at Port Chalmers were not allowed passes to attend the Brothers' School in Dunedin, because thero was a Catholic School at Port Chalmers. But this school at Port Chalmers was a Nuns' School, not intended for boys, and it was urged that the'boys ought to be allowed to travel Ui Dunedin. The federation urged that the "School Journal" should be issued free to Catholic Schools as to State schools. Regarding free -places, he urged that they should be on exactly tho same footing as scholarships, ajid that they should be tenable in Catholic secondary schools. He contonded that tho "registered" schools should hav ; e some representation on the Council of Education. ■ .

About Promises Made. 1 Certain of those things for which they asked had been promised to Catholics. In view of more recent, actions of tho Department perhaps they might be pardoned if they entertained some little doubt as to tho • bonafides of the promises made.. They would liko to be toty definitely whether they were being treated honestly, or whether they were being given answers to put them off. If they could- not get satisfaction they must set about getting their rights .by other means, which they were entitled as free citizens to employ. They were not asking for concessions. Everything that they asked for they were entitled to in common justice. If the Department was going to say "No," they would like to have that' answer definitely, and at once.

The Rev. / Father Coffey referred in more detail to some of .the matters dealt with by Mr. Poppelwell, and ho raised one new matter —that of capitation grants for -4}io teaching of swimming to pupils of Catholic schools. For one year they had been permitted in Dunedin to send their children to the public baths to be taught swimming, but the next year the grant was withdrawn. He mentioned, in support of this claim, that the money paid in capitation for these swimming classes was not paid to the school or to the Church, but to the City Corporation which controlled the baths. If the Catholic schools had batlis of their own the objection might be raised that a swimming grant would be a grant to the Church authorities. That objection could not be raised regarding this case. , % ' National Government's Decision.

The Hon. J. A. Hanan, ,in reply, said that on a previous occasion the federation liad made certain representations. Holding as he did that they involved questions of policy, he had considered it his duty to submit them -to tlio tional Cabinet. This he had dono at a full meeting of the National Cabinet. Tho chief questions raised related to the tenure of S'tato scholarships at private schools, tho grant of capitation for free places at private sohools,' and tho'frce issue of tlio "School Journal" to pupils in privato schools. "Gentlemen," said Mr. Han.au, "you have asked'me to give you a straightforward answer, and I am going to give it ;to you. The view of the National Cabinet is that to grant these concessions would be directly opposed to the existing policy of a national system of education. The National Government, I think I am right in saying, stands for i the present national system of education, and therefore is not favourable to tho granting of any concessions which would ultimately lead to the undermining of our national system, concessions which would lead ultimately to the breaking tip and laying in ruin's of our State system of education."

What Concessions Would Mean. v Mr. Hanan went on to' refer to one or two of tlio concessions asked for Regarding the demand for capitation for free; places in secondary schools, ho pointed out that if this wore granted it would mean 1 that tho State would be supporting private secondary schools, and as these were increasing in number already, they would assuredly increase moro i;apidly if they wore given subsidies, and so the State secondary school' system would bo broken down. And if capitation wore given for froo secondary cducation'in private schools', bow could the State refuse capitation grants for free primary schools.

Regarding the "School Journal," the State supplied this- journal for 'tlio uso of tbe State Public Schools. There was no more reason why it should supply tho journal for private schools than thoro was for it to supply books or material or other services which were given to Stato schools, paid for out ,of the Consolidated Fund.. The question was, "Aro we to have a national system or a donomiiiational system of education?" He was charged with tho duty of maintaining tho present free, secular, and compulsory system, and he was unable to givo concessions which would violate that pojiojr. The question of medical inspection of

Catholic schools was rather different. I Although medical inspection was carried ou by tho Education Department, ho did not regard it as an educational work, but rather as a measure for the preservation of tho health of our population. It was carried out in the schools rather than in tho homes of the children for the sake of convenience. Any cost involved in the medical inspection of Catholic schools would not be a grant towards the support of pri'rato schools. Unfortunately the Department had at present very few medical inspectors, and they wero unable to copo with tho work. He hoped that before long tho Department would be able to add to the number of its medical inspectors. He had considered tho proposal that the Catholic schools should be allowed to find medical men to carry out the work of inspecting their own' schools, the State defraying the cost. He had come to the conclusion that such a grant to pay the salary of an officer acting in a private school, and not under the State, would be a .violation of the policy of' Stato education. He could not agree to grants to any religious body. If such grants were made to one religious body they would have to bo mado to others, and the result would bo to break up the State system of education. . . It had been stated that certain premises had been made to the Catholic Federation. He was not aware of any promises made by himself, nor could he find any evidence in the files of any promises made by his predecessors.

Other Questions. Ho promised to look into tho question raised about the withdrawal of free railway passes. governing the issii9 of free school tickets had been in existence for some time, hut they had not been observed cither by children attenJTng Catholic schools or hy those ottending other schools. It had been necessary in certain cases to draw attention to the meaning and import of tho regulations. Ho would also look- into the P Ol1 ™ about grants for swimming. Should the niafdng of such grants involve a violation of the present policy it would lie his duty for reasons he had. given to refuse tho request. ' He was sorry he could not accede to tho • request that registered' schools should'he represented on the Council of Education. The main purooso of tbis council was to advise the Government schools "under its own control The Government had no direct control over private schools, except that it required that the education given to pupils in them 6houldl be efficient. -For this reason ho did not trunk the constitution of the Council of Education should bo amended to enable representatives of Catholic schools \ to sit upon it. , •; , Mr. Poppelwell said that ho wah flad tho Minister had given definite answers as to tho policy of the • tional Government. ' He was glad to know how the Catholics stood, and it thev, 140,000 of tho people of the Dominion, took other steps to gain what thev deemed was their due, nobody could blame them. Ho thanked Mr. Hanan for his straightforward reply.