BURSARIES FOR SOLDIERS' CHILDREN

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3020, 6 March 1917, Page 5

BURSARIES FOR SOLDIERS' CHILDREN

ROMAN CATHOLICS 'AND THE MINISTER, , '"■ . It was announced recently that.tho .Government had decided to- establish, bursaries for tbe children of deceased 'or disabled soldiers. At its last meet- . ing the Dominion Executive of the N.Z. Catholic Federation "addressed a > letter to the Minister of Education (the Hon. J. A. Hanan) on the subject. In j the course .of that letter it said:—"The executive of the federation would like to know if the children of deceased or Catholic soldiers are to be , treated ia the same way—and only in the same ■way —as the children of deceased or . disabled soldiers, of any other demonina- . tion.; _ You must be aware that CathoJio children are not, ; by .virtue'of their faith, allowed to attend ,State scholastic institutions, seen on'a Government , bursary expressly designed for the children of deceased or disabled upholders of tho cause of Empire. Such men havo as high a belief in their faith as they have in tho Empire for which they fought. We see no indication in your published statement regarding war bursaries that any consideration is to Be paid to the children of fallen or disabled Catholic soldiers. The executive would like to be> assured of the mind of the Government on the subject, together with that of the Department (which appears to be generally the determining factor). .■.:,-■' "From the patriotib point of view we contend that as Catholics give and risk their lives as freely; as ..Protestants, their children should be entitled to take out war bursaries at Catholic schools." ■The following letter, in reply, was received by the federation;yesterday:— "I have the honour to acknowledge tho receipt of your letter of Ist instant, ■relativo to the proposed establishment of bursaries for the children of deceased or disabled soldiers. In'reply 1 have to say that it is not tho intention to discriminate in any way between beneficiaries on 'the grounds of the religious convictions 'of. their parents. As tho bursaries will bo of ihe nature of freo places with boarding allowance in certain cases attached to enable the free place to bo held, ■ the place of tenure must necessarily be n school or other institution of a pubJic character at which, under existing regulations, free places may be held."