EXPEDITIONARY FORCES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 28, 27 October 1917, Page 10

EXPEDITIONARY FORCES

TEACHERS' EXEMPTION CLAUSE

REJECTED BY THE COUNCIL

A SCENE IN THE HOUSE

HON. G. W. RUSSELL LEAVES THE CHAMBER

The Legislative Council met yesterdav it 2.30 p.m. SOCIAL HYGIENE. SIR FRANCIS BELL, Leader of the Council, moved tho second reading of the Social Hygiene Bill. He explained the modifications that had been made in the Bill since its introduction in tho House of Representatives. Tho powers originally sought by the Government with the object of checking venereal disease were not now contained in the Bill, and he did not know if the measure was 6fffl fully effective in its provisions. "Unanimity on' this subject did not 66em to be attainable, and the difficulties of discussion as well ;is legislation were very great. .The subject was 6o distasteful that many people did not . make tnemelves acquainted <, with the facts. The easy way of dealing with it was to say that the danger of the disease and its prevalence.had been exaggerated. •But that refuge was not open to the Council. The danger was imminent and growing, and it would be accentuated inevitably during the period of demobilisation, which might not be so far distant ad some people imagined. .The chief provision of the Bill now made it a statutory obligation on every person suffering Trom venereal disease to consult a qualified, medical practitioner. Heavy • penalties' were provided for failure to accept medical treatment, and as a necessary corollary provision was made for ■ treatment being provided at public institutions. The experiment of appointing women police, or patrols, was to be be tried..- i . - The Hon. Dr. COLLINS said he be.lieved the medical profession generally •woulS welcome the Bill. It contained manyprovisions they cordially supported. The doctors regretted the absence of pfov'ision for notification of the disease. The medical men had taken up this matter at Dunedin twenty-three years ago, and since then had made many attempts to direct tho attention of the proper authorities' to tho ravages of, venereal disease._ They, had expressed',a definite opinion in favour of tho disease being made notifiable like other serious infectious diseases. The venereal diseases were contagious, and were curablo _ if treated properly iu tho early stages. They were on the sama footing in these respects as smallpir and diphtheria, and they ought to be handled in the same - direct way. New. Zealand was in a >very favourable positirm owing'to its isolated situation and Us comparatively small SopuiaTion, and he had no doubt the Isease could be. very much reduced if ! proper measures were taken. He hoped .that no 6oldier suffering from . venereal disease in a communicable form would be allowed to return to New Zealand nnt.il cured. He believed this rule was being enforced at . the present time. Dr. Collins quoted ' some figures with regard to the prevalence of venereal disease in New Zealand. He said that of 40,773 balloted men examined by the medical boards up to June 30, 550 men had been suffering from venereal disease. The need for some form of notification was very great in order that the prevalence of the disease might be made ; known and treatment provided. The Hon. G. CARSON said the Bill ■was a'useful one, but not so good as it had' been in" its original form. He fav- : oured notification. The Bill was Tead a second time. Answering questions after the Bill had been committed, Sir Francis Bell said that sufferers who could not afford to pay for medical treatment could go to the public hospitals. The Bill gave tho .-'- Minister power to pay for the treatment ' of persons who were not within reach of a hospital. ■ Sir. Walter Buchanan pointed out that the Bill made it an offence for a person • Buffering from venereal disease to handle '. food intended for sale, but did not prevent an employer allowing an infected person to handle food for the employer's family. ' " '■ The clause was amended so as to make the provision apply fully to domestic '..•workers. • ' ,'„'.,, The Bill was put through Committee, Tead a third time, and passed. WATER POWER. " SIR FRANCIS BELL moved the seco.id reading-of the State Supply of Electrical Energy Bill, which provides a system of "accounts' for State water power schemes. : Tho Hon. J. BARR said he suspected that the proposed reserve fund was a device for concealing profits. Tho development of water power should be undertaken for the benefit of the people who used the electricity. •.- _. .'' Sir Francis Bell:.'"For the benefit of •■the Dominion as a whole." A successful :Bchenie'inight provide funds for developi.menfc elsewhere. •'"': The Hon.. R- MOORE said there would Tm'separate accounts for each scheme, so that any transfers of funds would easily be traced. ' _ The Bill was put through Committee, Tead a third time, and passed. LAND LAWS. The Land Laws Amendment Bill was put through its remaining stages and passed. EXPEDITIONARY FORCES EXEMPTION OF TEACHERS '' COUNCILLORS IN PROTEST. SIR FRANCIS BELL moved the second " reading of the Expeditionary Forces Bill. '• He explained the provisions of the Bill briefly. The clauso relating to the exemption of clergy; and the amendment 'added by the.House exempting teachers, i.were debatable. He did not believe that any real objection could be taken to the exemption of the clergy. The vast majority of the people were greatly concerned with the maintenance of religious ob- , gervance. The ministraitons of the clergy : could be regarded as an essential industry from the point of view of most sec- :. tions of the community. The House had - struck out the schedule dffinmg the denominations to be exempted, and he would not ask the Council to reinstate it. The determination of whether or not an individual was entitled lo exemption would be left to the Military Service Boards. Will regard to the teachers, he could say as an ex-Minister of Education that the depletion of the ranks or the teachers had reached a stage where some cftort to maintain the efficiency of the schools became essential. The clause covered a cla«s of persons for whom it might not have been possible to provide special fx- ' emption. A provision to exempt a*particular class of teachers, leaving other tfachers liable to service, would have met with determined opposition, founded fo. manv on good reason and for some on sectarian prejudge. Would any Counm 1- .. lor sav that the members of the teaching i profession still in New Zealand ought to •• be placed in exactly the same position ■ ns the ordinary reservist, say a shop ■ assistant? . The maintenance of the teaching service was essential He beIfeved that the replacing of male teachers by female teachers in hoys' classes was a'ereat disadvantage both to the teachers and those taught. If the necessity for the exemption of teachers was admitted, then tho Marist Brntn'ers wem entitled to share the exemption. These_ brothers were engaged entirelv in teaching work in schools maintained by a. denomination that did not think it-right to send its children to secular schools. The House Sn'akT'arriVed at"its,M?ci'sion'-'on thls'sub- »'•}*&. after long /debate, and he would 'not anticipate the'difficulties that woulfl arise if the Council could not agree. If the Council could reason the matter out without the religious bitterness that was

a hateful feature of political life, it would have set an example that would ba valuable. The issue was whether or not the claims of education should be recognised.

Equality of Sacrifice. / The Hon. W. EARNSHAW said he could congratulate Sir Francis Bell on a very able speech, but he disagreed with the arguments all along the 'tne. He, 100, hoped the sectarian issue woiftu not be raised. The people to blame Tor raising it wore thoso who had raised the present issue. He had opposed the of Quakers on another occasion liccause he 'had felt that there should be absolute equality of sacrifice in a time of national crisis. He did not believe that creed or colour should affect the duty of British citizens in this respect. Ho had been supported on that earlier occacion by a Roman Catholic, who had gloried in tho fact that •IfI.OOO priests were figTiWifr with the armies of France. Sir Francis Bell had stated his case ably. But his duty was to get the Government's Bills through the Council, and he would have supported the present Bill just as ably if the House had not granted the exemption. The position was that the House had granted exemption to all teaohers in order to keep from service a mere handful of Marist Brothers. He believed the maintenance of the fighting forces was more important than tho education of the children at. the present time. Education could be dispensed with for a year or two if the necessity arose. Ho did not want to see sectarianism raised; but party had been raised in another place. The division which had given exemption to the teachers had been almost entirely pn party lines. He would move in committee that the exemption should be struck out. He would be no party to relieving any member from the duty of serving his country.

"A Dishonest Issue." The Hon J. MACGREGOR said he had no objection to the exemption of clergy if the clergy wished to be relieved from service. He believed that only two churches—the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church—had asked for exemption, and that the other churches asked merely that all clergymen should be placed on tho somn footing. The House had provided a general exemption for teachers solely with the object of exempting a small body of Marist Brothers. He had no sympathy with either side in the sectarian' issue that had been raised. He did not object to the exemption of Marist Brothers. But the clause adopted by the House had introduced a dishonest issue. The teachers of the public schools and universities had been included in the exemption merely in order to conceal the real purpose of the clause. He would vote for the deletion of the whole clause. He would be prepared later to vote for tho exemption of Marist Brothers in a straightforward way. The clergy generally did not want exemption, and would feel insulted if they were placed in a privileged position of comfort and safety. They realised that failure to share the nation's sacrifices would put the clergy out of touch with the nation's manhood.

The Hon. J. G. W. AITKEN said it was a fact that there was now a scarcity of male teachers. But the Wellington Education Board had been able up to the present to fill every vacancy, and ho believed it would still be possible to bring back into the service,some superannuated teachers. There were many womon who had married from the teaching profession, and who would fill vacancies if the necessitv arose. The board had been asked to free as many of its teachers as possible'for military service in the early stages of the war, and it had done its best to encourage enlistment. The board had never appealed for the exemption of a teacher. It felt that as manv men as possible should be made available for service in order to hasten the conclusion of the war. Tho retention of male teachers could not be.regarded as essential. The women teachers, who were already running manv schools single-hand?d, could carry on'the work as a temporary pv^pdlent. The Hon. G. CARSON said that m order to secure the exclusion of a particular group of teachers, a general exemption had been granted to all teachers.

A Divided Cabinet. SIR FRANCIS BELL, in. reply, said it was no secret now that Ministers had not been agreed upon the point under discussion. Disagreeinets of that kißd were bound to occur in a Coalition Government. His own opinion regarding the exemption of teachers had not been moulded by the division in Js'c House of representatives. He and the Minister of Education had teen in favour all along ■ ot the provision now made. He was glad, to hear members say that they approached the question free of sectarian bias. ■He would be even more pleased if he could convince himself that members l-eally were as free from sectarian fueling as they thought themselves to be. The Bill ivas read a second time and committed. Bill in Committee. Clause 3, containing the provisions for exemptions, was postponed on the motion of Sir Francis Bell, and. the remaining clauses were put through Committee without debate. ■ ... Sir Francis Bell said tnat wisoed to move an amendment making it clear that the exemption applied only to teachers who were teacners on the passing of the Act, and who continued to work at their profession. It would not apply to men who entered the profession alter tiie passing of the Act. He would move also to delete sub-section which had been intended to P™vide that clergymen now in camp should be entitled to discharge. This provision had teen in the original clause, and owing to the inclusion of teachers m the exemption it now had a much wider scops than originally intended. The first amendment proposed by bir Francis Bell was adopted. _ Sir Walter Buchanan askea if ilarist Brothers were in holy orders. Sir Francis Bell soid ho was advised tlioy were not. Sir Walter Buchanan said he wanted' to make surjs. that no teacher was excluded. He wanted no exemptions at 011 Clause Rejected. The Hon. J. G. W. Ailken moved to strike out the essential portion of the section providing exemption for teachers, but waived this after debate as to procedure. • , . Sub-section 3 was struck out of Six Francis Bell's motion. The Council divided on the clause as amended, providing for the exemption of clergymen and teachers, and struck it out by 11 votes .to 4. The division was as follows: For the clause-.—Sir Francis Bell, Sir William Hall-Jones, A. T. Maginnity, and J. T. Paul. Against the clause: Sir Walter Buchanan, Hons. J. G. W. Aitken J. Barr, 0. Carson, W. Morgan, W. E. Collins, W. Earnshaw, R. Moore, .1. MacGregor, E. K. Simpson, and T. Mac Gibbon, Progress was reported, on the motion of Sir Francis Bell. . ' The Council adjourned at 10.20 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. to-day.