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WORKERS' EDUCATION

[ A PUBLIC LECTURE f AIMS OF THE ASSOCIATION :' , '".:' : :i •"■ EXPLAINED / Professor T. A. Hunter delivered the !'■ inaugural lecture in connection with the »V Workers' Educational Association to a !■'■•' largo meeting, of citizens in the Concert ! GhanAer of the Town Hall'on Saturday !, evening.::.The.Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke)' i presided,- ... I■ . Professor Hunter cliose for his address j. "'ijhe-Workers' Educational Association I■»' end Current Economic Problems."

Mr. Luke said that the City Council would help the association to a greater extent than" previously. Ho knew tlm f . the association could not cany on the classes without the finances being placed on a-sound footing. If-the Government did : its duty in this respect the local bodies,,' which, were keenly interested in tliQ:. matter,'would do their best. He spoko highly of the work of tho association..- '•-.'."'"■'* -.. ' •

Professor Hunter said that with respect -to' the onening of this session it was;considered desirable to place before n. Wellington audienco the. aims of the W.E.A.. and to answer the criticisms that they hod heard when discussing the association,. He traced the history of the association, which was started in i.L'U3 in England by; some trade unionists. A conference nvas held at Oxford, and tho association came.'into being, for tho Dons of Oxford- expressed their willingness to co-onerate. with the workersin tno matter. The' benefits of university education were I 'thug broadened, for the university, as it were, went to the people. The movement spread rapidly in England. ' It then made its way to Australia, and fve years ago an association was formed in New Zealand. He admitted that the association was very much indebted to the City Council and' the Harbour Board for generous financial assistance. In the first year three classes were started; in 1916 they had seven, in the following year they hadiewht, in 1918 they had 14, and last year they had 14 also. They had been subjected ( to criticism, and the people appeared to be divided into two classes— the, people who were capitalists (or the employers) and the. Bolsheviks (or the workers).- Ho stated that the capitalists or~ employers • took a stand-off attitude, and maintained that_ tho W.E.A, was engaged in propagating Bolshevism or I.W.Wism.', Turning to tho other side, the movement had certainly many friends in the Labour rankn, but there were many who "bejieyed that the object of the asso-ciation'-was to-keep the-workers in.bondnge,.\and!;by.some subtle method fascinate ttemJindmake .them satisfied with their regarded the work of the W.E.A:- .as -propaganda. He maintained that no real education could be propaganda. . Educational institutions should exist not to decorate men's : bodies,, but to improve their minds.. Propaganda was inimical to education.'.'.The'duty of an educational institute! was" to teach children the actual factsV..:'6o. that, they could appreciate tjiosp; and, .when they grew up, could choose, for themselves. The speaker illustrated,the spirit of tho W.E.A. in its attitude to current economic problems. He,.dealt with the cost of living and referred'to the index number given by, the- .Government- '.Statistician, but pointed.!,!o'jit that if other items were taken into account besides the three groups.,,, the actual price of tho sovereign was" about half what it would be in normal" times. • Everybody agreed thirt, the cost of living had increased what was'the cause? The W.E.A. had no interest to serve in ift\|stij*atftig%is problem.' He believed that; the -main cause of the increased cost of living was the inflation of the currency.',':; He. showed that the currency of New' Zealand had doubled since 1914, and prices- of; goods had doubled. They siad;b'een.manufacturing money instead of : manufacturing goods. He had 'no doubt that profiteering had been going on. The, jd.ea underlying profiteering was nit'Tetilly economic, but moral. Profiteering simply meant attempting to take' l 'an'unfair advantage of- a conimun- . ity'when'that community,had its hands tied in"a ; great struggle. He thought the community would Uiave to pay for the inflation of the currency. They could, not'play ducks and drakes with their currency without suffering the inevitable consequences,- The cry now was for more production—more production of what?—more motor-cars?—more warships?—more">g'uim? What was really needed was a,"redirection of production. We;Tleefl«l ! 'so'. to direct affairs that we BhouloV get'-a-•production of the essential things. He dealt-with the question of land'for'soldiers, and claimed that the policy of the Government would ultimately prove serious to the soldiersettlers. The inflation of the currency ' had inflated the valuo of the land, and when prices fell,'as no doubt they would, the s-oldier-scitier would be carrying a very heavy burden. He also touched upon the problem of Capital and Labour, or the Class War. He believed that..the. Class AYar existed, and was due-to flie organisation of societv. They could not get rid of this until tliey got down to the root of the matter. The 'abolition of capital, which was advocate<l:,'by; some-'- economists, did not mean destruction of machinery, but reorganisation of the present system. The capitalist in tho past had 'looked upon tho employee as part of his. machinery, to bo used economicaUv and scrapped when no-longer .useful. That view, of course, had been greatly modified. .He explain.ed how 'tho Class ' War was brought about. Whether. they agreed with his views or not,' his hearers anust, lie claimed,' admit that a problem. existed and a problem that required investigation. Tho W.E.A._ invited the people to form..classes, to investigate all - such problems,: under tutorial direction. It was the' meeting-place for ■ points of view, and in that lay ■ its educational value.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19200412.2.57

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 168, 12 April 1920, Page 6

Word count
Tapeke kupu
898

WORKERS' EDUCATION Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 168, 12 April 1920, Page 6

WORKERS' EDUCATION Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 168, 12 April 1920, Page 6

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