WELFARE LEAGUE

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 173, 17 April 1920, Page 8

WELFARE LEAGUE

SCHOOL COMMITTEES EDUCATION OR POLITICS (Contributed by'the New Zealand Welfare league.) Apathy will damn and public spirit elevate any community. A few weeks ago a newspaper paragraph appeared throughout the Dominion making public the determination of the. New Zealand Labour Party to make every effort to secure the return .of members of ■■ that partv colour to school committees—not one or two members only, but a whole "ticket" in each district. ■ ~ Householders! Do you realise what this means? It means the return of members to school committees whose, only mfalincation is that they have subscribed ■to the policy and agreed to the domination of the political bosses who control a political party. The question of their iitness far the position of committeemen, of their ability to forward the children's welfare, of their desire to forward the interests of the national schools does not come into the matter; tho only thing that counts is blind obedience to a political Appeal to Householders,

Now, we ask you householders .and parents to wake up, and do your part in saving our schools from political party domination, and we.ask you not to make a candidate's political ties the test of his .fitness. Wo say to yon, "Don't.-take politics into the matter at nil, but select, and support those candidates who. by their experience, ability, and patriotic citizenship will.make the best committee to'run your school on sound lines, with proper consideration for the welfare of the children. Never mind his politics! But we also say to you, "If any candidate avowedly labels himself as a political nomine?, pass him by .as one who is trying to 'bring party politics (whether Liberal, Reform, or Labour) into education and into schools." We earnestly ask you-both men and women, fathers and mother's-to realise that your children will have to face much greater problems than vou have had to face. The whole world is in the melting pot; you will not, have time to completely remould it on sound lines. Our children-the children of to-day-will have to do some of the remoulding themselves. We may be able to "well and truly" lay the foundation-stone of the.new world, but our children must complete the edifice. What does this imply? Surely it means extra care and greater responsibility in their education and teaching. Can any one of you tell us how the children aiv to become gooa citizens; how they arc to form -broad views of public welfaro, unless we householders and parents wake up and shake off our past apathy in school matters, the best way to prove our sincerity in the welfare of the rising generation is to wake up and see that good school committees are elected, sound, men and women of large vision, good citizenship, and public spirit, who will put education and welfare ol the children first, and not party politics! ■,■..* • ' ,-n. We know you cannot interfere with the school curriculum, but your good committeeman can sec that physical development, games and healthy surroundings are provided. He can do a lot to inculcate the national spirt :and patio - ism to hi? country,, to see «»*«"»»* an "esprit de corps" .and a health, emulatior amongst the children to put then school flirt in every competitive field. With al? this in view, are you going to be anathet'c enough to allow people to be placed in control .of your school whose onlv nualificalion is «■ H ,f r ~?"„„„,,). We believo that no parent will consent to this if once he realises the danger Jbu the prevailing apathy in these matters is hard to overcome. We know selves, and because we know and.realise it. this league.was ormed to by ami arouse interest in such meters of public welfare Do not allow any social, busimt or liome duty prevent you from attending householders' meetings or. he iS of the. 28th, and voting in the best interests of the children.