CHILDREN REFUSE TO SALUTE THE FLAG

Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 30, 29 October 1921, Page 8

CHILDREN REFUSE TO SALUTE THE FLAG

COMMENT IN THE HOUSE THE POWERS OF A SCHOOL COMMITTEE TJie refusal of some children attending a Wellington suburban school to take part in the ceremony of saluting the flag was mentioned in tho House of Reprcjscntati'vea by Mr. G. IL iS'ykes (Masltea'ton). What steps, asked thci member, was the Government taking in tho matter. The Minister of Education (Mr. Parr) replied that he had received a report on the subject. He could not remember the name of the school. Eleven children out of a total of twenty odd had refused to join in the little ceremony, performed once a week, of saluting the Hag. They were acting, no doubt, on the instructions of their parents. He would discuss the matter with the Director of Education, and lay down the course of action that he deemed to be necessary in the circumstances, Some time ago, continued the Minister, the Otago Education Board had asked tho Department for its opinion on the case of two or three children who had refused to join in the ceremony in an Otago school. This had been, the sole case in Otago. The Department, in reply to a question on the point, had advised the board that the.school committee concerned would be within its rights in refusing admission to the school to any child that refused to salute the flag. That advice had not been an instruction. The committee had desired to know its legal powers. He would make a pronouncement on the subject generally after consideration. Mr. Parr added that it would be a very lamentable thing if any parents should object to their children joining in showing respect to the flag of their country The ceremony took place once a week, after a lesson in history and civics. It took place daily in some other countries, including Victoria and the United States. Every American teacher who •efused to do his duty in the inculcation. of sentiments of loyalty was summarily dismissed. (Hear, hear.) “There is no reason why wo should play , with this sort of thing in this country,” said Jtr. Parr. (Hear, hear.) I am afraid wo have let this sort of thing go by default too often.” Mr. Holland (Buller): You cannot get over it by defaulting the children. The Minister: We should let it be known that so long as the British flies over this country it has got to bo respected. One of the Labour members suggested that the Minister could deport the children. His remark caused laughter in the Labour benches.

UNEMPLOYMENT THE POSITION TN NEW ZEALAND MR. MASSEY QUOTES FIGURES The publication in the Wellington papers yesterday morning of a Press Association message from Christchurch announcing that there were 135 unemployed registered in that city and 1 that the trouble appeared to be increasing led to no fewer than three members from the district asking questions in the House yesterday afternoon. The Prime Minister said that a- certain amount of information had been supplied to him touching the number of registered unemployed during the last two or three months. On June 11 the number was 148. Since then there had been a gradual decrease, month bv month, until at the date of. the last figures supplied, October 22, the number was 1089. Tho reason for this, he supposed, was that there was more work in the spring than during the winter months. He hoped that the number would decrease until in the summer the difficulty was past. He could quite understand that married men preferred work in the cities to going out into the country for it. According to information supplied to him there was work to be obtained in the country. Mr. Massey added that if the position here’ wore as bad as in the United .States or Britain there would bo 3 or 4 per cent, of the population unemployed, and that would mean from 37.000 to 50,000 in the four main centres. A comparison bad been made based on the idea that there were 5000 in New Zealand at the present time. The figures he had quoted showed that there were onlv 1089.

Air. G-. Alitehell (Wellington South): I can find you 500 in AVellington at the present time. Air. Alassey: "If the hon. gentleman hunts for them I suppose he can find 500 who are prepared to call themselves unemployed.” He repeated that. the Government would do all it could to find' work. I* - was not always possible <■s rrcvide werk in tho large centres, or in their immediate neighbourhood. A man must be prepared to go out of the city. Ho did not think that there were more than one thousand unemployed, a.r.d it would be understood! how much better off we were than the older countries.

“SAVE EVERY SHILLING” AIR. MASSEY’S DETERAIINATTON. - The Prime Minister had a word to say on the subject of retrenchment yesterday, wTien he was being urged to tell the House where the School of Forestry would be located. "I am out to save every shilling, and that will be the case for quite a long time to come," he said. "I am going to keep our national expenditure within our income, or else I am going out to make way for another man.” THE TOTALISATOR DEBATE NEXT WEDNESDAY. Tho Prime Alinister has stated definitely that the totalisator issue will not ccme brior? the House until Wednesday next. The form in which the issues contained in the report of the Gaming Commission will bo presented to the House has nnt been mad? quite clear. Air. Alassey said yesterday in reply to a question on the point that nithnbers would hove the opportunity to vote on a direct issue, that this had always been intnndrd. and that the direct issue was presented' by his Bill. SEEKS REINSTATEMENT STAFF COLLEGE GRADUATE. Lieut.-Colonel R. O. Chesney, who was with the New Zealand Forces at the front and was recently selected for retirement, has petitioned Parliament asking it to consider his case and reinstate him in the Staff Corps or reward him adequate compensation. He states that he has devoted his life to military service, and he claims io have better military educational qualifications than any other officer of his rank in the Staff Corps, having been twice sent to England at Government expense for special courses, and having passed with credit. He adds that he graduated nt the Staff College, Camberley, and is the only Staff College graduate who has been asked to retire from the service.