BOLSHEVISM CREEPING IN

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

BOLSHEVISM CREEPING IN

TEACHERS MUST SWEAR ALLEGIANCE EDUCATION BILL DEBATE SPEAKER WARNS LABOUR INTERRUPTERS “There is creeping into the teaching profession a spirit of Bolshevism which needs to be suppressed,” said the Minister of Education (Hon. C. J. Parr) yesterday, aniid interruptions from the Labour benches. The Minister was moving the second reading of his Education Amendment Bill, which provides, inter alia, that teachers shall be required to take the oath of allegiance. Mr. Parr gave the great majority of the teachers credit for being loyal, but spoke of some who were not. A considerable part of the Minister’s speech was devoted to other matters in tho Bill. Mr. Parr said as tho law stood it provided that Wherever there was a borough dr an assemblage of. boroughs which had a population of 8000 or more, all tho schools in the area might bo united under one school committee. In no instance had advantage been taken of tho provision, and as it was simply cumbering the Statute Book it was to be removed. Money Lying Idle. There was a rather important provision regarding rebuilding funds. The Department had formerly paid annually to every board a certain sum which the board was supposed to hold in trust tor tho purpose of replacing old and wornout schools. Tho system had continued until 1918, and had then been abolished. Upon its abolition some of the boards had been left with large sums of money, to the credit of the rebuilding accountsums aggregating about .C 115,000. This fund was lying idle at a time when the Ix'ards and th? Minister could make good use of it. One of the clauses of the Bill authorised the investment of the money in classes of investment approved by the Minister. When the boards desired to use the money for a building or for any purpose they would apply to the Minister for his sanction. Registration of Private Schools. The Minister proceeded to explain the clauses relating to tho registration and inspection of private schools. He supposed that at the present time quite 90 per cent, of the private schools of tho Dominion were already registered. It was thought, however, that all private schools should be asked to apply for registration. and inspection. The Government felt it was not sufficient that it should allow any person to open a private school in any sort of building and with any sort of instruction. Only those schools found to be efficient would be registered.. A private \school that was found not to be efficient would not be placed on the register. That was tho only penalty. There was no idea that the school should be closed, but it would not bo put on the register, and consequently would not be entitled to claim that it was a licensed private school efficiently conducted. A member: Why allow them to go on if they are not efficient? 5 Mr. Parr: I don’t care to go as far as -that. T think this course of action will probably soon wipe out the inefficient schools. Mr. Young: What would happen in the case of a. school that had gone back in efficiency ? Mr. Parr: We should take away the license. That is already provided for. The fact that schools are not registered will ho a guide to parents and tho public. I think all the denominational schools are registered already. Mr. M. J. Savage: What is the position of the children attending an unregistered school ? Mr. Parr: If this legislation is passed I think it is just possible that their position will be affected, and that attendance at an unregistered school might not be deemed to be attendance at a school. Teachers and the Oath. Tho Minister next discussed tho proposal that teachers should be required to take the oath of allegiance. Ho said that teachers only were dealt with in the Bill, and that probably the case of professors would have to be met by an amendment to the University Act, which amendment would be brought down. He would not have brought down the provision relating to the oath of allegiance had* hq not been satisfied that it was roally necessary. A very strong opinion in favour of it had manifested itself in a number of ways. s Mr. P. F raser: Tho only person excited is yourself. Mr. Parr: A great many more people are behind this than the Minister of Education. Mr. Fraser: They treat it as a joke. v Mr. Parr: I hope the hon. gentleman is not enposed to loyalty in our teachers. Mr. Frn«er: The Minister is making himself silly. Mr. Parr said that education boards and school committees had asked for the provision. There was need for it. Only the other day a teacher had been proved in a Police Court to be a propagandist of Communistic opinions and had been promptly discharged. Mr. Fraser: One of the meanest things every done by a Government; one of the most caddish. Instances of Disloyalty. Mr. Parr: I say with regard to this lady who was proved to be a seditionist Mr. Fraser: Young girl! Mr. Parr; A lady with a degree, not an innocent and ignorant young person : a. person of culture and education. This is not' n solitary case. At the present time in this district inquiry is being made into two complaints in regard to other teachers. It is 'rather unfortunate Ih’atTn Um case of one of these teachers she happens to be a lady who was a fellow-student of the lady recently dismissed. This lady has so behaved in her district—she 'has been guilty of disloyal and anti-British utterances to such an I extent—that the people, through tho School Committee, 'have made a degiand for Tier instant removal from the district. In another case, in this district, too, complaints have been received in regard to tho loyalty of tho teacher, and they are being investigated. Mr. E. .1. Howard (Christchurch South): Pretty 'hot in this district! Mr. Parr rejoined that there was another case —not in Christchurch, but not far from it. “There should bo no paltering with this thing.” he said. "There is creeping into the teaching profession a spirit—— Mr. Fraser: Of independent thought. Mr. Parr: Of Bolshevism that needs to be suppressed. I am proud to say that the great majority* of our teachers are most loya: citizens’ of New Zealand. Warning From the Speaker. Interruptions from the Izibour members had by this time grown so frequent that, the Speaker intervened and threatened that ho would name the members who were preventing the Minister from proceeding with his speech. The Speaker said it was a long time since he had had to address members in that way. He added that if naming did not prove effective, suspension would probably follow.

Mr. Holland asked a. moment later what provision was mado for Quakers. Air. Parr replied that there was provision. for tho making of an affirmation by those who objected to taking an oath. A pledge of loyalty, he thought, should bo required of every public servant, but the oath was especially necessary in the case of the teacher, because as the teacher was, so would be the nation. “I don’t think,” he added, "there will be tho slightest objection on the part of any loyal teacher to signing the form. Loyal teachers will be glad to have the opportunity. As to the one who does object, we shall know where we are; and it ia time that we knew where we were.” Air. Lysnar: What about private teachers ?

Air. Parr: I am dealing with our own teachers, the teachers whom wo pay. In other countries they take a much more stringent view of this matter than we are disposed’ to do in New- Zealand. Mr. T. K. Sidey (Dunedin South) said (hat the Minister had introduced the Bill in good time this session, ’hut had not said that he would give those affected by the measure an opportunity of being heard. Mr. Parr: The Bill will go to the Education Committee in the usual way. Air. Sidey: "I am'glad io hear that. The member observed that many matters often urged upon the Government were not dealt with in the Bill. The Government, however, had very 'wide powers to make changes by Order-in-Council. It was empowered, for instance, to issue' an order raising the school age to 15 years Ho wished tho Alinister to indicate whether the power was to be exercised, or when it was to be exercised Ho was pleased to see the propoAvi repeal of the law relating to urban districts. It was uo wonder that tho school committees had' not taken advantage of the provision. He had been surprised to hear that the education boards had a largo sum of money not invested. Would the Minister indicate how tho funds were to be invested. Imight be suggested that the Governnient was endeavouring to obtain control of the moneys foi purposes for which the moneys were not intended. Need for Discretion, Air. A. S. Malcolm (Clutha) said that the Government would have to exercise discretion in tho administration of the disloyalty clauses. It would' be a mistake, for instance, to exclude from school children who would not salute the flag. To exclude them would fall in very well with the schemes of some parents, who would be only too willing to have the children away from school and workfor them. Care should be taken to avoid making martyrs, and it must be remembered that when a child showed dislovalty the parents were at the bottom of the trouble. To learn to love and respect one’s own flag )yas the first step towards recognition oi what was good in other countries. If there were in Now Zealand persons not readv to recognise the duties o f "tl- - they should be deprived of the privileges of citizenship; and parents who instigated demonstrations of disloyalty on the part of their children should be disfranchised. Concerning education generally, Air. Alalcolm said he regretted that while Parliamemt devoted so much time to discussing administration, it paid so little attention to what was taught—to what was in the syllabus. Endeavours should be made primarily to cultivate in the child a love of learning. Ho would not have reading, as such, tiocL-up with' grammar, and would not compel a child to read and re-read one or two books. There might be lessons to be memorised, but there should lw no re-reading when reading was what the teacher was endeavouring to interest tho child in. “Unnecessarilyi Laboured.”

The Hon. J. A. Hanan (Invercargill) could not see in tho Bill much to object to. Ho thought tho Minister had unnecessarily laboured his explanation of the clauses dealing with the oath of allegiance. It showed a poor estimate of the loyalty of members. He (Mr. Hanan) predicted that not a member would vote against the proposals. The teachers generally had a record of good service in the inculcation of ths• P riT| - ciples of loyalty. He welcomed all that was done to make tho teaching profession a national one, with Dominion-wide oportunitios of promotion. In the past there had been too much parochialism in (he promotion of teachers. There were few plums in the setyice, and to widen Hie field of promotion was to encourage th? teachers. . “AVo have a duty to perform—that is. to seo that our flag is properly respectnd ” said Sir John Luke (Wellington North). “Teachers and children should honour tho Empire they belong to. 1 cannot sre that there is nny Imrdship inflicted bv insisting on an oath being taken by the teachers. There should bn no hesitancy in passing the clause, and if a few members are against it rter will not be sun norted by many OUtsicW the House” The member found tanlt with tho proposal to exempt school buildings nnd property from the operation of bv-laws. but expressed general approval of Die BillMr R Masters (Stratford) said ho did not think the ’Education Department was being treated fairlv in the matter of finance. He believed that no other Department was’ having its expenditure reel need to the same eX?Sht as the Education Department. Yet education was tho last point at which economy should he annlinil. Air. Alastors asserted that the Alinister had misled the House by saying that the inspectors had approved of a reduction in the -number of organising teachers in the Taranaki district. The actual reports showed that the inspectors had warmlv ann”oved of the work of there 1 packers, and had sfressed the need O f H-eir wort-. He .accused the Depnrtment of making sayings at the of tho children. A school system that ent onlv two-thirds of the children throurt the sixth standard could not jo re-nrded o.s good. vr r Malcolm: That,is -Imre T d.sngre, with'von. Som» of the best children in H>e country will never pass the Sixth Standard. ~ , M”. Masters said that rtf■ scheme of nronosed inpnnt thnt if Mu - .Iron 'attended rln unregistered School thffir Parents could be prnsecutfd for not sending their children to a school within the meaning of tlie~Taw. Air. T > '” , r' You «ra mn'te right. “Mean and Contemptible.” ,

Air. P. Fraser (Wellington Central) congratulated the Alinister on the clause dealing with special classes for crippled and backward children. He did not wish to see the cry for retrenchment prevent proper measures being taken in tho interests of such children. It did not strike him as a hardship that teachers should be required to take the oath of allegiance. But the provision was unnecessary, futile and rather stupid. He did not think that anything had over been prevented by the taking of an oath of allegiance. The Atinister’s proposal was simply bringing loyalty and patriotism into disrepute. There was no real need for the clause, and the fact was that the Alinister, far from being forced into action by others, was leading the “heresy hunt.” Air. Fraser characterised the “outcry” mad’e by the Alinister in the AVeitzel case as stupid end uncalled for. "Tt will probably rank in the history of Now Zealand, he said, “as one of the meanest and one of the most contemptible episodes in our political life. The member added that his personal opinion about advocacy of violence as a means of social transformation in New Zealand was that it. was fit only for lunatics. It was too silly to discuss or argue about. The girl AVeitzel, however, was too young to hold confirmed opinions. The Alinister was trying to roof out. freedom of thought. If ho was to succeed he must go back and banish a long succession of English classics from all'’the colleges in tho country. Even the Bible would have to disappear. It

explained the dangers of kings and contained some of the most democratic chapters ever written. “Foreigners.” Air. A. McNicol (Pahiatua) said that the trouble with tho member for Wellington Central nnd all the people affected by any mention of an oath of allegiance was that they were not New Zealanders. It was only the foreigners who came to this country—the people who had lived here only a few years—who were filled with internationalism, and would not honour the Union Jack. Mr. Fraser: Who has any objection? Nobody has the slightest objection. Air. Lysnar: You have been grizzling the whole night over it. Air. McNicol referred to the power given to the Alinister to raise the compulsory school age to fifteen years, if he thought fit, after January 1, 1922. Tho member submitted that the country could not at the present time bear the extra expense the change would involve. Mr. S. G. Smith (Taranaki) said he was as loyal as any man in the House, but he did not seo why primary school teachers should be singled out for a Ispecial test. If the teachers should take the oath of allegiance, the same rule should apply to all other Civil servants. The clause seemed to imply a reflection upon the teaching service. He did not know a single teacher who would object to taking the oath, but all Civil .servants should be on tho same footing. Mr. R. A. Wright (Wellington. Suburbs) thought a member who claimed to be loyal was not consistent in suggesting that it was not fair to ask teachers for an oath of allegiance. He proceeded to assure the House that Mr. P. Fraser, though a peaceable man in tho House, was revolutionary outside the House. Tho member for Wellington Central had said as late as last October in Palmerston North that the New Zealand Labour movement was "part and parcel ’ of the Russian communistic j movement. Air. Wright proceeded to trounce the Labour members soundly on the issue of loyalty. He strongly supported the provisions of the Bill relating to the oath of allegiance. “I Hope They’re Proud.”

“I hope the Wellington people are jiroud to have their member standing up in. this House and speaking 1 as he did about that case of sedition,” declared Air. W. D. Lysnar (Gisborne) in reference to the speech of the member for Wellington Central. An observation of Air. Lysnar s concerning the raising of the school age elicited from the Alinister a statement that "nothing was being done in that direction at present.” “Hho Prime Alinister Wouldn’t help being lx>rn outside New Zealand,” was the retort of Air. H. E. Holland (Buller) to the member for Pahiatua, who had described Labour members as foreigners. Mr. Holland vehemently condemned the Government for its action in the Weitzel case. Loyalty in this country, he said, meant subserviency to the opinions of the Reform Government. Mr. B. McCallum (Wairau) thought that the proposed oath of allegiance was a slight upon the teachers. Minister in Reply. The Hon. C. J. Parr, in reply, said he could not understand the last speaker. The member had not made any objection to taking the oath of allegiance himself. The teachers as a body would welcome the opportunity of demonstrating in a simple way their loyalty to King and country. Air. McCallum was alone among the members of the Wellington Education Board in opposing the administration of the oath. He objected also to the simple ceremony of saluting tho flag. The children and the teachers loved to do it. He (Air. Parr) knew of only two or three cases in which parents objected to the ceremony. Many of the teachers had instituted its performance before the legislation was thought of. Air. AlcCallum: You’re making it too common. , , , , , Air. Parr said lie was pleased to note that the Bill had not come in for much adverse criticism. Some supervision must bo exercised over the expend it uro of the rebuilding fund by the boards. The fear that the admission of Samoan and Island pupils would diminish tho number of scholarships available to New Zealanders was groundless. There was a minimum number of scholarships; but no maximum. All candidates who gamed more than a certain number, of marks were awarded n, scholarship. The last thing the Department wished to do was to eome into collision with the local authorities’ by-laws. But there were no standardised by-laws, and the education authorities were sometimes at a loss to know what to do. The Department and the boards could be trusted to see to proper sanitation of school buildings. Why should the buildings of the Education Department, alone of Government buildings, be put to the trouble of complying with by-laws that varied all oier the country? He was not, however, wedded to the clause securing the exemption, and he would be quite willing to listen to suggestions from the municipal authorihTho Alinister devoted some time to disnelling the idea that Aliss AAeitzel had acted in innocence and ignorance. The Bill was read a second time. THE WELSH COAL

INFORAtATION SOUGHT AS TO COST Air n E Holland (Buller) asked the Alinister of Railways yesterday if.lie had seen it placard displayed in a Wellington shop in connection with the Local Industries Exhibition, accompanied by a sniiiple of coal, stating that New Zealand coal cost .£2 Ms. per ton, that Welsh coal cost the Government 4)6 10s. per ton, and that it would pay to give the purchased Welsh coal away in Lngland. He asked the Alinister if this was the true price that the coal was costing tho Railway Department. , The Hon. D. H. Guthrie replied that this was the tenth or eleventh time that Air. Holland had attempted to get the price that was being paid for that coal. Air, Holland: "But not the Inst.” Mr Guthrie said that the price was not being paid ns nn act of freedom on the part of the Government. Ihe Railway Department had been compelled to pav the price on account of the actions of some of those whom Air. Holland represented. At the time all the freezing works were full, and it was a matter of urgency to obtain coni. Mr. Holland must fail again in his attempt to find the price, for no information could be given beyond the fact that the figures quoted were not correct. It was time that shorthand instruction was included in the primary school syllabus. Air. A. S. Alalcolm (Clutha) told the House of Representatives last night. The member went so far as to state that lie looked forward to the time when our books would be printed in shorthand Rabbit Nuisance Amendment Bill and the I.aw of label Amendment Bill were yesterday passed by the Upper House.' The' first-mentioned measure had 1 already been passed by the House of Representatives.