DEPUTATIONS.

Evening Star, Issue 4118, 9 May 1876, Page 2

DEPUTATIONS.

Messrs Lamach, M.H.R., Maloney, Scanlan, and George Dodson waited upon the Superintendent this morning, and presented the following petition to his Honor :

We the undersigned inhabitants of Port Chalmers beg respect'ully to point out to your Honor that wo have, conjointly with our fellow colonists, expended on school buildings in Dunedin a considerable sum of money, and have established schools for girls conducted by nuns, and for boys by the hristiau Brothers. We beg most respectfully to ask your Honor to grant passes by nil for our children attending the above-memioned schools, and tberei/y put us on a level with our fellow colonists who send their children to the High and other schools in Dunedin, vho are granted free passes on all the railways. [Signed by thirty-four residents of Port Chalmers.]

Mr Labna.cs said he felt sure the matter would receive just consideration from his Honor. The Catholics as a body had done a great deal towards educating themselves, and having helped themselves they deserved help from others. The prayer of the petition had his sympathy, and he was sure it would have his Honor’s.

His Honor : Of course this opens a very wide question, as you are aware, although apparently it is a very insignificant matter in itself. It is scarcely for me to discuss the question now at all events; but I will bring the matter before the Executive for their consideration. it really open- up the question of national or denominational education.

Mr Larnach thought it was merely a question of C ramon fairness that a certain part of the community should have accorded to it fie same privi oges as were granted to Other parts of the community.

His Honor denied that any section of the community had advantages over the others. No section was debarred from attending the High School. It was a mistake to assume that there was any distinction made by the Council’s resolution, which only applied to the public schools. t Mr Larnaoh : Supposing We had a Catholic college here, would the- privilege be denied to the pupils attending it'? : HisHoNOR : I am not prepared to say'l should deny it. It is a small matter, and so far as I am individually concerned, I should concede it at once. But it is useless to disguise the fact that, as I said before, it touches the whole question whether the ■>tate is to support national or denominational education. That is a question which $ f°r tt®. to take upon myself in my capacity of Superintendent to pronounce an opinion upon. Mr Maloney considered his liberty was emg interfered with if, because his religious opinions were different to those of other portions of the community, he was debarred privileges the latter enjoyed. The Catholics paid double for education. - ■ His Honor : I grant you all that. You are exemplary in that respect. But I demur to the statement that you are denied a liberty that is accorded to yOur fellow settlers.

Mr Scanlan pointed out that the nun’s school was attended by all denominations Protestants, Jewesses,- &c,, and was in reality a. High School for girls. His Honor promised to lay the matter before the Executive, ; and the deputation withdrew*

Messrs Green, Bacon, and Gwyime waited upon his Honor, and asked that, in the new township of HuTOon, Broad Bay, a reserve might be made for school purposes, and his Honor promised to recommend that sections 1 and 2 should be set aside for that purpose.