PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 13 September 1924, Page 4

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

THE WIDER OUTLOOK. (Bv Telegraph—Special to the Star.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 12,The value of exchanging Dominion teachers with British teachers was commented upon by the Hon. 0. J. Parr in the House to-day. He said there were mutual advantages, and agreed with Mr Wilford that the change gave the teachers a. different perspective. The Minister remarked that it would be a good thing for the people in New Zealand to get out of this country every six years to see what is going on in the world, because we were cut off from it down here. Mr Sykes: Including members of Parliament, (Laughter.) The Minister agreed with Mr Wilford that it was a good thing to encourage New" Zealand school children to correspond with the children in other countries, and quoted the case of Wellington School pupils who had been in communication with Victoria School children fpr the last ten years, the'correspondence being kept up by successive pupils in the highest class. ; NO CHANCE FOR LABOUR, A hilarious minute was provided in the House to-day by Mr Lee drawing attention to a suggestion from Christchurch that Mr Isitt should consider resigning and recontesting his seat, Mr Lee asking Mr Massey if lie would try to persuade Mr Isitt to adopt this course so that Labour might have an opportunity of winning the seat. Although Mr Lee only gave notice of the question, Mr Massey at once rose. “I think,” he said, “a question such as that should either not be asked or else should be answere.d at once. .1 have seen the paragraph referred: to, but do not take the slightest notice of it. I know" Mr Isitt will hold his seat as long as lie feels inclined to keep it,” “and,” concluded Mr Massey, raising his voice, “I do not think Labour has a hope.” (Laughter.)

BACKBLOCKS’ CHILDREN’S FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD.

There are hundreds of children in New Zealand who cannot, possibly attend a school for the simple reason that there is no school within miles of their homes. These are the the children of settlers in out of the wmv backblocks areas, the children of shepherds, and the children of lighthouse keepers. The problem of giving them an education has been effectively solved by the formation of correspondence classes, some interesting particulars of which were given to Parliament by the Hoh. C. J. Parr (Minister for Education). He stated that when these correspondence classes w T ere first started there were about twenty pupils enrolled, but to-day there w r ere over 500 children being taught, by correspondence. He. denied the suggestion that.the Education Department had tried to avoid the responsibility of providing schools by substituting this- form of teaching, which, he said, was essentially for the family practically cut off from civilisation. He emphasised the. personal link that was created between the, teachers 'who conducted the correspondence classes and their pupils. Mr Sullivan: What results are you getting? Mr Parr said the results were excellent, The chief inspector found in many eases that the children weremalcing better progress than those at' ordinary schools. Some 4 of the. pupils were far enough on to go to a high' school.

Mr Ransom agreed that there were eases wiiere correspondence classes were an advantage, but he: felt that they imposed a heavy burden on the mothers, who, in the back-blocks, worked not only in the house, but often outside.

MORE IMPORTANT THAN PARLIAMENT. - ,

Members of the House of Representatives take their affairs very seriously, and they affected great astonishment to-day when Mr Sykes (Masterton) asked for unanimous consent, to put an urgent question to the PostmasterGeneral about the All Black football results expected during the week-end, Permission was granted amid laughter, and Mr Sykes explained that the result would come when no newspapers were published, and residents in the baclcbloeks would have to wait for the news unless the Post Office arranged for a distribution of the final score throughout New Zealand. The Postmaster-General was evidently disinclined to take up much Parliamentary time on football, and laconically answered: “Arrangements have been made accordingly.”