POLITICS AND EDUCATION

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 477, 5 October 1928, Page 13

POLITICS AND EDUCATION

W.E.A. CHARGED WITH BIAS LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL DISCUSSION (THE SUN'S Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, Thursday. Holding that the Workers’ Educational Association was under the influence of party politics, some speakers in the Legislative Council opposed the clause in the Alunicipal Corporations Amendment Bill which sought to give authority to councils to make grants to the association out of their general accounts. Others defended the association and the clause was carried by 15 votes to “1 favour the Workers’ Educational Association,” said the Hon. T. S. Weston. “Anyone desirous of attending night classes should have the opportunity to do .so, but I do think there should be some limit to the provision of funds by municipal corporations for this purpose.” The Hon. L. M. Isitt said it was Ins experience, however, that the movement worked in the interests of a political party organisation, and there was not sufficient oversight to prevent it. There were reasons why the Council should not give to municipal corporations of a certain colour the voting of public funds to the association. The Hon. G. J. Garland said he was certain the association had got into the hands of a certain class of lecturer and that the lectures would not be tolerated unless they flavoured of party politics. He hoped the clause would be deleted. The Hon. G. J. Smith thought that the previous speakers had been unduly hard on the association. There was no doubt the movement had been a power for good. There might be one or two lecturers with political bias, but practically all of them showed no preference or leanings in one particular direction to the detriment of the other. The Leader of the Council, Sir Francis Bell, suggested as an amendment that any grant made by a local authority be limited to £IOO in any one year. Mr. Isitt marvelled that “any Government should be blind enough to give grants to a movement which works contrary to the interests for which it was originally intended.” On a vote being taken the clause as amended was carried by 15 votes to 12.