"LEGAL ATTENDERS."

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 211, 27 August 1908, Page 4

"LEGAL ATTENDERS."

EUEE EDUCATION: IS IT APPRECIATED? A short time ago we published ex tract.-, from a circular letter issued by the Wellington Education Board iu 'eferciice to "legal altemlors' 5 at school, meaning children who *\slcmatieally absented themselves from school one day in each week. It was proposed to recommend an amendment of the law making it compulsory for a child to attend school on every occasion upon which the school was open. This leuer was read before the Taranaki Education Board yesterday, when the chairman staled that he had written approving the proposal. Mr. Trimble moved that the action of the chairman lie confirmed. In support of his motion he said that there was at the present time a large number of people who were trying to escape sending their children to school, lie felt sure : that parents knew perfectly well that they ought, to send I heir childreu to school, and that for any reasonable cuse they could obtain exemption. Time and time again he had been told by parents, "i have a right to keep my child away on one day every week." lie had it on the very best authority that there was in the Inglewood district a family living right opposite one of the Board s schools, and they had with them a boy, not their own, of school age, and oil one day in every week they kept that boy at home to work on the farm. They were hoping now, with the connivance uf Die teacher, to keep him away for another day weekly, urging that it diii not pay them to keep the youngster and get only that one day's work out of him. That was the way in which some people regarded the system of free secular education. lie considered that the diUiculfv would be met by making lull at tendance compulsory, and that the Board would be taking a very proper step in doing away with the right to keep children from school on any day. Mr. Tisch seconded. Mr Kennedy dissented, on the grounds that the proposed regulation would n-' too drastic and an undue interference with the liberty of the subject. lie considered that some good could be done by amending the legislation making the compulsory attendance clauses not binding upon children residing move than three miles from school instead of two miles as at present. He contended that if a child attended regularly 011 four full days every week that child should obtain w sound education. He was convinced that the majority of parents of the Dominion sent their children to school because they recognised the value of education, and that people of the kind mentioned by Mr. Trimble were (juito an exception. It. was but fun* that there should be one school day in a week on which the parents might keep their boy or girl away from school without having to chase round after the chairman for an exemption eertilicate. Mr. Faull thought attendance would be more regular if people paid directly for their children's education. Mr. Morison agreed with Mv. Kenned v in regard to the cilse quoted by Mr Trimble. Cases where people deliberately evaded the law were fortunately very rare. The compulsory full attendance might work all right in the towns, but the conditions were different iu th- 1 country, where the state of roads and weather often made it <|uite necessary that a child should be kept at home. Mr. Trimble, replying, said the weather and roads would be 110 worse on the iifth day than on the other four days on which attendance was compulsory now. lie was speaking as chairman of a country school committee, with a full knowledge of country conditions. As for the contention that they would curtail the liberty of the subject, was not that already curtailed by our cj.'.i pulsory system; The' motion approving the chairman s action was carried.