SCHOOL LEAVING AGE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 11 March 1943, Page 3

SCHOOL LEAVING AGE

HOPE OF EXTENSION EXPRESSED BY PREMIER. SPEECH IN ADDRESS-IN-REPLY DEBATE. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The hope that it would be possible to extend the school leaving age to 15 years and then to 16 years was expressed by the Prime Minister, Mr. Fraser, during the Address-in-Reply debate in the House last night. “If one thing is clear at the present time,” said the Prime Minister, “it is that there can be no equality of opportunity without equality of educational opportunity for everyone.” Mr Fraser said that two thoughtful speeches from the opposition side of the House were those of Mr Acland (Opposition, Temuka) and Mrs Grigg (Opposition, Mid-Canterbury). The member for Temuka had dealt with matters of local and world-wide importance in an analytical and thoughtful fashion, and speeches like his were helpful whatever side of the House they might come from. The member for Mid-Canterbury had discussed questions of great importance which dealt with the welfare of' the people. It was a matter of regret to him that it was not possible when he was Minister of Education, because of lack of teachers, to raise the school age. In 1925 provision was made for the raising of the school age by order-in-coun-cil or proclamation. This had not been done yet, but he hoped it would be, as part of a scheme of reconstruction whereby the school age would be raised to 15 years and then to 16 years. The concern he had felt at the reports that the relatively high wages for juvenile labour were attracting children away from school to blindalley occupations was referred to by Mr Fraser, who said he had been greatly reassured during the last week or so by the statements to him of a prominent headmistress and headmaster that the roll number for their schools was the highest they had ever had. That was also the experience of a number of head teachers, and it was very gratifying indeed. ATTACKS ON MINISTERS Referring to attacks on the Minister in Charge of Broadcasting, Mr Wilson, the Prime Minister said that whether it was the Minister of Broadcasting or the Minister of Marketing who was singled out for special attacks he wanted it to be specially understood that it was the whole Cabinet, the whole party and Government that had been attacked and not the Minister' simply or solely., The women’s meeting held in the Hutt district had been organised by opponents of the Government, he said. He had learned from Press reports that the promoter of the meeting wasof strong anti-Labour views, and that other women were associated with the Communist Party. They were entitled to their views politically, but they were not friends of the Government, and that had to be remembered when their criticism of the cost of living and the Marketing Department was heard. An Opposition member: “Very few women are friends of the Government.” (Laughter.) The Prime Minister said these meetings had been organised at the time when the Government was providing food for the men fighting our battles on Guadalcanal. People who complained of the cost of living in New Zealand had not even glimpsed the conditions in Britain. In New Zealand we had not felt the strain of war except in the cases of the relatives of men who had died or been wounded in warfare. FINANCIAL POLICY. ' Dealing with financial policy and monetary reform, Mr Fraser said he would not deal with the subject in a general way, but the problem at the moment was not credit but materials for war purposes. The banks were traders in purchasing power, and at the present moment he could not see that anything would be gained by a change from the present system. The trading

banks were receiving only 13s per cent, for the purchasing power they provided for the Government without any charge for management. He could not see that the banks were robbing the country and the people, and if that unprecedented low rate could be bettered by a State bank he would like to see it done. The House rose at 10.30 p.m. till 2.30, this afternoon.