HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Waikato Times, Volume XII, Issue 987, 19 October 1878, Page 2

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Thursday.

EDUCATION ACr AMENDMENT BILL The House resumed the debate on the second reading of the Education Act Amendment Bill. Dr Wallis said he would support the Bill, because it proposed to render education entirely of an unsectarian character, and because it did not favour Roman Catholics or any other denomination. The Bill only asked to allow denominations to relieve the State of any cost of erecting schools. In early ages almost the only educator of the people was the Catholic Church, and since then Protestanism had taken up the work m the north and south The present Bill proposed to enable the Churches to become auxiliaries of the state m eduction. He condemned the prese.it State system of education, which tended to prevent the individual efforts of parents, and to do away with the collateral ad- , vantages which acconied such selfsacrifice. State education tended to communism and reliance m out-door relief system. He contended that it was not unreasonable that the people honld claim to edusate their children m a knowledge cf religion. Mr Joyce supported the Bill, arguing that it is not designed to favor Roman Catholics, and that the existing State system, by insisting upon uniformity, destroys emulation and fossilises teachers. The measure under discussion would encourage liberty, equality, and fraternity m the highest sense of these words. Question put : That the Bill be read a second time — Ayes, 32 ; noeß, 38. The result was received with cheers. The following is the division list : — Ayes ; Atkinson, Baigent, Barff, J. 0. Brown, Bunny, Curtis (teller), De Latour, Dignan, Douglas, Fieldwick, Gibbs, Gisborne, Henry, Hursthouse, Johnston, Joyce, Kenny, Manders, McMinn, Mnrr»y-Aynsley, O'Rorke, Pyke (tellor), Reeves, Russell, Sharp, Sutton, Tawiti, Tole, Turnbull, Wallis, Wood, Woolcook. Noes, 38 : Ballance, Beetham, Bowen, J. E. Brown, Bryce, Cutten, FishHr, George, Green (teller), Hamlin, Heslop, Hodgkinson, Hunter, Kelly, Macandrew, Macfarlane, McLean, Montgomery, Moorhouse,, Moss, Murray, Nahe, Oliver, Richardson, Rolleston, Rowe, Siunders, Sheehan, Shrimski, Stevens, Stout, Swanson, Taiaroa, Takamoana, Taschemaker, Thomson (teller), Wason, Williams. Pairs : For — Driver Richmond, and Seymour, and Seymour ; against — ] Fitzroy, Whitaker, and Rees. I