WELLINGTON.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume IV, Issue 176, 11 August 1876, Page 13

WELLINGTON.

(From our own Correspondent.) A question is now exercising the wisdom of the Education Board of this city to an extent almost dangerous to the healthiness of the intellectual faculties of that body. Mr. Bunny, the newly appointed Deputy-Superintendent, at a recent meeting of the Education Board announced that it was the intention of the Provincial Executive Council to contribute towards the building of the Christian Brothers' and Convent Schools the sum of .£SOO out of the sum voted by the Provincial Government for school building purposes. The announcement acted like the proverbial "red rag before a bull" on the members of the Education Board. Such a proposal was an invasion of rights and privileges, and an insult to the immaculate wisdom of that excellent body. The money voted to them by the Council belonged to them alone. No other person or persons had any right to dictate to them how to dispose of it, and they resolved to oppose with all their energies any further attempt at carrying out any such proposals. The Eev. J. C. Andrew was the most prompt in action, and Quintus~Curtius like, threw himself into the gulf by giving notice that at the next meeting of the Board he would move : — " That the Board, having understood from his Honor the Deputy-Superintendent that it is contemplated to propose or sanction a grant of J2500 or some such sum for school buildings to a religious body whose schools are not under the control of the Board, the Board cannot approve of such a disposal of the funds available for education." Fearful that this would not be sufficient, he made his way with all possible speed to the House of Representatives, of which he is a member, and introduced a Bill entitled the " Deputy-Superintendent of Wellington Act Amendment Bill," the object of which is to prohibit the Deputy-Superin-tendeut from signing any warrant for the payment of any money in the manner proposed in order to block up every passage through which the money could be transferred to the Roman Catholic School Building Fund. The energy and promptitude of the rev. statesman would of course be admirable if employed in the interest of justice and fair-play — in giving Cs63ar the things that are Caesar's — but when he works so energetically in keeping from a public body what they have a right to by law and in justice, his conduct must be characterised as rampantly tyrannical, and deserving of the reprobation of every lover of justice. Apropos of this the 'Evening Argus' says: — "Mr. Andrew probably forgets that he is a member of the Provincial Council of W^ingt 011 * and that the Education Act passed by that body, and in force in this Province, distinctly recognises the principle of aiding denominational schools. The Education Board, certainly has not carried this system out to any extent, but the Provincial Executive, in distributing money accruing under a vote of the Provincial Council, is certainly justified in making the distribution on the principle approved by the Council in the Act. We doubt whether Mr, Andrew will meet with much sympathy in the House of Representatives." The same journal, which of its own confession is unfavorable to denominational education, adds in another article on the same subject :—": — " We do not think that the ordinary arguments as to the State supporting denominational education apply at all to this case. School accommodation is urgently required in this city, and the Provincial Council representing the whole people of the Province, has apportioned a certain sum of money for the purpose. A large section of the people, whose money this is, offer to provide for the education of their children, and show that they are in earnest by subscribing most liberally for the purpose- We think they are fairly entitled to some share of the money they, with others, contribute, as indeed would be any other class or denomination in the Province who acted in the same way We thoroughly believe in secular education, but we cannot refrain from admiring the manner in which the Catholics in Wellington have behaved, and are behaving, in this matter. It commands the respect even of those who cannot enter into, or do nob sympathise with, the motives by which that conduct is inspired. We do not think that Mr. Bunny's suggestion is more than what they are fairly entitled to, and, although it may be necessary, in thus giving a grant of money, to insist on certain conditions, it would probably not b<j found necessary to propose any which could not be readily assented to on each side." The ' Evening Post ' too supports it in the following manner : — " The Government tako this course, deeming it an act of justice to the Roman Catholics, who have spent .£2OOO on their Wellington schools, and imported four teachers at their own expense, receiving no assistance from the Education Board, although they contribute their quota to the general education rate." Both th^se papers have never yet been accused of " Popish tendencies/ and certainly would not have lent the matter their advocacy were it not that they see too glaring an injustice perpetrated. But all appeals to the good sense of the Board were in vain. An extraordinary meeting was called, and Mr. Andrew's resolution carried, together with others of a similar nature, and ordered to be forwarded to his Honor the Deputy-Superintendent. At this meeting the Rev. Mr. Andrew enumerated a number of members of the Provincial Council to whom he had spoken on the subject, and it appeared to him they were all in favor of the proposed grant, which I think is a strong argument in its favor. The Hon. Mr. Gisborne's part in the transaction is what has surprised people, as that hon. gentleman has on more than one occasion identified himself with denominational education. But Mr. Gisborne was defeated in his candidature for the Mayoralty of Wellington last year through being understood to have a leaning towards denominational education, and that perhaps may account for the part he has taken in t lie affair. We all know that Mr. Gladstone wrote his pamphlet against Catholicity in an endeavour to counteract the effects of the opinion which was being formed that he was a Catholic in disguise, through his having disestablished the Irish Church. It strikes me forcibly that it is to regain lost caste Mr. Gisborne has opposed the grant,

and the weak imbecile arguments he adduced in supporting Mr. Andrew's motion confirm me in that opinion. He says :— " The Act never contemplated the irrevocable grant of a lump sum in aid of a building, but only permitted a continuous subsidy, subject to the condition that the teaching should be satisfactory, and immediately withdrawable if this were not the case." J84.500 were voted by the Provincial Council for school-building purposes, and Mr. Gisborne tells us that " the Act never contemplated the irrevocable grant of a lump sum in aid of any building." If Mr. Gisborne' s is the correct interpretation of the Act it is certainly most absurd, for surely no school could be built without a " lump sum" being irrevocably granted in aid of it. This argument may apply to the money voted for the payment of teachers, &c, but certainly is not applicable to the .£4,500 voted specially for school building purposes only. He continues : — " However unsatisfactory its disposal might be to the Board, it would have no check and the public no security that the money would be properly applied. It was possible even to conceive that the schools might never be built ; at any rate, the public had no security that they would be. Or, again, they might be used for purposes greatly repugnant to the public feeling, such as 'proselytism." Mr. jGisborne, or any other man, cannot, and does not, believe that money thus given would be improperly applied. The earnestness, with which the Roman Catholic body have gone into the work of building schools for themselves, flings back any such imputations, and as for the allegation that proselytism would be carried on in the schools, the fact that no such thing has been heard of in the convent school, is sufficient to show how unwarrantable is the supposition. To impute such things as these to the Eoman "Catholic body, who propose expending on the erection of two large schools £2,000, and mean to maintain them with an efficient staff of teachers at their own cost, is something of which Mr. Gisborne was thought by that body to be incapable, and warrants me in tracing the cause of his having done so to what I have already stated. One thing, however, it argues. There must be no better arguments at his disposal, or else he would use them, and when Mr. Gisborne cannot find arguments capable of convincing, it may be said they are not to be found, and unquestionably he has not adduced anything capable of convincing anyone who is not blinded by prejudice. Evidently the Education Act of the Provincial Government is favorable to the proposed grant, or the Executive Council would not dream of its proposal, and certainly justice demands that it be given, when the Roman Catholics contribute to an education rate, from which they are not deriving any benefit. The Board is relieved of any responsibility in regard to providing education, building schools, or paying teachers, for the Catholic children of the city. So much, therefore, is taken off their hands, and when this is so, surely the least they may do is to give .£SOO in aid of building their schools. The law is in favor of granting it; the Executive Council, at whose disposal the money is, is in favor of it; the public press is in favor of it, what then remains to be said but that the members of the Education Board are petty tyrants of the worst type, and that their conduct is a most flagrant outrage upon justice and liberty. Such is the type of men who comprise the Education Board of Wellington, and thus stand affairs at present. Mr. Andrews' Bill has not yet come on for debate in the House, and as in all probability you will have the result by telegraph before this reaches you, it is useless to speculate on that head. However, the prevailing opinion is that such an absurd proposal will be laughed out of the House, as are most of the rev. statesman's introductions. Speculations are rife as to what the result of all this will be, and the prevailing understanding among the Roman Catholics is that it will terminate adversely to themselves. Even so, they can do well without it. Very soon they will have two schools of their own — the Christian Brothers and Convent schools — and a day will come when the people of Wellington will blush at the injustice perpetrated by the Education Board of 1876. Hibebnico.