Intercolonial

New Zealand Tablet, 31 August 1911, Page 1715

Intercolonial

On the Sunday prior to his death Cardinal Moran officiated at the laying of the foundation stone of a new presbytery at Chatswood. The Rev., Father W. Barry, on behalf of the parishioners and the people of the 0 district, extended a hearty welcome to - his Eminence.

The new three storied wing of the Christian Brothers’ College, Perth, has almost reached completion • —-all now required being the carrying out of minor details. The building as it now stands is an imposing pile, capable of accommodating 200 boarders and 300 day boys.

The Hon. J. G. Duffy, K.S.G., has more than once urged present and past pupils of convent schools to study political questions of the day (writes the Melbourne correspondent of the Freeman’s Journal). Their non-Catholics sisters were making full use of the franchise in the interests of their party, and it was the duty of Catholic women to keep themselves abreast of the times, so as' to be ready to exercise the franchise wisely and < intelligently. A movement in Bendigo shows that organisation in this respect is rightly valued. The ex-pupils of Girton College have founded an association for political education.

Mother Mary Hyacinth Donnellan, one of the foundresses of the Dominican ' Communities in Australia, passed away peacefully, fortified by the rites of Holy Church, early on the morning of August 11, at Santa Sabina,’ Strathfield. The deceased was. a native of County Westmeath, Ireland, received her education at old St. Mary’s, Cabra, entered the Dominican Order at St. Mary’s, Kingstown, and was one of the pioneer band brought out by the late Dr, Murray, in the year 1867, to found the first Dominican Convent in Australia, St. Mary’s, West Maitland, New South Wales. ‘ Throughout her long religious life, Mother M. Hyacinth was a zealous promoter of the cause of education, and her interest in the work of the schools was unaltered through recent years of declining health. She was in the 69th year of her age and the 52nd of her religious profession. The Very Rev. P. O’Hare, of Ararat, speaking recently at a social gathering, erred to the great sacrifices which the Catholics of Victoria had made on behalf of education. He said that, making all allowances for the Catholic children who were still attending State schools where it, was impossible to establish Catholic educational institutions, the Catholic people of Victoria forfeited by not being able to accept State education during the last 36 years over £4,500,000. The speaker quoted from the last Commonwealth Tear Booh that the expenses to the State of educating each child at the State schools at the present time in Victoria amounted to £6 Is Bd, while the total expenditure in Victoria at the present time on State education was about £900,000 per year. The Catholics were at the present time 23 per cent, of the population, and of that £900,000 they must contribute in taxes something like £207,000. Making allowance for the Catholic children still attending the State schools, their net forfeiture must be between £160,000 and £170,000 per year at the present time. There were, he said, 40,000 Catholic children being educated in Catholic schools in Victoria, and taking the average expenditure per child at the State schools, if the children who are now being educated by the Christian Brothers and Nuns and private Catholic teachers in Victoria were sent to the State schools, the expense of these children to the State would be between £240,000 and £250,000. The State, therefore, was benefited by this amount by the general sacrifices that the Catholics of Victoria were so heroically making at the present time; and •these added to what they forfeited through not being able to accept the present State school system of education makes the enormous sum of over £400,000 annually. I