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Education Equality
PARENTS NAGE CASE MORE THEIR STATE MEMBERS
Members of five Parents and Friends associations met their local members to discuss equality in education last Sunday.
At a meeting in the Leedervillle Town Hall, 600 parents and friends of the schools at Leederville, Subiaco, Wembley, Floreat Park and Doubleview met local members Subiaco M.L.A. H. N. Guthrie and Wembley M.L.A. G.G. Henn. An apology was received f rom Mr. W. Hegney, M.L.A. A similar meeting was held at the end of July when a r epresentative body of the Parents and Friends' Associations connected with St. Thomas' School, Claremont, St. Louis' Jesuit College, Loreto Convent, Nedlands, Loreto Convent "Osborne" and Iona Convent, Mosman Park, met the member for Cottesloe, the Hon. R. Hutchinson, M.L.A.
Apologies The member for Nedlands, the Hon. C. Court, M.L.A., and the member for Claremont, Mr. H. Crommelin, M.L.A., were unable to attend and had sent apologies. It was pointed out to the visiting Member that the democratic right of parental choice for the type of education wanted for their children was given in England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Holland, West Germany, Italy and Spain. Each representative put a case, showing the financial burden that the school and the parents were under.
Claremont Mr. J. E. Groessler (St. Thomas' School, Claremont) said that his school was fighting an uphill battle. A new school had been built
seven years ago at a cost of £14,000, and a large sum of money was still owing. He expressed the opinion that conditions would be even worse for those building in the future.
Loreto Mr. Paul Donnelly (Loreto Convent "Osborne") gave the facts and figures of equality in education. Mr. Donnelly said: "We need 50 per cent on new buildings and 50 per cent of the cost of educating pupils in the State school." He said that in Western Australia this amounted to £1,000,000 a year, 10 per cent of what the W.A. Education Department spends on State schools. Mr. Donnelly made the point that under the present system the Government is getting a lot of free education as far as 25 per cent of the children are concerned.
Tribute He paid tribute to the various Governments which had increased grants for education in the form of subsidies for school libraries, text-books, radios, projectors, visual aids. He said
that the possibility of increased assistance to Catholic schools through the State Government had been discussed by the Parents and Friends' Federation with both Federal Labor Party members and Federal Liberal Party members. Both of these groups, he said, had taken the view that if the thing was put up by the State through the Grants Commission that it would be favourably considered by the Federal Government. Mr. Donnelly said that the Sisters of Loreto had increased their school by 50 per cent in the last ten years and that they had committed themselves to new buildings to keep up with modern education to the extent of some E100,000. A vastdebt, he said, on which they can only pay the interest.
St. Louis Mr. Reg. Thompson (St. Louis') gave the number of students at the school. pointed out their obvious academic achievement and showed how the necessary employment of lay teachers was increasing the financial commitment of the school. "At the present time E100,000 would not go far," he said.
Mr Hutchinson's Reply * WHEN ASKED TO the Commonwealth. He C OMMENT, THE said that the amount of granted to them MEMBER FOR corrEs- money was divided up round the LOE, THE HON. R. HUT- Cabinet table and that educaCHINSON, M.L.A., SAID what was given for divided up for THAT THERE WAS NO tion -qv-as Government schools. DOUBT THAT THE "It is not easy for a CASE W AS A GOOD ONE, BUT State to adjust its finances to cover what has been THAT IT WAS NOT AN mentioned here tonight, EASY ONE. and I refer to some form of tax recompense on a Mr. Hutchinson said that proportionate scale," said With the introduction of Mr. Hutchinson. uniform taxation, t h e He went on to outline States had lived up to the one of the difficulties income granted to them by which would be involved
in the Grants Commission and possible penalties to Western Australia if assistance were given by the West Australian Government that put it too far out of balance. Mr. Hutchinson said that he would convey the expressions, views and claims he had heard to Cabinet in due course. He then outlined some of the ways in which non - Government schools are already assisted, suat as allowances. scholarships, exhibitions and transport.
OFF TO GROW COTTON
One of the seven successful applicants f or an area of land at Kununurra on the Ord River Scheme is Mr. Kenneth Coster at present of 28 Oak Street, Kewdale. He has been allocated 700 acres of irrigated land to grow cotton and will leave with his wife and five children for the townsite in about a month. The only other West Australian to be successful in his application was Mr. G. Thompson of Derby who is an A gricultural Research Officer. Mr. K. Coster was farming in England before he c ame with his wife, Mary, to Australia in 1952 where t heir five children have been born. He worked as a contractor around the wheatbelt and w as a member of the W.A. Police Force for eight years. T wo houses are available at the townsite and the Coster family will travel overland next month where they will take up residence in the town. Mr. Coster's f ather will live in the other house and even though retired, will assist his son in the early work of setting up the cotton farm machinery. Pictured the day after they heard the news of this big event are the Coster family; from left Mrs. Mary Coster, holding Joseph (8 months), Paul (8), Julian ( 4),Susan (11), Mr. Kenneth Coster with Peter ( 3 ). Susan and Paul are pupils at Holy Name School, C arlisle.
PARENTS AND HMOS AT IHDRITILLt
EMPHASIS CORRECTED
SAIGON (Radio N.C.): Vietnam's Vice - President Nguyen ngoc Tho said in a press conference here that Buddhist leaders have never referred to President Ngo dinh Diem's Catholic religion in discussions with the government representatives. The Vice-President is the chairman of the inter-ministerial committee which has been negotiating with the Buddhists' inter-sect committee for the past two months. During the press conference, the N.C.W.C. News Service correspondent put the following question: "In some press reports concerning the Buddhist question, emphasis has been placed on the personal reli• gion of the President of the Republic. Has any such emphasis been placed on the President's religion by Buddhist leaders?" Vice-President Tho replied: "I can affirm that the religion of the President has never been mentioned by the Buddhist leaders in any vof our contacts." The inter-ministerial committee is composed of three Cabinet ministers, two nonChristians and one Catholic. The Vice-President is a Buddhist. Spokesmen for the Buddhist inter-sect committee have said repeatedly that they have no quarrel with the Catholic Church.
THE CROWDED MEETING AT LEEDERVILLE WAS CHAIRED BY MR. G. SOMERS, WHO INTRODUCED MR. J. MAZZA TO GIVE A GENERAL COVERAGE OF THE PROBLEM. Mr. Mazza said that since taxation was levied on all without differentiation as to creed, there should no such discrimination as to the expenditure of those funds. He said that the wealth of a nation is the quality of its citizens and for a Government to ignore 25 per cerlt of its future citizens in this field (education) was incomprehensible. Mr. Mazza showed how population increase, t h e
higher school - leaving age and the need for intensification of scientific educatitm were all contributing to jeopardise the future of church schools which were necessary in a Christian democracy and could be vital factors in its survival. He stated that the-aim of the meeting was to ask for 50 per cent of capital cost or interest-free loans and 50 per cent of the cost of edu-
cating each pupil at a State school. Mr. E. McAuliffe, representing Christian Brothers' College and St. Mary's Convent, Leederville. and St. Bernadette's, Glendalough, emphasised the urgent need for expansion in this area as the location of these schools made them readily accessible to new outlying areas. Mr. D. O'Brien detailed • Continued on Page Eight