TEACHERS' FREE PASSES.

Auckland Star, Volume XL, Issue 253, 23 October 1909, Page 7

TEACHERS' FREE PASSES.

(By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELUNG-TON, Friday. The question of week-end passes for school teachers was brought under the notice of the Minister ,of Education. (Hon. G. Fowlds) this evening by a deputation from Greymouth, consisting of the Hon. A. E. Guinness, the Hon. J. Marshall, and Mr. T. Seddon, M.P. The deputation urged that the decision arrived at by the Department to curtail these week-end passes would result in considerable hardship; also it was urged that, arrangements should be made by the Department for the periodical medical examination of school children. Regarding the latter request, the Minister said the Government had had it under consideration for a considerable time, but it would cost a very considerable sum of money. At the present time, the Government was trying to keep down the expenditure, and was not looking for any new avenues of expense. Personally he agreed with the idea, but he did not think that it was possible to do anything in the matter at the present time. The other question was very much in the same position. It was necessary to reduce the annual expenditure to some extent. These week-end passes coat the Department from five to six thousand pounds a year. The Department was prepared to give passes for teachers attending classes in agriculture and other branches of instruction, but the Department knew that there had been a good deal of abuse of the system.