FREE SCHOOL BOOKS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 252, 24 October 1925, Page 14

FREE SCHOOL BOOKS.

"SOME GOOD NEWS.' ,

Interrogated at Glpn Eden ycsterdav about free school books, the Minister o"t Education made an interesting statement. When he took charge of the Department,' said Sir James, he had to do "first things first"—that was to spend heavy Government grants in providing new schools, and more and better teachers; and this expenditure had pretty nearly doubled already. He was not unsympathetic to the free schoolbook idea, although he pointed out that it had already been tried in New Zealand and found somewhat of a failure.

"Why, you may ask?" said the Minister. "Well, because your child likes to have a new book of his own rather than a worn, soiled and ink-marked book, which he hae to take over from a -boy who was in the class last year. I remember children coming home crying to their parents about not getting a nice new booK, and," said Sir James, with a smile, "this is quite natural. Even the children liko the 'freehold' of their school books, and not the mere 'usehold' of my friends the Labour party. "However," said the Minister, "I have some good news. I believe half the parents' expense is due to the cost of exercise books, writing pads, stationery, etc. I propose to ask Cabinet to put on the Estimates next year a grant to supply these utilities free." (Loud applause.)