"INCONSISTENT."

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 173, 24 July 1930, Page 8

"INCONSISTENT."

EDUCATION SCHEME.

"AN UNFAIR REPORT."

AUCKLAND BOARD'S VIEWS

CONFERENCE TO BE CALLED,

"We are not here to condemn the report of the Parliamentary Committee of Education," said Mr. A. Burns, chairman of the Auckland Education Board, at a special meeting this morning which was called to consider the report. "We. however, take exception to several side issues, and chief of these is the proposed change in administration. The Government proposes to take it from local control and to hand it to a central authority at Wellington. "The part that seems unfair is that allegations and comparisons have been made by the head of the Education Department and those who have voluntarily given their services in the cause of education have not had a chance to reply. If the report is true we should asist the change, but we feel that it has not been a fair report and the proposed change has been decided on solely on the advice of Mr. T. B. Strong, Director of Education, who tried to do the same thing three years ago.

"At that time," continued Mr. Burns, "we were tried behind closed doors and it raised such a storm of indignation that the scheme was abandoned. The opportunity has now been taken, however, to reintroduce the scheme, and it is likely to go through because members

of Parliament will not jeopardise then seats by voting against it." Mi*. Burns continued that,'.he thought unity of administration would mean-the establishment of a new body with additional powers, which would encourage members of present education boards to compete for a place. He- had never thought that the control would-be conferred on a central, body in Wellington. Referring to the comparison of administrative costs in the Australian- States with New Zealand, he said that, administrative costs should be less in Australia, where half of the population was centralised in the cities. 'He did not think, however, that centralised control in New Zealand would reduce the costs.' "Written by Mark Twain?" "If," said Mr. Burns; speaking .about the new bodies,- "I did not know that the report had been written by two members of the staff of the Education Department I would have thought that it had been written by Mark Twain when it talks of the 'dignified and important place the, boards would occupy in the new system.' Everything is 'to be taken away from them." .' ; Mr. Burns pointed out the difficulties which would arise from the appointment. of teachers from Wellington. In the Auckland district there were 2GOQ teachers. During the winter there was a great deal of illness and the' Education Board office was often at its wit's end to find relieving teachers. These would all ■ now, come from Wellington. He thought that all the teachers should consider whether they would be better off under the new regime. The relations between the Auckland Board and its teachers had always been cordial and it was not ah idle boast that if the question were put to' the vote the teachers would vote for- control, by the board. .. , , . . ' '• - v : Example of Red Tape. 0' . A protest against alleged overlapping by the boards' was-met by Mi - '. Burns' with'an example of /'what he referred to as a "glaring example of red tape." Mr. King: We claim that the Department is doing most of the overlapping? Mr. Burns: That is so. "Tho part of ,the report we are interested in is. full of inconsistencies," said Mr. F. A. Snell, "and it is hard to know where to start. It is inconsistent and the authorities cannot blame us if wo criticise them." Although in his opinion -the first section of the report was a step in the right direction, Mr. T. U. Wells entered a strong protest against the proposed centralisation of control. y Where Do Boards Come In? "It is a pretty big job for the senior inspector to act as secretary to the boards," said Mr. E. C. Bauks, "and it will be impossible for a nian, trained as a teacher, 4 to, hold the job down. Everything is to be done in Wellington. Where do the boards come in?" Before 1914, continued. Mr. Banks, the boards were doing better work than they were now. Mr. Strong had cast a reflection on the work prior to 1914, but tie maintained that it was done more jfficientiy than at present. "If the control becomes centralised n Wellington, I am going to give up •ducational work," he concluded.- ■ . y "There are maiiy phases which, in my ipinion, centralisation in. Wellington vill never meet," said Mr. J. Boddie, dding that some of the proposals wereitterly ridiculous, and impossible of ieing carried out. There wore grave angers ahead if the steps were carried ut. He hoped that a committee of thfi mckland Board would be constituted o meet the other boards in ail endeavur to get the proposals modified. "What impresses me in the report are is inconsistencies," said Mr. H. S. W. ling. "It expresses appreciation of the .'ork done by the boards, and a little iter proposes their abolition. In giving vidence before the committee, I tressed that the people would not stand or the cost of education if it were put n a par with the other countries in he world." _ ] Not in Interests of Country. 1 A resolution, moved by Mr. King, J hat the report of the committee pro- , losing the centralised control of educa- ' ion was not in the best interests of j few Zealand, and that it would deny 1 o the people the. right of electing those vhom they wished to govern education, ras carried unanimously.

On the motion of Mr. G. Brownlee, it was also decided to ask the school committees in the district for their support. Mr. Snell gave his support to Mr. King's motion. "The next step-will be a dictatorship, and then we will be reduced to serfdom," he said. Mr. Burns: Mussolini. "We should bring the whole question hefore the politicians. They do not want to filch the rights from the people," added Mr. Burns. Messrs. A. Burns, T. U. Wells and the secretary were appointed the board's delegates to a conference of education hoards to discuss the whole question. Mr. Burns pointed out that the delegates' expenses would have to be paid out of unauthorised expenditure. "Oh, I'll put in my whack," said Mr. Banks.