EXPENDITURE ON SCHOOLS

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27097, 21 July 1953, Page 10

EXPENDITURE ON SCHOOLS

“SO CALLED ECONOMY MEASURES”

PROTEST BY EDUCATION BOARD MEMBER

(New Zealand Press Association) WANGANUI, July 20.

“Primary schools have made do with makeshift accommodation for quite long enough,” said the deputy-chair-man of the Wanganui Education Board (Mr M. Bromily) at a meeting of the board today. “It is time the public told the Government so in no uncertain terms. I am amazed at what appears to be Government policy in reducing expenditure on what should be, and must be, the Dominion’s first-priority essential expenditure.” “I am most concerned about all the items appearing on the agenda which indicate the Education Department’s inability to provide funds for work which we placed on this year’s building programme,” he said.

According to a recent National Party pamphlet, expenditure on school buildings last year had been £3,500,000, Mr Bromily said. “It is obvious.that a portion of this money must be spent in the current financial year, so that the vote for capital expenditure for schools for this year must be considerably increased to meet the balance of last year’s commitments, plus new works to be started this year.” Mr Bromily said this was probably why the department was being forced to make such strenuous attempts to limit its expenditure this year. No sooner did education begin to look likely to overtake its necessary arrears than someone thought the expenditure was too high and reduced an essential vote. Yet the country had never been more prosperous than now, with a record income from primary products and a good trade balance overseas. “I wouldn’t mind these so-called economy measures if the Government were really short of funds,” said Mr Bromily. who urged that other boards be approached for a conference to be held in Wellington in an endeavour to help the Minister of Education (Mr R. M. Algie) to persuade the Government of “the urgent need for still more capital expenditure on buildings.”