NOT OBLIGED TO CARRY CHILDREN

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31116, 20 July 1966, Page 10

NOT OBLIGED TO CARRY CHILDREN

Zealand Press Association> WELLINGTON, July 19. There was no legislative obligation on the Government to be responsible for the transportation of children to school, the Wellington Regional Superintendent of Education, Mr 11. Sayers, said today.

Mr Sayers was commenting [I on a report that the Welling- < ton City Council could abol-.l ish school passes on its buses i should an appeal against the proposed fare increases be up- t held. | ( He was also commenting on ~ a statement by the chairman'] of the Wellington City Coun- , oil’s transport committee. Cr. | J. H. Turk, who is reported < to have said: "School fares I' are the responsibility of the Government, although the Ed- 1 ucation Department chooses to s interpret that as applying only >1 to country children." ; Mr Sayers said the rules ’ governing school transport/ [had grown from the provis- 1 lion in the Education Act for children to be exempted from t attendance at school if they.s lived more than two miles t from school and were under s 10 years of age. or more than ? three miles from school and 1 10 years of age or over, if The Government had given t

[transport assistance to many of these children rather than' have them exempted from school attendance, he said. Mr Sayers said: “Naturally this assistance has been needed mainly in country areas I where there are usually few public passenger services and, where the distance between home and school can be con-' siderable. I “However, responsibility for getting their children to school continues to rest with parents: and even in rural' areas many parents are taking their children considerable distances to school or to the bus service,” he said. Mr Sayers said there was not the same need to give assist-' ance in urban areas, where; the distance between home and school is not usually very great and transport services have been available at reasonable cost. Assistance was given to handicapped children.