Cost of School Books.

Cromwell Argus, Volume XXXVII, Issue 1985, 23 April 1906, Page 3

Cost of School Books.

SUGGESTION BY A CHIEF INSPECTOR. In the course of his annual report, submitted to the Auckland Education Board last week, Mr D. Petrie (chief inspector),formerly of Otago, referred to “ the hostility of the average parent, acquiesced in by the Board, to reasonably frequent changes in the readers that may be used in the public schools, which he considered was greutly to be deplored. The cause of this hostility to a desirable and helpful change and variety was obviously the expense it entailed on the heads of families. The time had come when an effort should be made to lessen this expense. As all parents were compelled to send their children to school with high regularity, and incidentally to buy all needful school books, it was not unreasonable to ask that these books be procured at the lowest possible cost. ?” All school books should be published by the Education Department, and supplied at cost price, thus greatly reducing the

outlay incurred by heads of families. Mr. Petrie added that the cost of books and been a fertile topic of discussion at annual school committee meetings, the burden being felt most keenly by parents of large families, who were often compelled to pay (to them) large sums for books which could not be used by the younger members of the same family, because of changes in the books themselves, or fresh editions. Although primary education was absolutely free in New Zealand, the cost of books re(j uired exceeded in some cases the total school fees paid in similar schools in Great Britain, where all books and requisites were provided by the school. Inspector Strachan (Marlborough), however, takes the view advocated for many years by the ‘ Evening Star ’ — viz., that the time has arrived for the State to undertake the free supply of all school books used in the primary schools. In the United States no less than twelve States provide free text books, and in 92 cities with over 20,000 inhabitants each this plan has been attended with signal success. Tbs City of Philadelphia, with over a million and a-quarter people, IIUrS given a free supply of text books to its primary pupils since 1818.