EDUCATION FINANCE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 636, 13 October 1909, Page 7

EDUCATION FINANCE.

':;: AttEGEP DIVERSION OF FUrM ' THE BOARD'S METHODS- ■','.,v ; j/v GBITICISM BY THE MINISTER, , -; 'Tor many years," complained the Minister for Bducatiou (ljpn. G. Fowlds), when, reperting to Parliament (In 1908) »n tie progress and jfßditjfin prednostiQß la Nqw; Zealand during the year 1907, "the. F,ducatipn Boards' h«vq been receiving l large grants of mpnoy for the maintenance of 6chopl building's! for the last fptir years these grants have ppeij, Bpcciaily eaMnarked. (Pr repairs and for' the rebuilding of B-om-flut schools, Presumably, abput half' ttte anjount fif the grants haw been used (or wpairji,, and a foyr echools havo been■■ riobuijtiput the unspent balance qf thp,graut?, accord,, mg to the accounts of the boards, (should f*W nearly now available to.raeettho oopfi qf rebuilding a largo number of schools wh.i«b p u fti in the interests of health and efficiency, bo soon replaced,: Owing tp neglect of tIW conditions on. which-, the;grants, were -given, or to other wises, not easily traocd, ■ about *G3,p00 of this reserve, fund has disappeared,, leaving only ,£7OO in hand tomeot an imminent necessary expenditure of ten timqs that aroonnv the position is p»o that palls for serious cpa« aiueration, . -.'■■■.. ■..;;.' -. The: foregoing statement; elicited expression's Of strong disapproval from the boards,' thn Wellinctori Pdnsatjon I3pard being at the time: particularly emphatio m its crtfipiern pf tha Minister's conclusions,-v ■'■■'■ ■ In, 1009 report to Parliament, presented to the Bonsj yesterday, the Minister, roturn* to the charge, and'WKos considerable pajna to amplify hip ppnteHtion of, the previqus year, As his complaint refers specially to the administration Qf the Bulldinga Hrßnt, hjs ,r». marks, on this point only aro repredvoflli'•■■-.

Administration of Buildjnot Grants, ' "The Buildings Account," )io says, "refera to moneys granted (or two purposes, which by Parliamentary appropriation, ami by the term's, qt tho grapts made by the department, are qulto dlßtlnct, namely i In.) Mopej-j grantpd for* the general main. , tenamo aiid replacement of srhopl buildings put of tho Consolidated Fundi (b.) Mone\i> appropriated by Pftrlliunoniwl granted q U t of tho Public, Worts Fund ' specially fpr the erection pf new schools anil tho o(,tcn.Bio» of ousting pcbools rendered accessary by increased attepd' ' nncn, and for Puildipg tcaphprs.' ras|rlenres m regain cases M\tn lioumjs bo rented. "The assets and liabilities' of tho several boards on thin combined Buildings > Account may be set forth in, outline as follows,— - BuiidlnDs Account («) pud (b), all Smith December 31, 190!), i tiin,bUitipg. . £ Overdrafts , ,„ 5,*f11 Other liabilities ... , 56,573 Balances. „ ,„ ~, &g,B7f» JSI2S~S» Assets. £ Cash ! 88,539' ])uo from all sources 60,811 Uehciis ~ M , ~, 2,87fi J31C2.338 Net balances January 1, 1903 .„ ,£57,000 ( i ''Tlie net balances, on January J, 1903, amounted to JB6f3, H w)ll bo Hjon that the total credit balances Increased during tho >ear by ,£2732, As will appear, however, tUlfl %c\ does not npcfwarily lmjlcato a satisfactory condition Of things, although, at first sight it might seem to do so. From niuwanilnaljon of tho grants made to the boards for the, maintenance and! replacement pf school buildings, and their returns of expenditure Under > these heads, it ha<} been found tbnt the School Buildings Maintenance Account should stand as sho\\u in tho following summary,—

i School Buildings Maintenance Account, all Boards, December 31, 1903. ! £ ' Liabilities „., 7^94, balance f11',054 iW,'7iK O 11; . Mijp' 210W58 I Assets ,„ 11)7 Balances ."' „. .., loijsil , l V " ' ' ' #103,458 i £56,954 Diverted. "JwdgWß from this statement," 'continues tho Minister, "ue should evpect a net balance, available on January 1, 1909, for tho mamtpnrnn C , 6 nE ? n<l I reb, » ldln i?, 0( school bulIdlOKS, of ' A9*,!>54, A? the actual cost pf maintenance and.repairs bos already beep charged, to the W'A mfly Vn 6B H tt »t lh.i« net balapco should bo available for rebuilding worn-oni schools and for replacing worn-out furniture, Attmgs, oto But tho Combined Buildings Ao- ' opunt -shows a, net balnpeo of onjy ,£57,000; by the conditions of the grants for new buildings I and additions, wmoh ore made just sufficient ' to meet the a-wertaincd cost of the works in question,, there can bo no balonco on these grants, and the deficit, if any, should be com-' J paratively small; farther, put of the sum of .£57,000 jnst montioncd, OTC r 419,000 forms a trust fund, being made np of the balance of donations and tho statutory subsidy thereon \ intended to provide for tho erection of part of the proposed Auckland Technical School) accordingly, tho portion of tho balance prosumablv availahlo for the proper purpose* of 1 tho maiptenonco and rebuilding of schools can- ] not bo more thnn .£3B,ooo—that is, ,sCS7,O()p !<** 1 -% 19j SS2. ~,? e 3i?°' ''.wW i^P 011 'hat the sum " iJEM>toS and .£38,000) has been diverted from the Buildings Maintomnco Account to tho erection of now sohool buildings ' ,

.;.Tj;' Govern !^V :^M n W^ "lt.mjght bo- contended,'fpn; fh?'other hat from .1005- tqflW?, ':' Have, been allowed i ..tp,.;»nend.>,mm(.'': jmqunfci-,;:'-mg-»ji _thc, aggregate' Jo notmpre than 7 per ■':■ cent, qf tho building maintenance grant?, oil i. email alterations and pdditipns'j alwthat by ':'< ' a Plrpnlw of Pqbtuarjv lfifls; tfo limitation ol' th - ? ,? s ®f?.?:We smalt auditions and /alterations was , removed i ,'■ >'v but• it should, to that' the: last-named : ■ \ piroulnr •B.tated/ m. • oloar" tetrJe\th6''csnditioli '••' upon .any. part ; of 'erapts conld- ba '•'.:. so; uDod-namolyi ipnly...after,. theV.Wa'rds 'had'"'. 1 'mado duo 'provision, f orWe.-.Tfcgjnire'neijts' In"-' respect of maintepanpo'and' rebuilding! neither - circular gives authority;,for using- tip money i-V for or in aid of' tua cpsU of.now fchbolj.-.'So " many are tho: school'buildings, that will re* ; quire, to bo ,replscoil ::in'>a, few that it ;: ip, dvuMWjM|, e rimpny.,of,the i boa.rda(wn!d ".V comply with the. condition panwdvii contjition' '' that appears.rtasonahle'enopgh on the grwnd '■- of ■ wndence alonp, < Even had they 8 11 W„ ;| ■ : .ablp.to mnke..di» provieion' for tli6 r «b'uiidinß..»: expenditure that; is imminent, and yet have ' ■■ ha,d :7,.pm. cent, of tho grants .left: for addi-"; ,; turns and alterations, tho deficiency of '! wonld not havo boen accounted, .for,, as th'p total '■'■■ ?L. 2° "a^leaince 1 grants for tho four yeara has been: XaaWM..and :7-par cent: of V- ! ■11 '. wh i ch ' - o ?,' i hs '"ypothesis; just ; .:hmd<>; .... . the.boards-might,;have; «<j sppnf ,pr,- additions, ."'i etc., is '-E15.496.-, Hcnco, on tW most 'liberal mtcrpretabon- of ■ tho-facta,-r:th'o 'amouht-'of V ; moppv dsvprtea. from thp.properrucpssa of the ! ' raaintpnanco g are'voted: ; by Parliament an.i distributed by tp.»'»eiSrt- ' mpnt, fcn.n-MWJj'-pWnMJ' mm ■■ would bp nearer the real amoi nt.' ' The.'niVual l ! balance remawing U33,000) may bp wMeut to < provide the;cost, of rebuilding ' require to ho replUccd w.tlveVst thrp« ■ years, but. pot .to provide thp proportion Mf' ' «'ionld no;v>,in band of tho cqpt of rep acing i thosa falling duo at a,Ww datl it (Vclw v ' that_ tho Government _ onn«ot. reasonably ba'" asked tp pay a second time rojoeys -already ■' given fpr rebuilding.,-. There ■; bp ' : only.onc way in wto,the boards concprnpd' can set th ? matter nght-namely, bv wine-lK ' ; bnlancoa whand op the - General' Account ' vhjch may bo used, inter alia, 'for tho exponS:'■'■'.' f»r lt "^ 0U l d bo , ot > l ?. tho Afinia. '' ter, to state hpro.Uiat.tHcso'remarks do;not apply equally to all the boards-in fact, in / the of one or two boards : they do not apply at all." .;,.''. :.,.', v ",-•.■■