EDUCATION GRANTS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 733, 4 February 1910, Page 6

EDUCATION GRANTS.

- SPEECH BY MR. FOWLDS.

• A REPLY 10 RECENT CRITICISM. [' ' THE GOVERNMENT AND THE BOARDS. I'.-,. ■■-;■■ !< (By. Telegraph.—Press' Association.! -■. f, '' ' Christchurch, February 3help; thinking-;how; fortunate pSs-jjipu- people here r have - been ■ in, getting a Jrautafgr.-this the .parI'- .'iailionions -Govermnent decidcd to -..cut i- 'vSldoWn expenditure -in .connection with |; !: :;- >e(lvication,''' remarked the Hon. G. Fowldg [■/;. bn the .course of his speech ' at. tho , openofs';the.new?school'.at iAddington ,tosaid that: I- .. . - 'during , the past few weeks he had <steft jeriejiced■what a. fiisjtbing it. wto-to .have ■v' '- : '!plenty; 6f .mohey," and what' . a ;:'\'' !iMng,:and a .thing approaching,wretched('f^ieK^ifor.- ' 'anyone, •' and :: particularly a tivj? Minister J for"- Education,'; not to: have an ■ Jsnppiy.j'of ■ money. present h' .'l -.Go'yerriment .had .been', anything but - nig-teSiMfriin-its'..treatment SSftjiaeifditure ! from the Public on: education- buildingsfor: the: past :four jrears (the only' period■ for .which the ISI Government could be held rel;/*] fc eponsible); as compared .with the-four, pre- !.;.] yiohs; years, w&s as'follows:— ,- : - ' ' 1901-2, 608; 1902-3, !■ £47,790; pv'j£B7,oß9j ' 190-1-5, total, ,£226,207. -' feisife--1905-6,: ££3^23; • )■ .(' 'JEJUO,I97;. 19C8-9,. JSIO2^J4O;. total," .£381,235. j' M .:-Tiris-showed an increase .for 'the. four:y^rs,;ofyi£lM,o2B;;:vAgaia,'*:^ ind -norinal increase ;,m': expenditure from . ..- the Consolidated-Jund -for the present nm jeai. l .ov'eT,':the', amount MS ibivl^yearVwas; Ks'V the -reduotions' of-,"which.. they' ji£atd v so .much, the/increased cost;• of /.tn© . Department for the year over the approS a'i'Triatibns of last year tos. X 48.560. The ;'. Imethod adopted..to prevent a very large '-increase' he ...thought; be able •iift'vlto show was the ,one.;least'oßeii.,to.o!MCtion. lii passing,. he .desired, to mention V- 1 [that tliey . got. a, credit to education • |account of ;from>Mqiml'EndowWft in^itSjvand he, was inclined to: think that H-; lif it:had-:not been for that windfall lie would have* been compelledto make rL-flarger reductions.'. in : VotKery : *.directions. ";'.T.'hose-who were continually crying out suiting the Go comment to .sell the .free . jhold _bf its-lands should bear ; that. fact 'in mind. , ' >■ The Rebuilding Vole • The rebuilding vote, which had been ; ' ' seduccd,' was -tt .sum of money; paid to ' Kducation: Boards overy year on a-certain - percentage basis '--jto'; provide for;'the re- ; . .wildihgof old woodon schools, when :-Bforn odt by lapse of. time,.and:the'-in-■fluences of the weather; - -.Ho had-an nis '.i; "iiiuad ,;the report of- .the Education '-om- ;-: mittoe of Parliament (which < was adopted , -foy Parliament), and it was on. the basis yfi.-'i?«/;thfl'>recommendations; : of : ;that report that ftiogA; payments :have :beon. made i.i'ftipradtkaUj 1 amoe' 1903. ' He assumed that - jtbe'ehampen: '.and -secretaries of. the iv 2': i"b(tords'knowsthe whole positkini-l'lf tKey 'did- not he was"prepared to supply .them t-with copies of» the . report. ... Was., .tho ; - -' :;i Government :,vin:; : cutting /ithat -votej l The" pomt.-he dosired, to:, em- ; • ;phas;se. was that' the Government had gr?.;jpaid: over.. a - very much larger sum of money to tbe boards than was emended '; ' jon the rebuilding of , worn-out. schools. , was ttdd' that.jthoj'buards.i-like .pru-lf.--.-:--;--.-.jdent,-:men,:/-w«irß ' saving .up'..thisi money fv.-;'<■■■•■ Ito' Jprovide -for a 'larger: aciount .of '■ re: S^^yimilaiiig'.'iih- ;future. l K > ! lf.; he ;! ''felti:perof that, it would be some ; : sencourajjSjent ■ to vsecure ■ as i early,; aspos;y-: i.isibld the reiistatement 1 of: the votit—(apj-. Si"., pbuse)—but he' had: notyet ■ • found; any 'p. ;,.:.;iof*-the'boank who had- saved up-any of ; ®a-? jthe money given them for rebuilaing:' vNo :possibly:'come',;to.edTication i-| :result: of ■ v;;, ■ :'ingv. grant for ■ .thisyear, or even, for i'.-- --, several years, because the: boards ought : ...• to;have.■ in.- hand < more thansufficient c to contume the rebuilding of worn-f-.out' schools :at 'the /rate'" they ' were [, -.icbuilt . during the past • jjear, or oven ',-tho -past: three ..years, v .Taking altogether' p' -;:- 1 ;:|paid-..:over- to 'tho ■ education - boards since f" tho ainount Bl ledgers:;'of f tKe: ' -' 'ishowed)'that.'in ISO 7 there'iought to ;have -. '■- 'been: to : ; credit' ■ and in 1908 feS^^oi^;i;-.biif^s : the; ; ~hbif s- ;v:.-iituch..:of l . : .'the. money"that"wai . actually i". •• paid over .. has been actually-spent m |". ~ - ,Tebuilding?-; Ths - Department; had; never 'soparated :items, . or in" giving : a 'cheque ;!- i -;-,:, --said . that this icheqno was for/ rebuilding, ! and that one for maintenance. The •y'b6ards,.iin-;inaking .out-'their-. accounts, ehowed-; the amounts ;spent- on 'rebiiild-ins,-.and -from'a-table 'in .'his liand" he; [learned.that three boards had paid.-moro i" - . litt -rebuilding: than! was. paid, to- them [for -that ,-All other'boards had: |» s/i-: spent a • great-, deal-'.less; and,;. taking the lniole of the. boards of the'Domimon, the, j'-;;.- : ,-,ain'onßt'spent ;for.five ■ years (1904-fIS) ...was pi.:;;).! per cent: of money;handed '.to ; them ifor rebuilding. ,

,The North Canterbury Board, ,<'• v;; He'.'was-.a)rry''that : 'Miv T. : .W. ! Adams ip^jfoliMiMiijSffof-ktlie^Nor^ ; JBoard) 7 pxeseiiti \as, ha '.wished Tto [J®* 1 •'migrants; |;.;&jJ. : |McluduK for reinstating, old build-' f.: -'.(iTiigs. Ho (the Minister) did not know. "thatref«rred' r _uiilcss"-it-;Wa9' .the : Government's contribution towards 'tho.rebuilding of/t,Addinntbn.'rebmlMng'>bt6;:'he..:(the ;^Minister)-.,was. referring'to.'.did. not inKblude, such; cases' :.as rebuildingof. schools' : -.(bMMd.'"down; V Mr. . -Adams ' wont *•' on [v : ';'i i to" say.;, that. this ,yeaT. tho total grants ' . j'iad. !oom'e down to the reduction | or more . than 50 -remarks'it-.would L; \O-4" be ' assumed \th at.' tho' Government ' had te;.-.:;;v'treated 1 :' the '.North Canterbury' Board 5/ K differently.'; f rdm.\ dthef.;' boards, '-.and--that : total'r'rebuilding . vote given- to' it j ; . i.iras whereas '.the amount' was K'.: -~ie 3758..'. Taking 'the board's' ledger, it showed';, that at should .;'haye;had. \£lSi2ffl'.to .credit.'of the re-' Wh%r£\ Wildin'S and '•maintenaice; : accounts 'other "I'thon' ordinary maintenance aM rebuild- [•. - ,}irig" accounts: .In'concluding his remarks, >.iMr.'• Fowlds said',|that'■ eveiy * itein : ' of re-' in'.;the' Education De-ij-partraint : waa''foTmd' 'fault : 'with,' 'and i.,.. Jio : ,was told that-, ho ; had . begun at [;/.the.;7'wrong' end; • . Yet;.'-none V ''ofhis hiriiW--, whati.ywas . . fthe.''right. end. . •If ' any'- other ! ' ' . iPoi n t. s . -had been - , touchedthan' K?"; :'v! which- reducti6ns;had,'been r; made, [ "i'y) : .' l therewould . have been greater'.howling. }. : ' and greater • complaints. ' .Referring to the 'i/ ".the'. capitation 1 to school VX'-i■.•ebmmittees ;he- pointed 1903 : !,£ .: J; the : ' balance ;■. to'.'.credit' onthe,general ' accounts ; of'; the was V ,£2OOO. ■In 1-1907 i;it- ; was ;VJ>2£ooo; ! -';;ThB '-. Government' in . these drcumstances 7 that j.-Ji-; - ftto bbards • were.- recerving ; r ample"- money. , j : : ; -VK to r .meet' the ' demands of school -commitjift the ;Educational-;Con- :•' . .. ference,'' he said .it .was called to deal tewith the technical teaching side' of edu-££\Vf-j cation; to determine how 1 far it ispos-t.Vif-X sible' - secondary, !&?i':Vand\i^iyeratyi'traching, : wholej ■ ';and to'-:ascertain how overlapping can be ■ avoided. .If he', had "granted ,the requests fWf>< made for representation' at the conference. . ; : 'v ' the* gatherjcg wonld haveresulted in - a |i' '■ mass' meeting.' /.There, hid.; been , previous .v conferences' dealing with questions of administration, ' and . he would . be very glad, to have' ; .an6ther of -that character. some of .the. statements ..made ;; : '- ' regarding '- gTants he - was - beginning. - to. think that; it ; was' ; very important. that •. . before long there should be a, confer- . . .ence with boards.ot education, to deal • . - ' with 'questions : of. administration: / v '. '

-■ Resting in False Security. : •Mr. C. 11. A. T. Opie. (a member of f'-t!'.:theNorth CanteTbuiy; Education -Board): ,'•.•< vsaid . that although . the Minister hau J made rantrpVersialVstatements, the -pre-, not ;thofoccasioh>.to . reply to themi'.Tjut-'tho -Minister %'6nld, ! be. ; resting !' • ' in-false .security if -he thought they i; would..not be replied to. He. did .mot : .think; -that.\ the .-Minister would; .find . throughout .New: . Zealand' an ; important |'': v ;i, : . tody of-public 'opinion that i would : cavil I' at expenditure on education, [v; .. Mr. Fowlds:. But it; is' always included ftfeo:;-in'. a great;' amount. "of expenditure that p- .' , is ' pointed- oiit ' as extravagant! . : ' : the impression was f--'.' growing that expenditure is taking place directions;; that might'easily be curpvr .'tailed.-and'that there were weaknesses in ' tnfe financial position.