“BEING FROZEN OUT”

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 55, 28 November 1929, Page 6

“BEING FROZEN OUT”

POSITION OF SCHOOL COMMITTEES A QUESTION OF FUNDS “I feel that the Department has come to the conclusion that school committees are no longer needed. I feel that we are being frozen out, but 1 believe that in future, unless they can give us increased capitation, we can, as outsiders, and as a parents’ association, give greater service to the children than as a school committec.” ►Such was the view of Mr. P. Hennessey (chairman of theTe Aro School Committee), who prcsidc<P-at an indignation meeting held in the Te Aro School last night to protest against the present capitation grants from the Education Department to school committees. There was not a very large attendance (a fact which was deplored by the chairman), but all present expressed themselves as being in accord with all Mr. Hennessey had to say during the evening. . The reason for the meeting, said Mr. Hennessey, was the action of the Education Department in cutting down the monthly amount for the purposes of carrying on the committee work in the schools, including the purchase of fuel in the winter, and cleaning, and many other things on which money had to be expended. The board had written to say that having over-expended its funds, it would have to cut the Te Aro School’s allowance by £Bl, and would have io take the amount out month by month. The reason for this action was asked for, mid it was found that the board had been paying more than the Governmentgrant per capita. The city schools, continued Mr. Hennessey, were getting an average payment of 7/-. a head to meet all incidental'.expenses. No city school had ever been able to make the 7/- do without supplementing it by some means or other. The needs of the Te Aro School were greater than ever. The committee had never had enough money, and now that the £SI was taken away, the committee simply coulil not carry on unless residents were willing to pay for the services needed—and the chairman did not think they ■'would be willing. Mr. Hennessey referred to the deputation to the Prime Minister and to the Minister of Education, and stated that the Prime Minister had expressed himself as being shocked at the idea of the committee almost having had to beg for fuel. Mr. Hennessey also stated that there had been a time when he had to pledge ibis own personal credit in order to procure coal. The I J rime Minister had said that he would do what he could, but when the Supplementary Estimates were seen, it was found that nothing had been done in the matter. Mr. Hennessey said that he had seen the Minister of Education, who had expressed sorrow nt the situation, but had said that the Government had not got the money, for this year at any rate; he, would see what could be,done at the end of the financial year. Purchase of Scots College.

“A few days later,” continued Mr. Henn'essey, “Scots College came on to the market, and these people who didn’t have any money, produced, out of nowhere, £38.000 to purchase the college for a training college. Not one penny of it was on any appropriation that had been passed by Parliament. I don’t know that they even went to Cabinet for it. Yet the Government* that had no money could produce a bonus for its members— I don’t say that they don’t need it, but the school committees need it more 1” (Applause.) Another result of the loss of money had been that certain repairs had gone by the board. The Te ’Aro School, in particular, would (.have to wait for them to be done, for the committee had not the money and the board had not the staff to carry out what was needed. Impossible to Carry On. Mr. Hennessey said iu concluding that he considered that;, to carry on as a school committee' had become well-nigh impossible, and that the committee (of which he was chairman) was not prepared to carry on along such lines. Messrs. C. H. Chapman and P. Fraser, M.P/s, who were present, both expressed disappointment that nothing had been done in the matter of the capitation grants. Mr. Chapman said that he was not certain whether it was the Cabinet as a whole, or whether it was the Minister of Education who was to blame. He assured those present that the responsibility was not Parliament's, but the Government’s. -

Mr. Fraser suggested a deputation of the united school committees, and also suggested that the Tc Aro School Committee should, wait on the Minister and put the position before him. Resolution Passed. At the conclusion of the meeting tbe following resolution was passed“ This meeting does hot expect any committee to continue in office while compelled by Government parsimony to beg money from parents and others to pay for the cleaning and general upkeep of primarj' schools, and condemns the absurdity of the Government in expecting 7/- to do for. .the primiiTy schools what they expect as' being reasonable iu secondary schools at a cost of 50/-.’’ PROTEST FROM MOERA A strong protest was made at a meeting convened by the Itandwiek School Committee this jvcek, against the refusal of the Government to provide an allowance sufficient', for the proper upkeep of '.the school. The chairman of the school committee (Mr. J. Rentoul) stated that the capitation allowance was quite inadequate, and oven with the aid of voluntary support they would be unable to carry on. The following resolution, moved by Mr. G. Paris, and seconded by Mr. D. McEwen, was carried; —“That this meeting of the residents of Randwiek school district deprecates and deplores the action of the Government in refusing to grant an increase in the capitation allowance to school committees, and further resolves that the matter shall not be allowed to rest until an adequate allowance is forthcoming to enable our school committee to function efficiently.” MORNINGTON SUPPORT At a largely-attended meeting at Ilin Ridgeway School, Mornington, last night, the following resolutions were passed:—“That this meeting of householders places on record its disapproval of the inadequate capitation paid to the school committees, and urges on the. Government the necessity of granting an immediate increase to permit the committees to carry out their duties and to ensure the health and comfort of the scholars.” “That this meeting is prepared to support any united effort to place the matter of inadequate capitation before the public and the Government.”