The Daily Telegraph. THURSDAY, MAY 23, 1889.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 5533, 23 May 1889, Page 2

The Daily Telegraph. THURSDAY, MAY 23, 1889.

At the last meeting of the Education Board, as at all previous meetings, there were numerous applications from various school lummittees tor grunts of money. Some of thesu were agreed to, but the most of them lad to bo refuced on the ground that there were no funds. Tho applications were generally for increased school accommodation and for teachers' residences. rJotbing extravagant was wanted, but tho Board tdinply had not the money. In his place in the House of Representatives Mr. Onnoud, who, as Chairman of the Board, can speak authoritatively on these matters, has repeatedly pointed out that education was being starved in Hawke's Bay for want of fuuds. Not a sixpence has been spent iv this educational district unnecessarily ; tho atlininiistriitive expenses have been kept down to the lowest point, and the utmost economy has been practised so that tho Act hhouhl be carried out its efficiently as the money fit command would allow. Both Parliament aud tho country alike recognise that the cost of education is exceeding the capacity of the. colony to undertake, and men. burs of both Houses of the General Attsembly have been casting about for some method which, while i.ot really impairing tho educational scheme should very largely reduce its expense. Obviously it occurred to everyone that raising thu cchool ago would diminish the immediate urgent need tor the enlargement of the school buildiugs, and reduce tho number of State-paid nursery governesses. Mr Ormond favored this proposal, and so did all the most sensible members of tho House, but unfortunately they are not in a majority. For doing this we notice that tho Wanganui Horald has characterised tho then proposed retrenchment as "a piece of Oiinoudism" to escape an increase of the property tax! What has been the consequeues of the action of the popularity hunters til the type of the member for Waiigunui? Thbgs have been drifting, and been neglected for want of money, and children capable of learning have either been suffocated in overcrowded schoolrooms or kept from (ichool to uiako room for babies wiw aro too young to learn. Mr Cowan, tho member for Hokonui (Southland), in addressing las constituents tsaid the night before last that tho time was coming when education above tho Fourth Standard would have to be paid for. A»'d undoubtedly ho is right." It naturally follows that with the growth of population the cost of education must increase year by year ; -md whero is it going to stop 'i It a majority of the representatives of the people will not agreo to babies being kept out of school, if thoy will not allow the Sixth Standard to bo abolished, although

not made use of by poor people's children, I the time most certainly will come when! severer economies will be forced upon us. A system of State education, in every way as efficient as that we now have, could be adopted at, perhaps, half the cost, namely, by raising the sohool age to six years, and by abolishing all Standards above the Fourth; then by increasing the scholarships, and making the district schools stepping stones to the high sohools and colleges, no child capable of learning would be deprived of the advantages he at present possesses.