COST OF EDUCATION

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 140, 10 December 1931, Page 17

COST OF EDUCATION

ECONOMY AXE TO [ VAMi

MINISTERIAL INDICATION

A DEPLETED INCOME

liurther economies: in! the •administrative sphere of his Department, were forecasted, by the Hon. R. Masters, Minister of Education, when speaking: at the opening, of" the new Wanganul Technical College Hoßtel this week. Mr. Misters said that if the-axe had: to; fall;;on social services- the people would know that the country's deplet-, ed income was the cause.: • "I'hive always had a keen interestin the work "of the children of: New. Zealand,", he said, ''but there have been' a good many things said about me'just recently. I have been called. a 'man without a soul'and the 'Mussolini of. New Zealand.'' However, I•■ still have that human" feeling for th« boys and : -girls." - , ■ " : New Zealand,, in the past—and, I have no doubt in the future,-too, as far as;Jshe is able—spent, a good, deal on social services;1" he proceeded. "We are proud of our social services in. this. country; But at a time like the present, I am reminded of something Mr. Philip Snowden'. said, ? An';expenditure which may be easy arid-tolerant inprosperous times becomes, impossible ■ ia, a time:of industrial-depression.' : In. past' years the expenditure on- social services has so grown that now. it has become a problem for this country's legislators to say. just how;, far it ii possible "to go in that direction.'.'. . . Supporting this contention the speaker quoted figures showing; the-burden on ■ public- funds ■ since the war., Hospital subsidies, he said, had increased from £243,000 to .health expenditure from £61,000 to £ 248,202 j dental hygien%, from £2500. t» £54,000. The cost per head of population for, health services- had ~risen from 5s 4d to, 12s 9d. Subsidies for maternity hospitals, etc., rose from,; £17,809 -in 1918 to £42,984. The Education Vote in 1918 was ■£ 1,811,000 and had grown to £4,126,000 last year. Expenditure on child walfere had risen from £64,000 to £153,000, and subsidies for Plunket work from £40,391 to £262,731. INCOME, NOT WEALTH. "The point I want to impress upoa you .is this," Mr. Masters •. proceeded, "That while all these services" are der sifable in normal times, in a day.of de« pression we have got to resolve on-just how far we can- go.V Expenditure would have jto: be reduced and social services ■ curtailed. • These were,.matters which would.come under, the;cars of the Government in the.near, future. "If there is need for further economy; you people frill realise, that the country has not .'sufficient ■ money to ! carry; on as previously,", the speaker proceeded. . ■';■"'. . - .• He said ■ that the national revenue had fallen, eight. millions. 7 He had been told that he had no right to make certain economies in education because there, was so much wealth, in the country. "I am-not concerned, with th» national wealth of ithis,country,":,'he maintained. "What.l am'concerned, about is this country's income;" Ho pointed out that,there was a.national wealth in the.railways, but instead' of being a contributor to the Consolidatei Fund' that department was a burden. - NEED TOR STOCKTAKING. '-' Mr. Masters said'that if .there was not the capital to provide-the'services the axe of economy would'have to fall. "I say here," he went on, "that whatever economies will■'■'be effected in' my Department not one will-affect the boys and girls of this Dominion;, any. - mora thin' is necessary.. i I; aitsperfectly; Well aware that", administrative c6st« can be reduced. We. have already effected reduction in expenditure there, and: as representative of the Government, I say we will effect further economies. If the axe of economy is ito fall on my Department it will fall, arid you people will know that it is because; we haven't got: the money;" •• ■ The speaker quoted Australia, showing that teachers' salaries had ■ been cut 20 per* cent, there and free places 60 per cent. He- had. been criticised for having made -examinations stiffer for the purpose of keeping, boys and girls out of the ; secondary; schools. What he was doing was making a survey of all the work done in the schools. If a man was in business and had a manager in charge in whom he had confidence, that man would keep his job.-. ••■ '■ ' -.- •:'.■ : ■ ■'■■ ■■'■■ ■-'-•■' "But I would want to know "what was balancing," Mr. Masters proceeded. "So I -would make a sort of stocktaking to find but whether what was being done was justified. I am; having that stocktaking icarried ■■■ out in .the schools. It is right for me to say, whether what is being done that RfEecta the children is * right, to ■ see that the) basis of the children's education i« sound and reasonable." - Nobody hoped more than,he-did.that the result of the stocktaking would! show that the work in progress was oh; right lines. - . '.- • .