MINISTER WELCOMED

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 141, 11 December 1935, Page 10

MINISTER WELCOMED

BY EDUCATION BOARD

PROBLEMS TO BE FACED

Congratulations and promises of the full co-operation of the board were extended to the Hon. P. Fraser, Minister of Education, when he attended today's meeting of the Wellington Education Board, by Mr. W. V. Dyer, the chairman. Since taking office eighteen months ago, said Mr. Dyer, he had had no less than three Ministers of Education to deal with. No sooner had he arrived at the point of convincing one Minister of the need for rectification of certain matters than he had to start all over again with another Minister. All members of the board spoke in eulogistic terms about the new Minister and confidence in the future was expressed.

Mr. Fraser, who was received with applause when he rose to speak, said he hoped the sentiments which had been expressed by members would be retained when Parliament reached the end of its term. He was approaching the task ahead of him in a very humble spirit, realising the importance of education and the difficult problem to be faced. Some of these problems were inherent, while others were legacies from past administrations. He knew enough .about education to know how little he knew. The time to talk about his job would be when he had completed it. They could not be expected to work miracles, for the heart of the problem was money and one could not wave one's arms and bring money down fi'om the clouds. But they could survey the resources of the country and determine what proportion could fairly and legitimately be devoted to the' child life of the country so as to produce the best type, physically, mentally, morally, and spiritually. ' The children must be given the physical chance first so that the rest could be built up. Mr. Fraser paid tribute to the unselfish work done by many in the cause of education and said that he had been overwhelmed by offers of assistance and expressions of good will. There were many things,' perhaps, that he would like to shatter and rebuild, but they were governed by economic conditions. They would not, however, be slaves to those economic conditions.