NEEDS OF SCHOOLS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 119, 22 May 1941, Page 5

NEEDS OF SCHOOLS

BOARD'S ATTITUDE

DUTY TO LIVE WITHIN INCOME

MOTION DEFEATED

A contention that a continuation of .the necessary expenditure on the maintenance of schools and teachers' residences without a corresponding increase in the maintenance grant could only result in the board becoming . bankrupt was made by Colonel T. W. McDonald in a motion moved at yesterday's meeting of the Wellington Education Board. The motion, which urged that the attention of the j Minister of Education be drawn to the position with a view to having the maintenance grant increased, was lost by 8 votes to 3, the majority view being that the board should first concentrate on trying to live within its income in the present critical times. Reference was made in the motion to the greatly increased maintenance costs in recent years, and to the serious effect which curtailment of expenditure would have on schools and the provision of necessary amenities. It was recognised that expenditure for war purposes must have first consideration, but it was urged that the necessary : maintenance of existing school property should be carried on • as long as it was possible to do so. Colonel McDonald said that the only end he had in view was to help to get the position remedied. Certain works had increased greatly in cost, up to nearly 100 per cent, in many cases. The Government was not averse to spending any amount of public money on other things, and surely it would not be against spending a reasonable increase in the j grants to education boards for main- ' tenance to meet the present abnormal circumstances. He pointed out that the Wellington board had undertaken certain commitments in good faith, and they should endeavour to meet those commitments. j REPORT SUGGESTED. Mr. L. J. McDonald said that no suggestion should go out that the board was in financial difficulties, because it was not. They had a credit of something over £1100 a month in excess of liabilities, and, in addition, they had an assured income of over £1200 every month. It was true that they had commitments in excess of their credits, but those commitments would not become liabilities' for some three to five months, during which time they would have between £4000 and £6000. If expenditure were confined to a maximum of £900 a month for twelve months, the accounts would be restored to equilibrium. Mr. McDonald suggested that the matter should be referred to the other boards and a careful report prepared on the whole position on which joint representations could be made to the Government. Mr. J. J. Clark agreed with this suggestion. The chairman (Mr. W. V. Dyer) said he thought that at the present time their job should be to try to live within their income, and ii they found that impossible they might then approach the other boards. In the present life-and-death struggle that was going on overseas, it did not appeal to him at all to ask the Government for more money. It could not be suggested that he was not fully sympathetic with the. needs and difficulties of the schools, but for the last few years they had had a pretty good rurl. He thought that they could carry on for a little time at least without any material sacrifice of the interests of the schools, and could hope for betj ter times, when the Government's hands would not be full with other things. Several other members agreed with the chairman's viewpoint. The motion was lost by 8 votes to 3, those who supported it being Colonel McDonald, Mr. T. K. Moody, and Mr. J. D. O'Connor. J