EDUCATION BOARD FINANCE.

Evening Star, Issue 11693, 26 September 1902, Page 7

EDUCATION BOARD FINANCE.

INTERVIEW WITH MINISTERS. [From Our Parijamxntart Reporter.] WELLINGTON, September 25. A deputation consisting of about forty members of the House of Representatives waited last evening on the Acting-Premier and the Minister of Education in reference to the vote for education boards.—Major Steward stated that at a meeting of members held during the afternoon it had been decided to apply to the Government for a larger allowance to boards, so that school committees might be provided with adequate funds to meet their incidental expenses.—Mr James Allen supported the application, and Mr Hardy referred to the circulars recently issued by school committees all over the colony, complaining that the amounts paid to them were quite insufficient.—Mr Gilfodder suggested that if the vote to boards were increased care should be taken that the extra money was distributed among the committees.—Mr 3. W. Russell said the members who had met were quite unanimous in the wish that any additional vote should be ear-marked, so that only the committees would have the benefit of it. In support of the application he submitted that there was a surplus of £B.OOO left over from last year’s vote for public schools. The Hon. Mr Walker appealed to members to carry on the system of national education on reasonable lines. No one could deny that during" bis term of office the expenditure on education had been increased year by year. If they said they did not get enough money, he was afraid they would breakdown the edifice by wanting too much. The boards were now getting £4,000 more than they had ever before expended when they had full control of salaries as well as incidentals. If the committees .were not getting the benefit of the increase, he feared the boards were not doing their duty. It was suggested that the money for the committees should be ear-marked.—Mr Hogg: I did not.—Mr G. W. Russell: You were not there, Mr Hogg. I would not agree to it. The suggestion was ridiculous. —The Hon. Mr Walker thought the boards might surely be entrusted with the distribution of the incidental funds. The boards’ expenditure last year was £52,153, and this year they were getting nearly £66,000. He had done his duty. Parliament had done its duty, and he thought the money required had been provided.—Mr Hardy produced a letter from the Minister which, he said, did not bear out the figures the Minister quoted. The letter was examined, and it was found that the figures given were in error.—The Minister said the interpretation was that the boards were now getting £3,000 more for incidentals than they ever .got before.—Mr Hardy stated that out of the money placed to their credit the North Canterbury Board had only £SOB to deal out among the committees for the year.—The Hon. Mr Walker: How did you get on before?—Mr Hardy ; We always had money.—The Hon. Mr Walker; You must have extracted it, then, from your teachers’ salaries.—Major Steward said the shoe was pinching all over the colony. He submitted that the amount required, £4,100, might easily bo provided, and it would afford a great relief to the school committees.—Mr George Fisher: Does the Hon. Mr Walker know of any reason why the amount required for the committees should not be withheld from the vote for public schools? The Acting-Premier said that the matter

would be folly gone into whan thfc Supple* naentwy Estimates came under the consideration o! the Gabinet, and he assured the deputation. that their representations would have' foil'consideration. -