STARVATION POLICY

Evening Star, Issue 19522, 1 April 1927, Page 2

STARVATION POLICY

PRIMARY EDUCATION SUFFERING HO!!. HARK COHEN'S CONTENTION That a starvation policy was being adopted on primary education as compared with university and secondary education was the contention of the Hon. Mark Cohen at a meeting last night of the School Committees’ Association. This observation followed some remarks which he had to make in regard to the delay in building the new Albany Street School. The Hon. Mr Cohen said he had heard there was likely to be trouble over the acquisition of the site for the new Albany Street School. It was said that one of the authorities was likely to back out of the agreement respecting the site on the reclaimed ground. He wanted to tell the meeting in all candor that at present there seemed to be no difficulty in getting extra expenditure for university or secondary education, but when it came to primary education a starvation policy seemed to be the rule. They should tell the Minister that that policy should be abandoned. The present Albany Street School was a disgrace to everybody concerned. The school was insanitary, and was not in the right place, and, in comparing it with schools in other parts of New Zealand, they had every right to be concerned. They should ask the Minister thgt the work of building the new school should be put at the top of the list of work to be done in the present financial year. (Applause.) Mr J. H. Wilkinson thanked Mr Cohen for his remarks, but said that, as far as the school committee was concerned, and as tar as the Otago Education Board was concerned, they had no intention of relinquishing the site agreed upon between the various bodies. (“Hear, hear.”) It was well known that the Education Board had agreed to surrender its right to the original site, upon Logan Park because of the highway, and he was sure that the board’s action had a good deal to do with the carrying of the poll for the construction of the highway. The board had already approached the Hon. Mr Wright, and impressed upon him the necessity of doing something as early as possible. Mr W. Wright contended that primary education was as important as the education given in the big new Medical School. That building had cost a great deal of money, and some people doubted the wisdom of so much expenditure.