CAPITATION FOR SCHOOLS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 90, 14 March 1935, Page 8

CAPITATION FOR SCHOOLS.

BETTER BASIS SOUGHT. DEPUTATION APPOJNTED. The decision to press for a more generous scale of capitation, and to submit its representations through a special deputation to the Wanganui Education Hoard was made at . the quarterly meeting, in Palmerston North last evening, of the Manawatu-Oroua Combined .School Committees’ Association. Bringing forward a remit irom the Hokowliitu School Committee, Mr W. E. Cooper moved tlmt representations be made for capitation grants according to need sufficient to meet the cost of cleaning, lighting and sanitation services, instead of on the basis ol tli-3 average attendance. He said that with the decreasing roll numbers it was esti mated that in a year or two the Hokcwhitu School Committee would lie compelled to contribute 50 per cent, of the cost, necessitating greater calls on parents, who could ill afford to give assistance.

Mr W. Salt (Awahuri) said that secondary schools seemed to be able to secure all the capitation they required, while the anomaly continued of grants to primary schools being quite inadequate. Some years ago there were 150 pupils attending the Awahuri School. Now there were 32, but the expenses were just as high as formerly, while the capitation had decreased enormously. Mr A. B. Shannon (Cheltenham) inquired who was going to determine the needs of individual schools. Lt was explained by Mr Cooper that the Education Board, as the governing authority, could make allocations on a fixed scale to meet essential requirements. Mr W. G. Black, the chairman, said the New Zealand School Committees’ Federation had passed *a remit recommending that the State should provide the whole cost of caretaking, fuelling and maintenance of school buildings and grounds, and that staff grading and capitation should be on the basis of the average enrolment, instead of the average attendance.. This, Mr Cooper maintained, did not meet the position. The opinion voiced by Mr J. A. Grant (Russell Street) was that the adoption of the proposal brought forward by Hokowhitu meant that school committees would simply “he committing suicide.” as there would be no need for them to function.

Representations had been made to the Minister, said the chairman, that capitation should he paid to primary schools on the Mine basis as to secondary schools. Mr P. V. Burns (Hokowhitu) said tho preseilt system of capitation grants was inadequate, and school committees, whose work should be of an auxiliary nature, should not he asked to meet the deficiency. The position would continue as long as it was tolerated. The view was expressed by Mr C. N. Rabonc that the proposal was impracticable. He moved an amendment that the resolution carried by the New Zealand Federation be endorsed. Seconded by Mr F. G. Murphy, the amendment was carried.

Some objections were voiced to the form of the audit certificate required to be attached to school committee accounts, requiring tho submission of the cash book to the Education Department, even if a registered accountant carried out the audit. It was considered that this contained an unintentional reflection.

Mr Grant considered that the precautions taken by the board were justified, and were not meant to convey any reflection sucli as had been suggested. The chairman said that the Central School Committee, of which lie was chairman, would not have the temerity to ask a registered accountant to sign its balance-sheet on such terms. It was decided, on the motion of Mr W. H: Cadwallader (Central) to ask the Education Board to undertake the auditing of school committees’ books. It was further resolved that a deputation consisting of the chairman (Mr Black), Messrs CadwaUnder and Salt should wait upon the Wanganui Education Board at its next meeting to discuss both this matter and that of capitation grants.