MONEY FOR EDUCATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 15097, 13 September 1912, Page 9

MONEY FOR EDUCATION.

; uEEN-STREET ENDOWMENT,

% SIXTY-THREE YEARS' LEASE

'ALLOCATION OF REVENUE

DEBATE IN PARLIAMENT.

Isr -.TELEQHAMI— COIUIESrOXDENT.

- Weixixgtox, Thursday. THE method of allocating the. revenues •from education endowments in Auckland ■ i city was discussed in the House of Repre- , - sentatives this evening on tho motion for {jj,, second reading of the Auckland Education Reserves Act. The Bill proposes that tho Queen-street block, known as the '' - Supreme Court site, should be vested in • tho Public Trustee and tho revenues from ; it, attributed equally for higher and secondary education and special associated 0 - college classes; also, that tho endowment in Parnell known as the " Chinaman's gardens," held by the Auckland Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, may bo sold to the Education Board, to bo used by it for , -p, school playground. . An amendment was made by tlio Lands ' Committee, providing that the proceeds from the sale bo reinvested in other lands, to bo hold in trust for the same purpose ■ . as tho original trust. The Lands Committee also added to tho Bill a, memo, of a new lease mado by the Public Trustee, subject to ratification Y by Parliament, to Macky, Logan, Caldwell Limited, over the portion of tho Queen-street block at present leased by them. At prosenfc tho company, holds a lease, which will expire in 1941, tho rentals payable amounting to £373 per annum. Upon condition that the company shall, •with reasonable expedition, erect upon their holding buildings of tlio estimated cost value of £30,000, including value of existing foundations, tho Public Trustee ■ lias given a lease for 63 years from the day upon which it is ratified by Parliament. Tho yearly rental is increased to . '£850 per annum. / In moving tho second reading of the Bill, ihe Minister for Education (Hon. James ' , 'Allen) explained that had an extension of the lease not been given to Macky, Logan, and Caldwell, Limited, tho company would . have been unable to erect such substantial - buildings. The lease would bo validated ; - • by the passing of tho Bill. vt Sir Joseph Ward (Awarua) said that, ■ - , as a general principle, public property should not be leased without competition. '••He recognised that there -were special circumstances in this case, bub thero was . a fear on the part of the public, very often wrongly, that unless there was competition '-."there was some favouritism. Regarding the Bill, ho said it was gratifying that tho . matter had been brought to tho point of . settlement.. "j. r ' Needs of the Primary Schools.

Mr. Poland (Qhinemuri) contended that ilia primary 'schools should bo given the ; first claim upon the endowment. Tho 'main necessity of education in tho Auckf . land province was thai of primary educa>V;n lion, and tho 39,588 scholars in tho primary •Sr echools wero given no consideration in / the . BilL It had been decided that the . endowment should be for tho benefit of ; i, education generally, and. not for tho, higher classes only. , rMr. J. Bollard (Eden) expressed tho ."opinion that the allocation recommended 3|by the conference held in Auckland was : . unfair. A share should have been given to primary education, but it really did ■'k not matter, as the State provided for primary education. Mr. Poland It does not provide | enough. - : ■ Mr. Myers (Auckland East) congratulated the Government on the legislation ' proposed. No protest was made when; i •tho allocation was originally proposed, . and if any attempt were made to vary the . proposition tho legislation might bo serife- ously delayed, . '-if < Mr. GloW* (Auckland Central) strongly ; criticised the overlooking of the primary schools. Ho would oppose the Bill until ■ provision , was made for an equitable distribution of the benefits from the endow- . ment among all classes. Mr. Payno (Grey Lynn) suggested that » share ehoufd have been given to the - Technical College. Such moneys could be / used .valuably in providing boarding . .(establishments for country boys desiring ' technical education. ■ 'Mr. Rhodes (Thames) supported the Bill. Ho gave credit to Mr. C. J. Parr, > fit the time chairman of the Education/ • Board, for,tho satisfactory results of tho . conference regarding the Queen-street endowment. ~ „ Mr. G. M. Thomson (Dunedin North) ' especially commended the clause authoris- •: ing the 'University College Council to uso their share of the revenues to establish hostels for students. The University ' Buildings.

\; Mr. Russell (Avon) said it wag tmfor•timate that the people of Auckland sob aside eo little land as endowments for higher education, so that throughout its existence the University College had been maintained by State assistance. It was very gratifying that the finances of the college wero to be materially im- , proved. He suggested that tho money from the endowment should be used toj wards the erection and modern equipment of new buildings. Tho addition of a iiostel would give the Auckland College a big advantage over the other colleges, and Parliament would very soon bo faced with a demand for more money to provido accommodation ,• for its increased - number of students. Ho thought the •-'Auckland people should bo told that their . first duty waa to erect suitable college ■ buildings. For Auckland, Hot For New Zealand.

. ' Mr. Allen, in reply, said that as Minister for Finance lie would be delighted to accept the suggestion that all the revenues • from this reserve, worth a-quarter of a million, should bo devoted to primary education. He asked whether these Auckland patriots understood the effect of their pro- - posal. If it was carried out the endowment would bo used to reduce the vote for " primary education, and tho whole Domin- "*■ Jon would share in the benefit. Were mem- , bers prepared to consider this ? ? Mr. J. Bollard: I am, for one. , Mr. Myers: I strongly object. (Laughfer.) • Mr. Allen, continuing, said the criticism was not really serious. He would bo disloyal to education and disloyal to the Auckland district if lie accepted tho suggestion, and ho could not do it. The member for Grey Lynn had not •read tho Hill, or ho would not have Paid that there was no provision for technical education. There was a specific provision that one-third of the revenues should bo spent on technical education. Mr. Allen emphatically condemned tho statement that the university was for tho rich only, and mentioned the caso of a poor man's son who had by his own efforts obtained the full course of education, culminating in a Rhodes scholarship. The endowment had Btartcd at a small value • and had risen to a-quarter of a million. Mr. Myers: Half a million in twenty ; years.. J I Mr. Allen: And a million in fifty or sixty years. the Bill was read a second time on (ho ,Voices. . Tho total revenue that will be derived . rom the Queen-street endowment, including the increased rent payable bv Mackv, «icnn' 9^ dv '' c], > Ltd., i*3 approximately ■r l Other leases will fall in shortly, _ . tho new assessment of the ground ■?, s ""I 1 " increase tho revenuo to probably £0000.