IN DIRE STRAITS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7038, 28 January 1910, Page 5

IN DIRE STRAITS

EDUCATION BOARD FINANCES GOVERNMENT GRANT REDUCED. A DEBT OF £SOOO. Tho finances of the Wellington Education Board arc evidently in a bad way, and will form tho subject of representation to the Minister at an early date. At yesterday's meeting of the board a statement was tabled of tho finances for the month, which showed a debit balance of £4184 7s 2d, as against a ( debit balance on December 12th, 1909, of £3470 3s 9d. Tho total authorisation (including sites, oto.) was £2295 17s sd. The receipts since the last board meeting wore £7395 6s Id, and tho payments £2lB 7s. Accounts with a debit balance are: Buildings, £3714 2s 7d; secondary, £B7 16s 8d; teachers' salaries, £1146 9s 7d.

THE CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT. The chairman (Mr R. Lee) said tho matter of finances this month was a most important ono. There had ariseai an unexpected loss of £2OOO 6u the board's building grant. ' They had expected that the Government would grant them something like £5500, but now they were informed that for 1909 tho grant would be only £3455. The board had carried on its work all through the year depending on a grant which it now found it was not to have. Far years tho board had been accustomed to a grant of £4OOO and over, but now—and not until the year had actually expired—it was told it would have to do with less. The board was, therefore, absolutely crippled in its building operations. Tho financial statement showed a debit balance of about £4OOO. There liad accrued moneys duo to the' board by tho department amounting to just about, the same sum. Tho moneys now duo would, therefore, wipe out tho present debit balance. Tho board was in this position : There was a debit balance on the building acoount of £3714, while the moneys to meet it amounted to only £IOOO. There was thus an indebtedness of £2700, towards which there were no funds whatever. Al-o, there were works already in hand to cost some £2200. The board was thus in all just £IOO short of £SOOO to tho bad. EVen if the board had got the £5500 it expected, it would have had but the barest margin, but this reduction from £5500 to £3455 had left it in tho position of being quite unable to do anything in tho way o£ new work. After the work now in hand was completed there would ho a debt of £SOOO, and next year there was no knowing what tho Government would do with its grant. It might be reduced by another £2OOO, for all they knew. Thero was another feature of tho department's financial arrangements that struck him as unbusinessJike. Tho board had to make largo payments throughout tine year, and to do so it had to dralw on. tho bank, and pay interest on the money, until the Government grant was received at the end of tho year. It would be much better if the motaey was handed over to tho board when the payments had to be made.- This would givo the board a good deal yearly in. interest. "We should know," said Mr Lee, "early in the year what money wo are going to have; and wo should get it when payments axe to be made. (Hear, hear.) , The present position meant practical stagnation in the board's work of keeping the school buildings in proper order. PARLIAMENT NOT TO BLAME. Mr J. G. W. Aitken: Was any reduction mado in tho education vote by Parliament last session? Mr AV. C. Buchanan, M.P.: There was no reduction. Mr A. W. Hogg, M.P.: The Government got every penny it asked for. Mr Aitken: Then we cannot blame Parliament. Mr Lee : So far as I can. see, the Government is going in for economising. Mr Aitken.: In tho wrong direction. Mr Leo: The. Government is making large grants in other directions — for instance, in the way of extending agricultural instruction and in the way of larger salaries—but it seems to me improper that the primary schools should suffer as a consequence. A DEPUTATION ARRANGED.

Mr Allan moved that the whole board form a deputation to the Minister of Education to impress on him that the board could not possibly carry on its work with tho reduced grant. The motion was seconded by Mr J. Kebbeii, and carried unsaniniously. The deputation will meet tho Minister on the morning of the next board meeting.