WHAT CHANCE OF RESTORATION

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7110, 23 April 1910, Page 1

WHAT CHANCE OF RESTORATION

SCHOOL COMMITTEES’ GRANT

MINISTER OF EDUCATION ON THE . SUBJECT.

“What chance is there of tho restoration of the grant to school committees of niiicponeo per head S’" the Minister of Education (lion. Geo. Fowlds) was asked 3'estenlay by a “New Zealand Times*’ representative, This grant was formerly paid to the education boards for the use of the school committees, but was omitted from last year’s estimates. In view of Monday’s meetings of householders for the election of school committees, the Minister's reply is of special interest. lie stated that the position was that the estimates for last year for the Education Department showed an increase on the previous year of .£105,000, and. in face of tho restricted revenue-, it was quite impossible for him to gel that* additional amount voted. He had, therefore, lo look round to seo in what directions economies could be effected without impairing tin* efficiency of the education .-yMeiu. Much oi' the expenditure of the Education Department is fixed by statute, and consequently cannot be interfered with except by legislation.

THE ACTUAL POSITION. “For general administrative expenses,” continue.! .ur i'uwlds, “the education, boards nave a .statutory grant of .£250 each, together with a capitation of Gils 3d per head of average attendance, and it is from this, iurui that the requirements of the school committees would ordinarily be x )loV idcd. it was originally supposed that the special grant in aid of committees would, improve the position of those bodies to the extent of the grant, but that has certainly not happened, for in some of the districts at any rale, the boards have eiruer cut down the allowances they formerly made, or have required the committees to do more in the way of upkeep of the school buildings, and so on, than was previously required of them. THE BOARD’S BENEFIT. f Tn the meantime tho general funds of the education boards have increased by an amount more than equivalent to the total amount of the special grant for committees, so that if tho >oards had had to find the whole of the Mini, this branch of their finance would have been in as good'a condition now as it was whoa the grant was first made. in short, . the position has completely changed £ince the special grant of fid was first made, and my contention is that it was quite possible for the boards, out of the 11s 3d capitation paid to them, to make necessary allowances to the school committees,’ It must be remembered that the sum in question was under ASOOO, and that when the accounts were last made up, at the end of 1008, the ordinary funds of the boards were in credit to the extent of about -£29,000.” AN UNSATISFACTORY METHOD, Regarding the future, the Minister could not, of course, commit himself to any statement as to what would be done 'until the Estimates for the year had been considered. The grant of the special capitation was, he said, imver a satisfactory method of dealing with the finance of the committees, for it was recognised that 9d per head was not sufficient to enable them to carry on their functions. If any special grant /were to he made, lie was of opinion that it ought to bo sufficient for the whole of the finance of the committees, in which ca.sc a reduction would have to be made in the capitation paid to the boards.