FINANCIAL STRESS

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 10966, 30 July 1921, Page 7

FINANCIAL STRESS

IMPORTANT STATEMENT ' ACTING-PRIME MINISTER ON TECHNICAL COLLEGE. PRIMARY SCHOOLS COME FIRST. The Director of the Technical College (Mr J. 11. Howell), speaking yesterday at the deputation to Ministers urging that* money should be found for building at least the north-east wing of the new college at Mount Cook, maintained that the conditions under which the work of the Technical College were carried on were incomparably worse than in any other educational institution in New Zealand. Sir Francis Bell: I am very glad to hear that there is nothing worse; but your conditions are simply shocking. Mr Howell said that there were 1300 pupils in attendance, and they were condemned to work under these bad conditions. BAD CONDITIONS ADMITTED. Sir Francis Bell said that it was not the Government's duty to provide the whole of the funds for technical colleges. . They all understood that. ‘‘The conditions under which you suffer, 1 admit*” he added, “but I tell you there are conditions of education boards m respect to the conditions in primary schools which are at least as bad as yours. I will not say worse, because you would not agree with ane. And until these conditions are remedied, and we are able to set aside money for that primary purpose, so long as I am at the key of the Treasury, I will not find money for other purposes which are not of that class of primary obligation. I might have said —and it would have been easier to say it—that I would l?ring the matter before Cabinet and let you have the reply later. But, surely, it is better for you to know what is an my mind. (Hear, hear). SERIOUS DIFFICULTIES. “None of you know the difficulties under which tlie Government is suffering at the present time in regard .to finding capital money. We are straining the means at our disposal—l ain not speaking of revenue, mind—yto carry on all classes of work which will provide labour alone for the winter months, and are abstaining from purchasing material. We are working day and night, every member of the Government, endeavouring to carefully guard and spend to the 'best advantage at the present time the moneys we can raise for public works.” ENTIRELY IN ACCORD. “NOT ENOUGH TO GO ROUND.” The Minister for Education (the Hon. C. J. Rarr) said that he .could not add anything bo what Sir Francis Bell had said as to the financial position. He was entirely in accord with him in his opinion that if there was not enough money to go round for everything in all branches of education then by all means the primary schools must have priority. He also k c«.«rdially agreed with him when he said that there were primary schools in New Zealand to-day grossly overcrowded; that there were districts where there were no schools where there ought to be schools; and the money that Sir Francis would 'be able 'to spare him, and which he was asking him for now, must in the first instance be devoted to making good the deficiencies on the primary side.