MAINTENANCE OF SCHOOLS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20317, 27 January 1928, Page 2

MAINTENANCE OF SCHOOLS.

CURTAILED EXPENDITURE. EDUCATION BOARD’S 'ROTEST. An intimation from the Education Department that the monthly grant this year would be £933 16s Bd, equal to a reduction of £2376 compared with last year, provoked an outbreak of indignation when it was received at the meeting of tka Otago Education Board yesterday. “ It would result in a great deal of curtailment in the board’s expenditure, remarked the chairman (Mr J. Wallace), and he thought that the board should ask the department for its reasons, as the Auckland rd had done. For the period during which the reduction was in force the services of five or six tradesmen woum have to be dispensed with. “ From my knowledge of the Otago schools,” said Mr J. Horn, M.P., “I can see that it will be hard to keep them in the state in which they should be kept.” The Chairman stated that the architect was perturbed over the position which had arisen. The schools would go back to the state in which they were during the war period when no work was done. The board had found it difficult enough to manage with the grant it had received last year, and what it was going to do now that a reduction had been made he did not know.

The reduction placed the school committees in an unfortunate position, stated Mr J. H. Wilkinson. During the war many deserving requests had had to be held in abeyance, and the committees had been given to understand that when the circumstances of the board improved the work would be attended to. The reduction was a very serious matter. The board had a duty to perform in attending to the requirements of the schools, but it seemed that they could not now be kept in a fit state. It was a serious matter for the architect, for, although he could reduce his staff at the factory, the overhead expenses would still be the same. The board should communicate with the department, stating that under the circumstances it could not carry out its work satisfatorily . The department should be asked to give reasons for the reduction. A Member: The reason is obvious. “It may be obvious,” said Mr Wilkinson, “ but education should come nrst in the matter of expenditure, as the welfare of the children is at stake. ’’ Education, he stated, was the last branch of the public service to which the pruning knife should be applied. The department should be asked to review its decision. ■ The Chairman stated that he had informed the department that if the board were given a free hand with the money it could save £2OOO a year. The board could show the department a way of saving money. Ten or 18 years ago the board had three inspectors who examined every child. Now there were five inspectors, and they could not cover all the work. If the system were revised thousands could be saved in a year. Mr J. Mitchell suggested that the time of the inspectors was wasted in compiling at the order of the department, returns which were never utilised. The Chairman: And in answering useless questions from the department. Mr Mitchell added that he thought that the reduction was intended to apply only to the end of the financial year, and not until the end of the calendaf year. Mr Horn said that he thought Mr Mitchell was wrong. The present grant would be made until th e next Estimates in October. It was decided to write to the_ department, asking it to review its decision.