CAPITATION GRANTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2928, 27 April 1910, Page 37

CAPITATION GRANTS.

QUESTION OF RESTORATION. HON. G. FOWLDSINTERVIEWED, ' WELLINGTON, April 22. In view of the approaching meeting*, of householders for the election of school committees, the Hon. George Fowlds (Minister of Education) was seen to-day. by a New Zealand Times reporter with; a view to ascertaining what chance there was of the restoration of the grant of 9d per head on the average attendance, which was omitted from the Estimates last year. The Minister stated that the position was that the Estimates for last year for the Education Department showed an increase ol' £105.000 on the previous year x and in the face of the restricted revenuaC it was quite impossible for him to gefthat additional amount voted. He had, therefore, to look round to see in what directions economies could be effected without impairing the efficiency of th<r education system. Much of the expenditure of the Education Department waa fixed by statute, and consequently could not be'interfered with except by legislation. For general administration ex« penses the education boards had a statutory grant of £250 each, together with a capitation of lis 3d per head on that average attendance, and it w!as from this fund that the requirements of the school committees would ordinarily be. provided. 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 had certainly not happened, for in some of the districts at any rate th« beards had either cut down the allowances which they formerly made or had required the committees to do more in the way of upkeeo of the school buildings and so on, than was previously required of them. In the meantime the general funds of the education boards had increased by an amount more than equivalent to the total amount of the special grant for committees, so that if the boards had had to find the whole of the sum, this branch of their finance? would have been in as good a now as it was when the grant was firstf made. In short, the position had completely changed since the special grant 1 of 9d was first made, and the Minister's contention was that it was onite possible for the boards out of the 11a 3d capitation paid to them to make the necessary allowances to the school committees. Ti was to be remembered that the sum in Question was under £SOOO, and that when the accounts were last made up at the end of 1908 the ordinary funds of the boards were in credit to the extent of about £29.000. Regarding the future, the Minister could not, of course, commit himself ta any statement as to what would be dona until the Estimates for the vear had been; considered. The grant of the special cavitation was never a satisfactory method! oi dealing with the finance of the committees, for it was recognised that 961 per head was not sufficient to enable them to carry on their functions. If any special grant were to be made, he was of ooinion that it oueht to be sufficient for the whole of the finance of the commit-' tees, in which case a reduction would have to be made in the capitation paid to the boards.