SCHOOL BUILDINGS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3617, 10 July 1923, Page 48

SCHOOL BUILDINGS.

£5,000,000 ASKED FOR. WELLINGION. July 5. Recently some interesting statistics were published about the spending by local bodies in New Zealand, and the demands that are being made upon the Government for works and buildings and other matters are out of nil proportion to the resources of the country. From every corner of the dominion people come to the Government asking them to spend more and more money. Some interesting remarks on the subject were made to-day by the Prime Minister in response to a request by a Napier deputation that asked for £60.000 for a new high school and a hostel. The hostel alone was to cost £31,000, which would be at the rate of over £3OO per head for each boy accommodated. The deputation was advised to cut down its demands to twothirds of what was asked for.

Mr Massey, during the course of a brief r cply, said he had only a certain sttm of money for education. Yet the applications for buildings this year amounted to no less a sum than £5,000.000, and everyone that came along made out a good case. Deputations were coming to him for grants at the rate of £IOO.OOO a week. It was quite impossible for him to find the money, lie was anxious to do all he could for education, but be could not do the impossible. He could not meet such demands without increasing taxation, and be was not going to increase taxation. They had quite enough of it, and he was going to reduce it. In this case he could not go to the extent of £60,000. If they would agree to two-thirds of that amount It might be arranged, but even then he might have to leave out claims that were quite as good for school buildings. Even if the financial position of the country was much better than it was at present he could tiot d’o all that was being asked.