EFFECT OF DEPRESSION.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12452, 19 September 1933, Page 7

EFFECT OF DEPRESSION.

ECONOMIES IN EDUCATION. COMPARISON WITH THE UNITED STATES. STATEMENT BY MR. MASTERS. ! Electric Telegraph—Tress Association WELLINGTON, Last Night. : In a statement to-day, Hon. R. ! Masters (Minister of Education) ! said: “As a result of the depressed I budgetary positions the expenditure on education has been reduced in ■ almost every country in the world, m some cases quite moderately, j while in others one might almost say 1 ruthlessly. From the information I was enabled to gather 1 would say • that the United States as a whole has caused greater economies to be • brought into effect than any other country. Legislatures, generous to a degree in times of prosperity, have found bow impossible it is to continue a lavish expenditure in times jof depression and in America we have the spectacle of a country moving from one extreme to another 1 with a Federal surplus of 183,000,- ; 000 dollars in 1930 converted into a cumulative deficit of 5,547,078,000 dollars by 1933 and with a drop in income tax from 2,410,986,000 dollars in 1930 to 746,000,000 dollars in 1933 and a reduction in customs from 587,000,000 dollars to 251,000,000 dollars during the same period, together with a huge army of 13 million, unemployed- It will be realised that social services had to come under the axe of economy in. America. Appropriations have been reduced to such an extent that the situation in some schools is really critical —much more critical than is commonly realised. In. the New. York State alone- no fewer than 7000 teachers are •unemployed, while those who are fortunate enough to he employed have suffered heavy reductions in salary amounting to more than 50 per cent, in many instances in secondary schools. In the Illinois there are thousands of who have not been paid at all for their services and others again who have received only part payment. This is a. most unfortunate position in regard to unemployment- and is due to the depression, thirty per -cent, of the teachers being dismissed in some of the States, and to the fact that as in New Zealand and other countries *t.oo many teachers have been trained. While we in New Zealand have been instrumental in reducing the cost of the administration, of education, our system still remains intact. In many school systems in the United States all special classes have been eliminated, and on the decision of the office of education all work has ceased m music, kindergartens, art work, dental work, - medical inspection, manual training and elementary home economics. Conditions in many school areas became so serious during last year that it was necessary to curtail the school year in many country districts by as much as four months. Over a quarter of a million children are attending school on a part-time basis. This restriction seems to apply more to the schools in the country, as approximately 8,000 rural schools were forced to close early last year. The

cities, however, are not immune as over 100 city systems reduced their terms by 20 days or more. In a recent- statement the Commission of Education said that in this phase of economy the prospects were very much more serious for next year. In the matter of capital expenditure and attention to repairs and maintenance the system had suffered and not only have the teachers been starved for equipment, but in some 18,000 rural schools even minor repairs have not been attended to over a- lengthy period. In making these statements, I have not in any way exaggerated the position; in fact, I could go on at greater length, my information being gathered from official sources and published statements. It may be asked why raise the matter P I do so because there are certain sections of the community which freely express their opinion that New Zealand has gone too far in the matter of economies. It may be informative to them to know that we have left our system intact, that the children who after all are/ the paramount consideration, have not been prejudicially affected, and that our economies are almost wholly the result of the reduction of administration expenses. On the other hand it must be obvious from a study of the information I have given that in addition to the savings on administration, economies have been secured in the United States at the expense of the system, the child naturally in that case being the sufferer. Educationists in the United States are generally concerned and are hopeful that before long "prosperity will return and assist them to restore the services which have been eliminated. The State alter all is in exactly the same position as the individual. Spend in excess of your income and it is only a matter of time when nothing will remain to be spent.”