EDUCATION CONFERENCE.

Southland Times, Issue 14506, 26 August 1910, Page 6

EDUCATION CONFERENCE.

1 NUMEROUS RESOLUTIONS | (Per United Press Association).

WELLINGTON, Aug. 2h. The Education "(inference resumed its deliberations to-day. Ml- I'. O. Hrvde lOtago) moved that in Ciamv le:,.slation the Government lie requested 1-) make provision for temporary reservation by private owners .it suitable areas as sites tor public schools whete required, the same to be afterwards vested in the Board when such tire absolutely required. The motion was amended in order that the suggestion should apply to large areas only .Mid. Willi with the provision added that any hind so taken should be paid lor, was adopted. .Mr T. W. Adams (North Canterbury moved tlti.it where the annual value ot at,v existing residence is mamtestly below that of the authorised house allowance a grant be provided sufficient to bring the residence up to the required standard. 'Che remit was adopted with the addition of the following words: "or house allowance should be granted. Air F. Plrani (Wangantii) moved that the capitation payable to Education Hoards on '.he average attendance be increased to U's. so as to enable boards to pay School Committees the additional yd recently discontinued by the Department. The remit was adopted. Air Eraser was given permission to move a further remit which was also adopted as follows : "That it be a recommendation U the Department in making further grants to Hoards for School Committee allowances that allocations be rased partly on the number of schools and partly on a capita.ion b-.sis with ■<• view to more equitable allowance to Boards with proportionatelv larger namber of small schools. The following motions, moved by Mr t; L Stewart (Wellington) were adopted : "Thai he recommendation ot the Education Committee of I'JOX form a reasonable basis for determining the allowances to Boards on account ot maintenance of buildings anil also as from l'JUil on account of rebuilding, pn>Mded the discretion recommended by the Education Committee in UHM is allowed; lut the Boards are satisfied that the building grants prior to f!)U3 were not sufficient "to enable fhem lo make any provision tor rebuilding in the lutuie, !is thev were only to meet immediate and pressing requirements. The amounts payable on r.ccounl of maintenance and rebuilding should be intimated to Boards earlv in each year, and the grant should be paid to Boards m quarterly instalments. For the guidance ot Boards the individual capital amounts on which the allowances are computed should be explicitly stated. the lates of increase in attendance vary so greativ not only in different districts in any c'ne vear. but in the same district, from vear' to vear, that no general principle can )> • ' stated for determining the amount to be allowed each year to each district on account of new buildings. The amounts to be allotted to Boards therefore require to be determined by a careful examination of the requirements in each individual ease, regard beirg had to local conditions. Ihe amount in each case should be the ac- ''\\ was also decided on the motion of the Rev I' B. Eraser (Otago) that the Departm-nt be requested to prepare tor the inl'ormaHon and guidance "t Boards a stall-men' of the basis on which it proposes to make payments lo Boards : ',» for mainteiiance 01. buildings, (J for replacing worn-out buildings, ami ;:i) for replacing those destroyed by "The following remits, which had been considered in Committee were carried: 'Thai it is desirable to cultivate more ortistie tnsUs in the management and iqiiipment of our schools--.! ha. si • k pav shall be granted on the lollo\ lhg basis: firs', mouth, full pay , subsequent two 'n.mtlis. Hal t-pu.v. 1 lial 111" Government be asked not to use school buildings for election purposes where ether buildings ate available.--; -I hat the Government be asked lo subsidise school libraries I for L—That attendance b--compulsory every time a school is open, •..object to the exemptions in llio Act That the multiplication ol returns by -he Department places unnecessary expense on Boards, and '.hat the_ Government be asked to minimise tins.—l hat the capitation grant for relieving teachers be increased from lid to '.ld per head. --That Boards be recommended to connne school holidays to a maximum ot liftv school days, including Christmas, term and statutory holidays, term holii>avs to commence on the first I-rhay m Uav and Se.-teinber. Christmas holidays on "the Thuisday before Christmas, exr< pt when Christmas tails on !• riday. vli.-n schools close on the previous \\ cd.'(Kjav— Tlr.l the police should be allowed' to act as p-osecutors in truancy c-i'-e-i wlii'i'- 1 the truant otticers cannot ■Vteiid Coil'i. and that police ollicers Should be required to give information 'to Boards in regard to children they find not attending school. 1 hat the ;.mount granted for free school books would be better :rn'iit on copy books, nrawing books, exercise books, etc That the Minister be asked to consider the advisaoility of increasing the amount granted to Education Boards tor ••eneral fiurposes. as, while the expenditure of hoards i:: continually on the increase owing to new provisions of the \ci and new regulations, yet the allowance fixed .iv t.ie Government in D'Uil lemains the same. Amongst nvsli charges placed on the fund are postage "iid tele-rams, exchange on teachers cheques, additional inspectors and instructors, maintenance of technical i.chool buildings, and extra clerical assistance to comply with the conditions re'.iuii"-d bv the Department. —That the. Coiil'ereliee' iie asked to protest against (he inquisitorial method of the Eduealion Department in regard to grants <■„,. n ,.\v sc'tools or addilions. and that it especially objects to the small amount of faith placed in representations made !,y Boards who are in the best position lo judge of ihe meiits of application-.- - T.iat the D"partmeni be asked lo lake steps to have defined the word "vicinity i„ \,,. 17 ill of tlie Railway Departments Regulations. "Passenger Bares ■mil Regulations."—That ma in len a Hit and renewal grants be provided by the Government for all technical schools.That wher-- circumstances make it necessary for an l-.'diication Board lo s'.cure land for school purposes the whole eosl of the same should be borne bv the Department. —-That the principle of granting I for 1 subsidises in the case of district high schools be extended to all primary schools. - Thai ii is desirable that 'lie Education Department • liould obtain for the guidance of Education Boar Is lithographed plans and specifications of model schools of various grades. -That the Department make '.he nec.ssa-v special grants for the installation of sewerage in all schools wlere such is required.—That Boards ■ tumid not allow school hours to fall U-low live per day for standard pupils."

THE MINISTER DEPUTATIONISED. WKLLIXGTON, Auk, 2.".. A deputation from Hie Kducation Conference waited upon Hie -Minister of Education (Hon. G. Kowhls) to-day. In his repiy the ."Minister said that it would lie to the advantage of Boards and the Department if there were more Conferences. The present Conference had considered very fully the matters which had come before it, and the Department would so carefully into all the recommendations which had been made. As far as was considered wise the i'eparl merit would be only too Kind to adopt the su^^c.-.lions made. Jt must be remembered that when siiKKC-tions were pride to the Department it had to survey the whole held, and the Rood of the whole community and not of individual places had to lie considered. Tin- views uf members of I'arlinmt-ii! had also to be borne in mind when any amendment In p islalhin was proposed. In regard In th'- statemi-nl that i li«- Department showed lack of eoulhlence in Hoards, lie ~,,,,1ed instance.-; where applications had I n seal in by the Koar.ls. the aeeoiniiaiivinn information l.eiuu quite wi-iihk-Tlie'ie imi: i'reiiuent ,li-e r.-pa ncie>.. and il uas absolutely in-o-ssify. as loui; as 11,,. din ei maul i-.vMi-m was u, mc-mi.-, 1,,,- U.e I >. |.artmenl to --Hi- !':• itself that U,e lad- and tiKur.-s Were correct. In vein.- other .-..inilrie.-, uhich |,ad I n alealiolied the porlin ' tin,,iuiie\ for technical ..location came 1,-.,.,, in.- local rat.-- '! |,ei.- wa - more likelihood Ml' -ellillC, Millie When the ~.-r-0,i.-. Mill. e\pell,l,-l| the I Were i e--p,ia-ihle lor raising il. lie thoiiehi 11,, ,e was a i d deal to be said in f , \ ,air ..I' a null lolling hods tor o\ e, \ , ; ,-ea lie was ulad of the ackno w led a- ,„, ~1 Ibat a K.M.d deal had been dune durtiiK I'i" administration to improve tin- condition of the rural schools. The status and salaries of the teachers had been sreatly improved. As to the question of the powers of teachers, it was entirelv in the hands of Hoards. He suggested to Hoards to see that there wo* frequent inspection. He pointed l-"nr I'hiMrcn's Hacking Cough at night. Woods' Great Peppermint Cure, 1/6, 2/6.

lo Ihe good relations existing lie!ween teachers, inspectors and pupils in the native schools. Air Birani asked whether the Minister would give an increased vote for inspectors. The Al mister replied that some amendments were coming down this session, lie had called for certain returns regarding the buildings votes and finance generally of the Boards. These would be referred to the Education Committee of tin- House. Boards were much better off to-dav than they wen- a few years ago Credit balances had improved considerably, and there should be no diflicully in' providing for additional supervision bv way of inspection. Mr .1. Mitchell (Otago) wanted to know whether the grant, withheld from Boards last vear would be reinstated. .Mr Eowlds said that it was rccog- | niscd when the scale was made that it. should be liable to revision from lime (o time. Experience had shown that the dropping out of the grant, for one year had not inconvenienced the Boards. The deletion of one year's quota would be rectified by prolonging the life of the buildings for an additional year. The proper policy for Boards to pursue was to accumulate their funds for works ahead; but as long as Boards had money in hand thev could not be considered to be embarrassed by the withholding j of one year's grant. Education Boards had at 'present the administration of large sums of money that they were not responsible for raising. That fact only needed to be stated to condemn the system. H ra a question whether the time was ripe for a change. lie recognise.:! that the Boards as a whole hail done exceedingly good work, and any change contemplated would have to be very carefully considered. The Minister continued: "I am not such a radical in ili.--.-o matters that I am likely to rush in and upset existing conditions merely lor the sake of the change. Any alteration will be made only after due consideration, and must carry the approval of the majority of the people."