SCHOOL SUBSIDIES

Southland Times, Issue 18962, 8 June 1923, Page 5

SCHOOL SUBSIDIES

LIMITS TO BE REMOVED. (Special to the Times). WELLINGTON, June 7. Cabinet has authorised the removal of the limit upon the State subsidies payable in respect of voluntary contributions for the benefit of schools, and a regulation giving effect to this decision has been gazetted. Since the cut in subsidies was made, the amount payable with respect to any public school has been limited to ten shillings per annum for each unit of average attendance. The Minister of Education, the Hon. C. J. Parr, states that the limit for the future, is a matter to be decided after he has conferred with Education Boards. The subsidies were reduced in accordance with a recommendation of the Economies Commission. After the reduction, a school which raised £llOO in voluntary contributions during the year and had an average attendance of say, 700 pupils, did not receive a £ for £ subsidy, but a sum of £350. The Education Boards expressed some dissatisfaction with the limitation and when the Auckland, Wellington and Canterbury Boards interviewed the Minister on the subject, he said that he was in favour of having the former rate of £ for £ restored so that enterprise and self-reliance on the part of school committees should be encouraged. Later the Minister promised to ask Cabinet to restore the old rate and the Gazette notice is the outcome.