INCIDENTAL EXPENSES.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume III, Issue 829, 6 October 1916, Page 3

INCIDENTAL EXPENSES.

AN EDUCATION BOARD DISCUSSION.

The Building Committee of the Education Board reported yesterday that it had met representatives from the School Committees' Association, and recommended:— "That this board in conference with the School Committees' Asociation of the Canterbury district, forward to the Minister of Education a direct appeal for the 12/6 capitation authorised by a former Act." Mr Peverill spoke at considerable length on the necessity of inducing the department to increase the capitation to 12/6 instead of 11/- as at present, and quoted figures showing that after paying other expenses only £2O was left for a committee, having a school of 732 children, to buy stationery, etc. In 1878 the department paid 13/8 in capitation. Why should the committees be cut down to 6/7 when £400,000 was given in bonuses? The committees were doing work for education year in and year out, keeping the Government schools efficient and in repair, and they should be provided with sufficient funds wherewith to do it. Under the amended schedule a school of 600 had only £ll6 11/- alowance for incidentals, and the work could not be done for the money. The committees would fight the matter to the bitter end.

The chairman said that for a school of 918 in 1871 of which there were several in the district, the old scale was £227 14/3, but under the new scale the amount was £159 14/-. Mr E. H. Andrews said that he felt strongly on the matter. Would the Government allow any private individual to pay caretakers the miserable pittance paid to school caretakers, the highest paid of whom received about £OO per annum? It made him tired and sick to hear the balderdash talked by the Minister of Education about the health of the children, etc., when he would not give the committees sufficient money to sweep the schools out. At present it was necessary very often forchairinen of committees to give guarantees to the banks. Decent men would not sit on the committees to screw and scrape for the department. The men who were running the Education Department could not successfully run a lolly shop. Apparently the department did not care whether the caretaker who did all the menial work starved, while £400,000 was spent on bonuses to civil servants. The Building Committee's recommendation on the question was adopted.

Mr Pcverill then moved that the board's amended scale of incidental allowances be adopted in the meantime, and that in the event of the board being successful in securing increased allowance it be passed on to the committees. Mr Andrews moved an amendment that the scale laid down in the eighth schedule should be the scale to be paid by the board. Mr Jamieson also spoke strongly in condemnation of the Government's parsimony in the matter of allowances, and said that if the department wanted to run the schools and abolish the boards, let it try. Mr I'everill's motion was carried, Mr Andrews's amendment not being seconded.