CAPITATION GRANTS

Taranaki Daily News, 5 August 1930, Page 5

CAPITATION GRANTS

NO INCREASE THIS YEAR. WORK OF SCHOOL COMAHTTEES. Nn hope of increased capitation allowances to school committees this year was held out by the Prime Minister, the Hon. G. W. Forbes, last week, when replying' to a deputation from school committees and others which waited on him and the Alinister of Education, the Hon. H. Atmore. It was impossible to find more money, said the Prime Minister, without again going to the taxpayer, and that was out of the question. In introducing the deputation, Mr. R. AlcKeen, AI.P., said the conditions under which the school committees were working were going from bad to worse. Alany committees were unable to carry on any longer. • -'L The chairman of the Wellington School Committees’ Association, Air. A. G. Jorgenson, referred to tho manifold duties which fell to the committees, and said the grant was not at present sufficient to cover everything. The work was usually done, but at the end of tho year the committees found they had a debit balance, and that got them into trouble with the auditors. Some committees had found it impossible to carry on, and had resigned, as a result of which the schools affected were being controlled by commissioners. The chairman of the Wellington Education Board, Mr. T. Forsyth, said many years ago tlie Wellington Board had evolved a scheme of payment based principally on floor space and partly on attendance. During the past three or four years several city schools had been depleted, consequently, undei; the scheme, the committees had been receiving approximately the same grant from the board for incidental expenses, but the board’s revenue from the department, being based solely on attendance; had been seriously depleted. The board urged that the basis of payment be reviewed, and that floor space be taken as the factor in determining the' grants. Mr. Atmore said the question was entirely one o-f finance. The position was that £50,000 was required. The reorganisation as a result of the Education Committee’s report would make more money available, and it was possible that portion of that money would be used in meeting the request of the deputation. He was unable to make a definite promise, as that was a matter for the Alinister of Finance. Tho Prime Alinister said unfortunately the state of the country’s finances would not permit any additional expenditure on education, as increased costs would mean an additional burden on the taxpayer. Ho would have to say that this year it was impossible to meet the request.