COST OF EDUCATION

Taranaki Daily News, 24 August 1931, Page 3

COST OF EDUCATION

REDUCTION ADVOCATED. LIMITING FREE LEARNING. A reduction in the education vote by’ curtailing the benefits of free education was advocated on Friday by Sir Harold Beauchamp, of Wellington, who is visiting Auckland. Such a counse, together with economies that would be effected by the closing of non-paying branch railway lines, would, in his opinion, go a long way toward improving the finances of New Zealand, and relieving the taxpayer of his increased, burden. ' ‘ '

The Prime Minister’s energies had chiefly been directed to the raising of money by additional taxation, said Sir Harold, but large savings could be effected which would materially assist in. reducing the deficit. A few years prior to the war. the total education vote vzas . £750,000; to-day it was £4,500,000.

“This great increase in the cost of education has occurred chiefly through the flooding of the secondary schools with boys and girls by means of free places,” he said. “It is my opinion that when a boy passes the sixth standard he should be required to sit for a fairly stiff and if he fails to pass it lie should be excluded from the benefits of free education through all the secondary schools. If the parents are desirous that these boys, who are not particularly brilliant, should obtain a better education they should pay for that education themselves, as was done in Scotland for many years. There parents denied themselves of many luxuries and comforts to give their children a higher education.” With respect to the heavy annual losses on the railways, Sir Harold said that non-profitabh lines should be dealt with as private companies would deal with branches that were not payable. If there were no prospect' of making them payable they would be-closed. The same policy should be adopted with th* non-naviK? railway liii&K