EDUCATION CUTS.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 379, 22 March 1932, Page 4

EDUCATION CUTS.

School Committees Make Protest. “DEGENERATED INTO CADGERS” “ School committees have degenerated into money mongers and cadgers for the purpose of bolstering up a free education system,” declared Mr W. T. Lester (Lyttelton District High School) at a special meeting of the Canterbury School Committees’ Association last evening. The meeting was called to discuss the proposed economies in the education system which have been recommended by the National Expenditure Commission. Mr J. G. Brown (Sydenham School) was in the chair. With regard to the proposal to raise the minimum school age* from five to six years, Mr Evison said it might bp considered that that proposal would have the least drastic effect on the children. Mr J. A. Taylor (West Christchurch) said that the proposal to raise the minimum school age was futile as it would result in a saving for one year only. After the first year the number of children attending the schools would not be decreased as a result of the school age being raised. Mr W. T. Lester (Lyttelton District High School) said that the whole thing could be looked on as a fiasco. He considered that the time had arrived when those interested in education should raise a big protest. The country boasted that it had a free education system, but it appeared that it was not going to have any such thing. The committees should ask the Department to cut out a great deal of the extraordinary expenditure imposed on them. Mr W. W. Scarff (Cashmere) supported Mr Lester’s remarks. He was inclined to reject the whole of the economies. Mr W. A. Sexton (New Brighton) moved that the proposed minimum age of six years be agreed to. The motion was seconded by Mr L. E. Vernazoni (Linwood Avenue), who said that many authorities were agreed that better results were obtained with a commencing age of six years. Capitation Affected. Mr T. Radcliffe (Woolston) opposed the motion on the grounds that it would affect the capitation of the school committees, which were already having a very difficult time. Mr C. S. Thompson (Shirley) said that the cutting out of one class would not result in any having in the expenses of the committees, although they would receive a smaller capitation allowance. Mr J. S. Barnett (Addington) moved the addition of the following words to the motion: “ Provided that the postprimary course is not curtailed.” Mr Barnett’s amendment was lost on a show of hands, and the motion was carried. With regard to the proposal to close the Grade O schools, effecting a saving of £12,600, Mr Evison said that the Canterbury Education Board was of the opinion that teaching by correspondence was not a satisfactory subl stitute for direct teaching. It was unanimously decided to oppose the proposal. The proposed abolition of allowances, totalling £35,000, for the conveyance of children to primary schools, was opposed. Economies Approved. The following economies were approved :—Elimination of material v for handwork, £1000; closing of country manual training centres, £5000; discontinuance of instruction in cookery and woodwork for Standard V. pupils in the larger schools, £13,000; and discontinuance of agricultural instruction, £II,OOO. The proposal to -reduce school com- ; mittees’ capitation by the sum of £IO,OOO was strongly opposed by all present, the following motion being passed:—“That as many schools in this district find it impossible to carry on with the present capitation, and it is . becojning increasingly difficult to raise money by special efforts, we emphatically protest against this proposed economy.” was also expressed to the proposal to reduce the maintenance allowance for school buildings by £23,750. It was stated that in the case of the Canterbury Board the proposal meant a reduction of 20 per cent in the present grant. The proposal to make a saving of £3OOO by the discontinuance of the capitation grants to district high schools for special science classes, and to discontinue the special capitation grants to primary schools for science classes, making a saving of £6OOO, were opposed. It was decided not to offer any comment on the following proposed economies:—Secondary school boards’ incidentals, £2000; .technical school boards’ incidentals, £5000; closing of Wellington and Dunedin training colleges, £7000; allowances to training college students, £90,000; physical instructors’ travelling allowances, £500; salaries over scale, £3000; salaries with special allowances, £5800; and female teachers’ salaries, £75,000. Post-Primary Education. The proposal to restrict free postprimary education to children under the age of seventeen years, thus making a saving of £33,000, was opposed on the grounds that it was another attack on the children of poor parents. It was also decided to oppose the proposed saving of £15,000 in the conveyance of children to high schools, and the saving of £I4OO which would be made by charging fees for examinations. Mr Thompson urged that all committees should call meetings of the householders in their districts. He said that that would be the only logical conclusion to the meeting that evening. Mr C. Richardson (Phillipstown) moved that the resolutions passed at the meeting be forwarded to the Canterbury members of Parliament and that they be asked for their views. The motion was carried.