EXTRACTS FROM " HANSARD."

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1917, 13 August 1888, Page 3

EXTRACTS FROM " HANSARD."

RAISING THE SOtIOOL AGE.

In tho House on Jaly 24th m the debate on tho proposal of Me Ormond to raise the fiohool a^e and thus reduce the eduoation vote. M^jor Steward said tha*, as he ahoold foci called upon to vote against the proposal of the honorable membar for Naplor, it was necessary ,th»t he Bhould nay two or three words by way of explanation. When tho question of tha raisins; of the aohool-.^e v/aa brought up hat session ha w-a one of those who voted m favor of the age being raised ; but that was only ono of four propositions put before the Committee. At the Bame time ho pointed out that he oould not see his way dear to vote for auother proposition, that the ntrlot average bhould beadhored to In making up the returns Instead of the working average, as ho flaw that a change of that aort would very aerlous'y affect a number of country ochools. However, that proposition wao carried, andjie had sluoo foand that hia prognostication as to what would bo tha result bad aotua \j bean fu'fillod In connection wish at 10-kst one country school m his own district. He had found thld state cf things to happen : that, although for the g -eater part of the Bohool session there hatl been a largo attendanoo, and the w iile teachers were congratulating themselves on the financial result balng so satisfactory, yet the coaatquenoe of ono wet week at the close of the session had been to reduce the calurlea of tho toecherß something liko £10 eaoh. Tho Byatem of strict avorpge did not so muoh aff<aot liV/e echools In tho larger cm res. When ho ascertained attorwurda, from infoimation given him by tho Minister that hia cilculation was founded on wrong data, and that tho utmoßt saving that would be effected nrould bo £13,000 for thiß portion of tho year, there being only eight months to opoiate upon — then tho honorable gentleman reduced hie proposed reduction of tho vote to £10,000, foregettiog that on his own showing there must be £6000 for spoo'al allowances; To bo consistent he should have moved for a reduction by £7000 and not £10 000. For the reatsons ho had (iiven he should bo compelled to vote against the hooorab'e member, though, at tbo same time, ho was of opinion that very considerable savings ' should be made m tho Education Department, There wore other directions, however, m which those savings Ehould be made. Ho thought they could do without tho machinery of tbo Education Boards, Ho was a'so of opinion — which might not be the view of the majority of tho House, but ho thought would yet become its v i O w — that education should stop at tho Fourth Standard ; and, while he would give ample opportunity to deserving and bright children to earn free education m , tho higher standards, a fee should be required from thoso able to pay it for the Fifth and Sixth Standards. Bofore Jong we should have to face a proposal such ns that, and ho did not know that otba? alternative proposals, such as that sketched by the honorable member for Tlvjrndon, might not point tho way of affecting what was intended — namely, that those really well able to pay for education, tho wealthier claifos of the community, should not have education supplied to their children free at tho cost of the . other taxpayers of the colony. He thought that ho had sufficiently justified the vote ha should give on this occasion against tho raising of tho school-ago Tho amendment to reduce tho Public Schools Estimates £315,025 by £10,000 was lost by 18 to 42.