Farmers Dissatisfied With Minister’s Reply To School Bus Suggestion

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 12, Issue 29, 12 March 1948, Page 5

Farmers Dissatisfied With Minister’s Reply To School Bus Suggestion

Federated Farmers of New Zealand (Auckland Province, Inc.), have issued for publication a statement expressing dissatisfaction with the reply of the Minister of Education’s suggestion that school bus drivers. should be instructed to pick up all school children living in country districts. The statement says that the Minister’s reply was to the effect that, to qualify for financial assistance towards the cost of transport to and from school, children over ten years of age must live two miles or more from the school, but that wherever there is room available on school vehicles for children not eligible in the ordinary way the conveyance of these children is eft*couraged, provided no extra cost td the Government is involved. “It cannot be said that the education of country children is one which is sufficiently recognised by the Minister of Education, or if it is, his comments give little indication,” the Federation’s statement says. “The conditions of financial assistance outlined above are conditions which apply to all children. There is more than an element of -risk to walking children on all roadways. ( The responsibility for arranging transport within the distance limits is a matter for parents, says the Minister of Education, : and there apparently both begins and ends all Ministerial responsibility. It is assumed that the Minister is aware that the parents of country children are also in the unfortunate category of overburdened. taxpayers, or perhaps from a viewpoint of political expediency, the rural population can be discounted.

“Various excuses are put forward which prevent any assistance being available such as the present need for the conservation of petrol consumption and the difficulty of the general vehicle supply position. To these 'excuses one could make a, forcible reply that rural education is of tremendous importance to the country of New Zealand and the vehicle supply position remains difficult simply because exporting countries are desirous of finding a market for their vehicles in New: Zealand but are precluded by a topsy turvy system .of import licensing.”