GRANTS FOR SCHOOL BUILDINGS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 303, 16 September 1908, Page 6

GRANTS FOR SCHOOL BUILDINGS.

A HAWKE'S BAY COMPLAINT. (by TELEGRAPH.—SrECIAL CORRESPONDENT.) Napier, September 15. The action of the Education Department in refusing applications for grants for school buildings came in for some adverse criticism at tho meeting of the Hawke's Bay Education Board last evening. Mr. S. M'Lernon said he thought it was time the board made a stand in regard to the repeated refusals of the Department. There was supposed to bo plenty of money in the country, but there was an insufficiency of school accommodation in Hawke's Bay, and the recommendations of the board in this connection had been again and again refused by the Department. He thought that the matter called for a deputation from the board which should visit Wellington and direct pointed attention to the needs of Hawke's Bay. The Department seemed only to make grants at their own sweet will. Mr. G. Darton supported what had been said by Mr. M'Lernon, but what he strongly objected to was tho Minister for Education travelling round the country with a chequebook. lie instanced tho case of the Mangapapa school, where after all the recommendations of the board the Minister had gone up to the residents and said: "There it is. I am giving it to you." If the Minister wanted credit, let him have it, but he should not keep schools waiting. Let the board have the money for what was wanted and get to' work.

Mr. W. Morgan said that what he took most exception to was the fact that when tho board made an application for a certain amount of money at a certain timo the Department hung on and on until tho condi-. tions had completely altered, and when they mado the grant tho money was not enough. The country was progressing, and settlement was increasing, but the Department would not give what was wanted for educational purposes. The chairman (Sir Wm. Russell) said that the difficulty was that a deputation could only get to the Minister and not to Parliament. Tho secretary stated that the board had no loss than five grants hung up because they were insufficient. It was decided to bring the matter urgently under the notice of tho Minister.