FREE SCHOOL BOOKS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 437, 20 February 1909, Page 6

FREE SCHOOL BOOKS.

I MAKING HASTE SLOWLY. THE MANIA FOR RETURNS. ' (BI TELEQRAPII—PRESS ASSOCIATION.) . Chrlstohurch, February 19. ■ . Some, months have elapsed since tho Parliament :of the country decided' that 'free school books should be supplied to children attending public schools, and; the- Minister for Education, in order to-save his Education Bill,; consented to placo a sum*on the estimates "to provide booksj for/.the pupils in the infant'class and Standards.!; and 2. The concession. was:granted under.' pressure,;■ and the Education Department seems to have got , some of its own. back by "making haste slowly" in ..regard-.to . the : provision''of tho. necessary, fund.. ..

. To-day a • reporter on tho staff of tho "Press*-'; visited the three principal; schools in Christchurch—the" East and - West Christchurch, and Sydenham schools—and found that up to . the present, all that had been done was'represented by. the " unwinding of a considerable amount of red tape. The Department, it appears, had sent- advice' that, the grants to each school would;be based on: the roll unmber for the last quarter-in 1908 that is, 6d. would bo allowed for each pupil in Standard 11.,-Is. 3d. for each pupil in Standard 1., and 6d. for each infant in the preparatory , classes. ■ -. The' headmasters::were invited to send in their requisitions for the supply of; books to'; the Education Board, ■ after having them-signed-by: the chairmen::of their school ' committees. : Tho; .approval of the board's'inspector had to ,bo. secured, and S?' orders could'be given; for .tho books. . The reporter found 'that the requisitions had been sent in from the schools' namedj a. long and deep silor.ee had • followed.v f^ r . n °t a single, free-.book has been 1 supplied, arid:.it appears that as far as-.this year's pupils, are. concerned the muchvaunted scheme' will- he practically inoperative. The . children attending tho schools named are using- : books- purchased -. by their parents. "The promotions in the classes,took place in. December, - just before: the holidays,and the pupils hadto.'rbe- in "of the-usual class-books when -the schools re- 1 opened.. : 'No' one . knew - when , the: books would be 1 supplied, and the children could not be;kept waiting indefinitely while a tardy. Department made up its. mind. . ; The head teachers, in the schools have decided what to' do : with' the; grant," when ' they get ; the,: money.: - :The- -purchase .of ."perishable" books (such; v as ?copy : . -and drawing books) having been prohibited, they intend spending the ' money':-, exclusively, on 1 : reading books. :At the East Christchnrch-and West: Christchurch' schools, two readers ;will be :furnished for Standards 11. and I. The ordinary price of a Standard 11. reader "is 10d;i 'but by purchasing at wholesale rates it is honed to get them at .Od. each. - :: - :

: ■, A similar, discount -will secure: two readers for' Standard 1., • while.pnmers for the preparatory classes, range from; ld.;t6 3d. At West Christchurch': the pupils' already; hare one reader, but if the vote is- available ;fpr expenditure- before , .the next " examinations they will'be provided with the supplementary reader. •■- AtSydenham ' there' -is. a /slightly different . position:' 'The' promotions: in the various .classes.' .took place some .time-.ago, and: -tlje. parents i..of • the;'pupils. -had : ' purchased; the bobks'.in, the. usual, intendedj, howevery .to purchase' readers .and' hold them in readiness: for: .the next : promotions.; The. grant will• not permit. of tlio purchase ;pf vWo. readers .standards,but in ~.thi school the ''School Journal" is used as a supplementary reader, f : . . ; Thehead -teachers,; : are ■'looking ' forwardwith; some: perturbation. ; n ?e g ar( j the additional • administrative; work r which .' will . fall, on them, in connection witfi the!issue.,of/free books. They - will: presumably have to ac-' count. at th^, end., of , eyeryyear . for every book: issued; ,- and, ast.schoo]; children .are,:not the, most -careful., and,:met'ho'dicftl ~beings in ana i'-hopelessly damaged" .wiirfigure.lafgely: in. the returns.. The task of keepingtrack of . some /hundreds of readers.] and .primers ..they regard ,as hopeless; One. of . them- remarked (hat teachers already''- suffered .through the mania foPreturnß/'aTid' this: new demand looked like one which would impose, an even heavier burden, • The fact that the, grants 'are to be.made on.the roll numbers of, the last quarter in'l9oß is also occasioning some speculation, but;.it is ' hoped .that '.the . difficulty. . will bo avoided by allowing a .hbadmaster some 'discretion in",dealing-: with the grant' to Kis 'school "as a'whole, instead,' of enforcing 'rigidly the .proportions: .which would bo duo to each class.