DIMINISHED EDUCATION GRANTS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 730, 1 February 1910, Page 4

DIMINISHED EDUCATION GRANTS.

;<STATEMENT.\BT:SIE r .W/KOSSBEC.: .'■. IBy Telegraph,—Special 7 OomsDona'ent.j • ■"" v> ,:;■ u:'ft':■'.;.■: Napier,; January ' 3L ; -'r>;10 In reference; to. a- telegram' from , . Wet.a v ;lington i embodying the remarks. made by the Hon. Minister for.' Educa-"..;' hop,. relative :' to; : the" reduced ■'•'■ education■ ' ■ ■ grants,' a : ',T)aily. Telegraph' represented ■■ ■ • tiye interviewed. Sir Wm. Busselr (chair* : ; : man "of-.the -. HawkeVßay "Education' .'•■'•.' Board) this'morning;: ,-;'■.',■ ...].': .;. ; ••■ fThe-.Miaister-.6aid," : Sir..Wm. : -Bussefl ■'••:-.• commenced,, "that what had ibeen :, .cut--." down .was simply-the allowance-that had V). been , paid ■ for. a number ,6f years ,on r " a ■given Tjasis.for the.purpose:of rebuilding '.. old-eohbols.' . The Government may have,' a basis , .for, 1 this : ii'the recesses' of its' own: :'- mind, but it has, not been" given it to thia' "■; : - - board. 'So .far from : that,,when an appli- <: ; cation, has been made -wo , -have been un-•:,■'• - r able to get a definite, reply. .'. ; Mr.l'owlde ':'-■■'• goes on':to say thatrin the last five or rix ' >■'" years.specific : grantssfor • that,, purpose ' : amounted to' about more than the boards. 1 to-, whom, the;grants"were made' i .';. spent" The. answer to that'isftbat neces-' I .:' sarily/arid naturally, they should; not have; - spent .all- that-.the; ; Government fallowed them during' the past'.few years,' for the ■ reason =that : numbers-; of.'.-. jichools.'• fot .'";'■ which grants have been marie .have-n0t.,.;, been burned 1 down or;do' not-lyet require,"'■;• rebuilding;, but. the . grant {whichV. heis >,' ', been'allotted us 'is for/providing: against the'possible contingency, of'; deetructioa' y by fire or '■ rebuilding at the end , of a cer-■'/ tain • indefinite number of - years.', : There-' fore; to "Bay that no board has spent more''--in rebuilding.-than,had-been allotted';.to 1 ■; it is begging the question,- absolutely and ■; entirely. Any board , with:,a .reasonable.:'. outlook: ,for ; the 'future, must ■ provide■■ a. , fund;for..the'., restoration of Bchools many-;' years.in advance. ' The statement'.that,a.'-..-good many boards have)been using a con-: siderable- : portion: of'tKis money .in> gen-"|. eral work,-.:a purpose for which they did , .. , not "get, it, does not apply ,to. us.' We hare ■.."■ not; spent a , pennyfin taislway...-.:.", ■. . '.

.•' ■' CANNOT;!CAEffiT^ON.^ 7: : ..-]£. "■-. (By Telcerapli.—Press Association.)V. •■■• : Christchurch, January 3L: , ' - Mr. T.-,W. Adams,. Chairman; : o{ ■'. the'.'.■, North .Canterbury: .Education 'Board,;.■ states that the remarks,of the'..Hon. 6. !, I'Wlds ,in regard;.to : grants; to'boards,/ published this morning,,greatly-''surprised*:-him. 'He thinlcs;indeed that the Minister!, lias .been inisreporfed. The; position :in :■ North .Canterbury;He describes as a very ■ serious, one.' last': year the; board, re-:: . ceived •JBBB9o.:in''grant3,, , :Jnpltiding'.-'JEI7IS'.'-'' for, reinstating,.old buildings;.'. Tnis"year ;■■■ the total, grant .has' boon cut: down,,to ~ J14331, and .the. reduotion thus l amonnte." U>.'d£4359,;.0r more thaa.SOper cent.' . ~' "Wo cannot'carry oh, that is all about. it,"-Mr.,',Adams say&KlnTegard- to Mr.' ' Fowlds's statement tAat.-'. the -boards ;in .;• , the Dominion hayo ."paid i! 89,000" more ' than'they .ought; to. have.'paid during the,:, past five. or..six years ipn^the , rebuilding:, of old schools,.Mr. Adnms 'states',.that it": certainly ; cannot bo,iapplied -..to, 'North ' Canterbury, and that it is equally-, in-.." oorreot',.to'- include hie district in. the. asi ■, sertion that "a.good many,boards,haver ; iMon.usihg'a considerable portion of, this:' jnouey, .paid specially; for; ■; rebuilding worn-out schools, in.-general' wo'rk- ; in! -connection with tho schools.": ,The North ; Cauterbury .Board,, in. fact, lias-reserved : its grant for reinstating'.old-,buildings i ; strictly for that purpose.; It hae kept the'.'; fund . intact, and;-, apparently, it is •being' punished more severely.-, than boards vhioii liavo, not done, so., -: .. ;. -. ~