HARASSING A BOARD.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1135, 24 May 1911, Page 8

HARASSING A BOARD.

STATE DEMANDS. SURPRISE CALLS ON REVENUE, Complaint was-'made" at' the'meetrng'of; the Charitable Aid'-Cbmmittce'yesterday of failure "by tho-rGovermn'ent'-. to '-notify, the Hospital Board Via go'od.timoof "a. new liability which it had incurred under the legislation of-last-year. .-'■ ;'.; The Secretary for Education' (Sir"E;-0.-Gibbes) wrote detailing provisions, affecting the board, contained in the Education Amendment Act, 1910 :— ■ This Act provided that parents of--., deaf, blind, lecble-niinded, and epilerv tic children must provide them with an education to the satisfaction of the Minister for Education. Parents wero required, by agreement with the' Minister.-(or, failing this, by an order of the Magistrate's Court) to' pay towards the cost of educating any deficient child in a special institution a sum hot exceeding 10s. per week. The Act further provided' that, where < parents .were unable to pay this amount, '.and deficiency in their contributions/ up to Bs. per week, had to be made good by the Hospital ami Charitable Aid Board of the district from which the child in question was committed to an institution. The existing special schools to which the Act applied were:—Tho Jubilee Institute for ;-the Blind, Auckland; the School Deaf, Sumner; and the special school for boys of feeble mind at Otekaike, Oamaru. Tho question of providing for feeble-minded girlsit was further stated—was now under consideration by the Government;

The Rev. -W. A. Evans raid' that it was regrettable-that tho Hospital Board had not been notified of this liability prior to March 31. This was the second surprise sprung on the board by.the Government this year.....Recently: they." had been informed that it would havo to make grants to private homes, which had hitherto received, grants from the Government:.'direct. Now,' this 'additional burden-was'thrown on tho shoulders of the board.'" Necessarily, it would mean a certain amount of. expenditure. .To meet the position, : it';w.ould be- ; necessary either •to , have an . overdraft' or,'. in'.- the alternative,'.,go straight to the Government and tell it that the ' board could not shoulder' the additional responsibility this year. Members of the 'board could not bo expected, Mr. Evans concluded, to jnake" themselves familiar ivith every .'new Act, and amendments affecting its', position. . . Mr. Mlafen: "Not even the' Ministers themselves can do. that!" 31?. M'Ewan agreed that Parliament, when, it passed an Act or amendment affecting the;: board, should acquaint that body of thoinew nrovisions early in the year, so that tho- estimates might 1m framed accordingly. . If this. latest provision wore*:' mandatory.'no doubt the board woukWiave to find tho money, but, bo far, no account had been rendered It was agreed that-the Education Department bo asked to notify the'; 'board as to tho extent of its liability .-under 'the new regulation. ' '■

Iho committee further determined to frame a remit so that the question mieht be discussed ■at the forthcoming Hospitals Conference. The superintendent was instructed to bring forward-other '• D rd.yisional remits for consideration br ; ; the tommittee. '■'■■< ,''' : '--.> ■ \