INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL CHILDREN

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2718, 13 March 1916, Page 3

INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL CHILDREN

MR, HANAN'S ARGUMENT WITH THE BOARD. The Minister of Education has addressed a further letter to the chairman of the Wellington Charitable Aid Board on the subject of refunds of money expended on the maintenance of children in industrial schools. The chairman complained at a recent meet* ing of the board that the Education Department had been lax in collecting money from parents, and that the beard, consequently, had been forced to bear an unnecessarily ireavy burden. The Minister states that the amount | of money collected by til© Department in connection with the children increased by £36 in 1914, and by £122 in 1915. The amount credited to the board for 1913 was £1271, not £1171, as stated by the chairman. "With re- i gard to the case of which so much waa | made, and of which you say 'It can i | be proved that a sum of money of the availability of which the Department 'li as informed by an officer of the board on November 5, 1914, was not collected until August 16, 1915,' it now appears that the reference was to a small sum which was held by a firm of solicitors between the dates mentioned," says the Minister, "I am satisfied that the Department knew nothing of this money until it was paid in by the solicitors. If you had looked at this case with other than a desire to make a point against the Department you would have found that it ib about the last that should be brought forward for the purpose. Owing to the energy of the board in following up the child's parents the whole amount contributed by the board for the child's maintenance has been recovered and paid back. I find, ■ indeed, that the Department's practice is unduly generous to _ tlm board, for the rule in such cases is to pay over recoveries without any deduction. for expenses. Owing to this child's physical and mental disabilities, its maintenance has cost the Department about 20s. per week, while it _hns cost the board nothing. It is my intention to have this system revised. "1 do not know why you consider it impracticable to exercise the right to take proceedings agairst parents for the maintenance of whese children the boirnl lta? had to pay. I tec no moboh .whatever why you should not do eo.">