CONVEYANCE OF SCHOLARS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 209, 29 May 1919, Page 5

CONVEYANCE OF SCHOLARS

BEQUEST TO. THE MINISTER. '' ' A deputation ivailcil on the Minister of Education yesterday'to ask that the. tiepartinent should' niako a conveyance al- ' lowanco to pupils travelling bycouch or other vehiclo to attend technical and secondary schools, in view of the fact that these convoyauco allowances were made to pupils attending primary schools. It was pointed out that pupils who travelled by rail were conveyed free to attend secondary schools and technical high schools, and the argument was that those pupils who had to travel by other means ought to receive a like concession. The Minister said that last year .£3500 was jiaid for the conveyance of pupils by rail to Secondary schools; ,£1144 to district high schools, and ,£3139 to technical 6chools. It would be impossible without making special inquiry, so his Department advised him, to estimato the cost of paying conveyance allowance to pupils who travel by oilier means to eecondary and technical, high schools, , Kouglily speaking, he was disposed to think that JESOOO or XGOOO annually would be required. With refcrenco to a claim, that a boarding allowance of, say, ss. per week should he made, this item would vim into a very largo sum, and would, he ventured l to think, based upon somo rough figures that tho Department had supplied to him. bo about .£23,000 or X 25.000 annually. To agree to these two proposals—to extend the conveyance and boarding allowances to pupils of secondary aud technical higli schools—would mean that an additional siim of- not less than ,£28,000 or .£31,000 would have tovbe found each year. Tlio two proposals made the evjbject a very large question for consideration. He would go into the matter'further with his Department, with a view to coining to n. conclusion on the matter