LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 264, 4 August 1919, Page 8

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

DR. ANDEISJN AND THE WANGANUI EDUCATION BOARD MK. PIIUN'I IN EEPLY. Sir,—l regret that I have not the tiff to analyse Dr. Anderson's laboured at involved defence of the muddling of 1 ■ Department in school building matte as ruy attention is distracted for the il ment by something more important, am going to undergo an operation in ''■ course of a tew hours. But one i will show how little the Director of E(' cation knows of his subject, and so u , on classed with those who rush in wh. the angels are afraid. H D says that l ' £50,000 spent on school buildings bvou. board in twelve years-filightly over ,£4OOO a vear on 15,000 children—only J654 was. .obtained from local sources. 'My statement was that i 35,000 .was spent in that time, not one penny of which came from tho funds of his Department; and that statement is correct. He should know [bat our board borrowed .£18,500 for building purposes outside his Department ; that caso after case has occurred of sites, additions and improvements to sites, septic tanks, sewerage, fencing, small school buildings, etc., being paid fop bv local residents; sometimes, but not always, being subsidised by his Department. How a man acting as Director of Education could overlook ,£18,500 is just an evidence of the state of muddle his Department is in. So far as his refermico to the board's balance-sheet is concerned, I am confident that his'contention' will not be supported by the Audit Department, who would be able to giva some rare information about the financial administration of the Education Department were a thorough examination authorised. It is 10 tho credit of our board that, instead of keeping doles for reinstatement of buildings locked up in a credit' balance, we have used them, and even at one time incurred au overdraft of ,£BOOO on the personal liability of the board members iu making our primary school buildings what they should be. Like one of our greatest administrators, I rwieve that the local body which does not glory in an overdraft must have something wrong with its methods. Contrast our buUdfiißs and grounds with those of the boards-'who have large- credit balances in their reinstatement funds! In regard to the assembly hall question, the Department has approved of tho creation of central halls, at College Street, l'oxton (old school), West End, Wangauiii. Hawera, Patea, Marton, Feilding, and Ohakune; and it is only of late that Hie building e Xper t 0 f the Department (Mr. Spencer) has objected to these on Hie ground of. want of ventil,ation-aii objection which'we contend is baseless, and in one case was proved so in Mr. Spencer's presence. The best argument in favour of assembly halls is that in every instance the head teachers who have had charge of schools where one exists consider that they improve the methods of working immensely; they make for esprit de corps; they allow o'f organised games and physical drill when weather conditions ere bad; and they are absolutely necessary for hot luncheons. All the secondary schools have halls, and if the ontv reason for the Department's (Uratoriness in regard to school buildings is our board's insistence on this important adjunct, then lam proud to take the lead in giving our primary school children, the great majority of whom never enter a secondary school, equal facilities for their physical and moral development, regardless of the opinion of Dr. Anderson and his Department of experts ' s By-the-way, eince my last letter was written, the Minister has announced his intention of appointing an architect to "assist" Mr. Spencer. Assist! Ye Gods I —I am, etc., FEED PIEANI.