COST OF BUILDING SCHOOLS

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 75, 22 December 1920, Page 4

COST OF BUILDING SCHOOLS

A BETTER SYSTEM NEEDED.

Tlio Minister of Education (the HonC. J. Parr) to consult wmh. education boards in Wellington on January 25. in order to bco whether a more emciont system of erecting school buildings or remodelling and tading to existing schools ctinnot bo devised. Mr. Pan' told ai reporter yesterday that at present, when a school win to be built, the education board in charge of the district invited' tenders, and me Department found the money., Unfortunatoly, tho number of cases in vrhiohtho tenders wero few was inoreasing, ana (he instances were numerous in wnlon IVIO boards' estimates were greatly exceeded by the lowest tender. Often boards had to ask the Deppartrnent to grant more funds to onablo them to meet the extlra cost, ana the Departluent gononally made • the additional grant in order to avoid delaying urgent W0 "I' fear," said the Minister, "that matters have reached such a stage llhafc tho Government is in danger of being exploited by such an inefficient system. I have decided, therefore, to take counsel with tho boards, and eoo whether some more efficient and economical system cannot bo devised, Only one or two boards are doing their own work, and I believe they arc doing it with 6uoce9s. Probably wo shall have to extend this method. Tho board? aro expending each year hundreds of thousands of pounds of publio money in school buildings. Is the public getting valuer*"