The Evening Star TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1875.

Evening Star, Issue 3977, 23 November 1875, Page 2

The Evening Star TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1875.

From a statement made by the secretary at a recent meeting of the Education Board it would seem that matters hare reached something like a crisis in regard to the matter of school accommodation. It would appear that the money at the disposal of the Provincial Government has proved utterly inadequate to the demands comino from all parts of the country for new schools, or for the enlargement of the existing buildings. It was stated that eut of a vote of £25,000 for the current financial year the sum of only about £1,220 remained undisposed of, and that the greater part of this amount would probably be needed to meet the claims for repairs that mi<*ht be made before the close of the year. The secretary is reported to have further expressed his belief that an additional sum of from £20,000 to £25,000 is needed to provide, in a suitable manner, for all existing requirements This is, after all, nS new expert ence on the part of the educational authorities j for the annual education reports, from the very origin of the scheme, have pointed out that the greatest difficulties which have attended the carrying out of the Otago Education Scheme have been in connection with the providing of the requisite school _ buildings. During all these years it has been apparent that the comparatively small sums placed at the disposal of the Board for school buildings have been utterly disproportioned to the requirements, and that their equitable distribution among so many eager and necessitous claimants must have been a work of considerable difficulty. The consequences have been that not only has it been found extremely difficult, and often impossible, to provide from time to time buildings of any kind, but even those supplied have necessarily been for the most part of an inferior and unsatisfactory description as regards size, style, and materials. There has ever been the strongest possible temptation to limit the area of the buildings, to adapt the very plainest and humblest style, and to make use of the cheapest materials. Besides, a number of the older buildings, which may have met the requirements at the time they were erected, are now becoming quite unsuitable and unseemly, and no small number of them are beginning to fall into disrepair. In proof of our assertion it is only necessary to mention that collection of shanties in Kim* street, styled the North Dunedin School, or to that other agglomeration in York place. For a number of years past tin; entire cost of the school buildings seems to have been defrayed from the current Provincial revenue, notwithstanding that proposals had been made from time to time by his Honor the superintendent, the Bastings Executive, and others to provide for a propernon of such expenditure by moneys borrowed _ upon security of the valuable, alucational reserves now owned by the education Board. It seems now more vffient than ever that if the Education 3oard is to be placed in a position U aovide adequate and suitable school uildings, it must have at its disposal t an early date a very much larger mount of money than cam possibly be btained either from current Provincial L Colonial revenue ; in other words, it | lust have power to borrorjv in order to (

provide for the present and the future requirements of the country in the matter of school buildings. Why should the Education Boanf be compelled to fritter away, year after year, comparatively large sums on the erection of little better than wooden shanties, which are bad at the best, and which in a few years will cost no inconsiderable amount for repairs and renewal? There can be no doAt a large proportion of every year’s expenditure is now the patching and renewal of the nume-

rous timber erections which have been run up during the last twenty years throughout the Province. Probably the amount now annually expended on repairs and renewal would more than meet the interest and sinking fund, payable on account of the money that would have provided substantial, commodious, structures with all the appliances now deemed essential. Why should money be borrowed for almost every other public object, and not for the purpose of supplying our children and their instructors with decent and suitable buildings in which to carry on theinecessary and important work of education ?

Even in Scotland, where wealth has largely accumulated, where there is no lack of educationalglzeal, and where it might have been expected that little or no difficulty would be found in providing sufficient funds, it has been found necessary to borrow largely for school buildings. The Scotch Education Act of 1872 empowers School Boards to borrow money on the security of the school funds and school rates, to meet the expenses of providing or enlarging school buildings; such money to be repayable in fifty years. In the Report of the Scotch Education Board foi 1874 it is stated that applications for loans to provide or enlarge school buildings and teachers’ houses had been sanctioned for that year alone to the amount of no less a sum than £1,109,241. In the City of Glasgow

alone thirty new schools, to accommodate 22,000 children, were to be erected at a cost of not less than £250,000. The Edinburgh School Boaid had resolved to build seven new schools for 4,200 children, at an expense of £70,000, each school costing on an average the sum of £IO,OOO for the accommodation of 600 children. The School Board of Govan had agreed to erect schools for 4,513 children, at a cost of £43,000. The parish of Dunoon had resolved to build five new schools, for 580 scholars, at an expenditure of £15,000. Our notions and our practice in Otago as regards school buildings have hitherto less liberal than those prevalent in many other places. A change in this respect is exceedingly desirable, and we trust our constituted authorities will see to it, that no longer delay occur in devising and carrying out effi«ient measures for providing suitable and substantial school buildings where ever wanted throughout the Province.