AN IMPECUNIOUS BOARD.

Gisborne Times, Volume VII, Issue 376, 27 March 1902, Page 2

AN IMPECUNIOUS BOARD.

[By Telegraph—Press Association.] Wellington, last night. At to-day’s meeting of the Education Board discussion took place concerning the position of the Board in regard to building. It appears that the Board’s annual income is .£5500. With this. sum it has to pay office salaries, teachers’ expenses, build schools, provido scholarships, stationery, and other things. The Chairman said that as time went on and the demands for new schools became more pronounced a great deal of odium would be cast on the Board by persons who did not understand the position. Not only was the Board expected to carry on a mass of administrative work on insufficient capitation r -but it had an overdraft from former years which could only be wiped out by sacrificing thq.best interests of education. If the funds for doing so were taken out of the present income the existing grant was utterly ridiculous. No other British community had ever before undertaken the education of a whole community, and it was obvious that people did not yet understand what the undertaking meant. Howevey, he would not let the overdraft go further, He would simply refuse to sign cheques. Several members commented adversely on the action of the Government in persisting in building schools in wood instead of brick.