School Committees' Requests.

Hokitika Guardian, 12 September 1922, Page 4

School Committees' Requests.

DEPUTATION TO AIINISTKR

WELLINGTON, September 7

A deputation from the annual conference of the Federation of School Committees Association interviewed the .Minister of Education to-day. Mr Hennessey said the Federation was against economies which affected the efficiency of education. He also said that school committees thought they should receive more funds from the Government instead of having to appeal to the public. The Minister said this would cost £IOO,OOO.

Air Hennessey said it would probably save the people half a million. ' The .Minister asked how tho money could be raised without extra taxation.

Mr Hennessey replied that if parents were saved tho greater cost of schoolbooks they could afford to pay in direct taxation.

Another request of the deputation was that capitation should be paid on the roll number not on the average attendance.

The Atinister, in reply, said that of twenty-five remits submitted to him twenty-three entailed increased expenditure amounting to about half a million. I-le reminded the deputation of the increased expenditure on education and said no Ge.vernnient and no country were doing more, lie intended to keep up the. present expenditure but there might he demands for economy which he would have difficulty in resisting. It was embarrassing him by calling for expenditure. That must be his answer to requests involving expenditure. Regarding the proportion of male teachers the Atinister said this was improving, due to hotter pay mill emoluments. Capitation, lie know, was a vexed question, but the Department told him that if it were paid on roll numbers there would he difficulty in guarding against stuffing the roll. AVitli payment on roll number also committees would he better off. The annual grant for school committees had increased from £12,000 in 1914 to £90,000. The Minister said the Department was now going into the question of obtaining supplies wholesale for sale to schools. The chief inspector estimated that there would he a saving of from forty to fifty per cent, but there would lie a heavy initial cost. He hoped shortly to announce a programme for standardisation of school books.