EDUCATION ECONOMIES

Hokitika Guardian, 20 April 1932, Page 3

EDUCATION ECONOMIES

CABINET D KGISIOXB

MANY RECOMMENDATIONS NOT ACCEPTED.

PALMERSTON NORTH, April 15

The Government’s decision in regard to' the recommendations of the Economy Commission as affecting primary education was announced by. the Minister of Education, ':he Hon. R. Masters, ill the course of a speech at the reopening of the Central School-this afternoon.

“One of the first recommendations of the Commission was that all subsidies be cif; out as a general principle for this year,” he said. "L am afraid that we will have to do it, not because wo don’t appreciate what has been done by the public in regard to the finances of the schools, but because of the country's position. The cuffing out. of the subsidy is merely of a temporary nature.”

Mr Masters said that the reeommen elation that the School Journal lv charged for as a further levy on school committees had not been agreed to bv Cabinet, and it would be given free, as formerly. As the result of reorganisation of the printing and general administration of the. journal, he had been successful in reducing the cost from £7OOO per annum to £4500.

MANUAL TRAINING. The Commission had recommended that a number , 0 f manual training centres be cut out, ' said- •Mr 'Masters. He was not going to agree that these should be cut out in . the-country., and not in the cities. If economics were to be affected, he would not let them be effected at the expense of any one school.

“As regards the conveyance of children to schools, regarding which the Commission recommended that Ihe amount should be cut down by £50,000. this would be a distiudt. hardship on children in country districts, and it is proposed that there be economies as far as possible without laying down anv fixed amount to be curtailed, he said.

Regarding the conveyance of postprimary children, the Commission’s recommendation was that they should not he carried tree.on the railway, said Mr Masters. The object of the Government was to create economies, but. to (Dispense with Ire? railway facilities' for secondary • pupils was not real economy and the Government h"' 1 come to the conclusion that it. could not accept the recommendation of t.h" commission. All children going to secondary schools would he entitled to free railway travel as in the past.

EDUCATION BOARDS “As regards the abolition of education boards, no decision has been come to on this recommendation, becau.se T thought it undesirable until the primary boards and 'secondary boards had had an opportunity of meeting in conference and submitting their views, 1 ' he said. “Tn the meantime, the matter is held over. “Because of mv experience of the work of school committees, T can’t' ae cept a recommendation that there he a reduction in capitation to school committejs. 1 appreciate the amount of special effort made by committees throughout the Dominion and it would he want of encouragement if the Government did anything in the nature of reducing the capitation paid to them.” The Commission recommended that free books in necessitous cases he done away with, but the Government was not proposing to out out the grant that had been made previously.

MAINTENANCE CASE. “I am afraid we will have to reduce the amount for the maintenance of building!',” he said. “Owing to the fine, work of education hoards, wo will be ‘ able to cut out £22,000 of the maintenance grant.”

The Commission recommended a charge of 2s 6rl on all candidates for proficiency certificates but this the Government could not see its way to accept. 'Hie recommendation made that all sewing grants, amounting to £3OOO. he stopped for the time being wnls to he accepted. He' thought that mothers would have to take a greater interest in teaching girls to sew because he proposed to cut the grant mil for a. year at least. R EC(>MM EXDATI ONR AD()PT ED. In a subsequent interview, the Minister made reference to further decisions of Cabinet. It- was proposed to adopt tbe Commission’s recommendation that orimnry school boarding allowances lie cut out. (n regard to small (grade 0) primmy s'-hopls the Commission recommended that thei=e he cut out, but it was proposed that each case should be dealt with on its merits. Special caoitation for science classes in primary schools was to be diseotitinned. A giving of £IOOO had been recommended' in regard to handwork material and this was agreed to. Ibo recommendation that the grant t*nr agricultural education be cut down was still under consideration