SCHOOL TEXT BOOKS

Hokitika Guardian, 16 September 1932, Page 5

SCHOOL TEXT BOOKS

STRONG PROTEST AGAINST THE NEW CONTRACT. (Per Press Association r Copyright.) CHRISTCHURCH, September 15. The Canterbury School. ..Committees’ Association held a meeting at which'-MriS. R. EvisSnA' l presided, to portest against ‘the action of Hon. R. Masters, Minister of Education,vin extending the existing contract for text books for the state primary schools. The speakers all maintained tha,tthe Government should either acquire'the copyright of the books in'use, or prepare new 7 ones, and let the’ contract for printing them by public tender. Remarking that he did not know how long some of the members of Parliament were going to remain members of the Coalition and keep the Hon R. Masters in his place as Minister for Education, Mr H. S. S, Kyle, M.P., expressed the opinion that it was w 7 rong in principle for a Minister of the Crown to be drawn from the ranks of the Legislative Council. His statements were made in th,e course of the meeting called by the Canterbury School Committees’ Association to pro* test .against the action of Ml* Masters in extending tlie existing conti’act foe • printing school books. " The ' meeting, was presided over by Mr $. R. Evison, Someone had referred to gagging, said Mr Kyle, when asked to express his opinion of the Minister’s action. "I’m not afraid of gagging, and I will not be gagged on the floor of the House. I believe the Minister did wrong in extending the contract,” said Mr Kyle. “I have always maintained that these and local body contracts should be let-djy, public tender The Minister is not on the floor of the House. .Why he is Minister for Education I can’t tell. How long many of us are going to remain members of the Coalition and keep him there I don’t know. He should go t.o the voters, as-we dp. He is controlling £4,000,000 of expenditure yearly, and 3 7 et is not responsible to them. The principle is wrong. I’m ready to vote him out to-morrow.”

Earlier in the meeting, when Mr T. W. West referred to the .-need to get the Minister to understand the posi-' tion, Mr Kyle interjected: We can’t get at him easily. He’s not on the floor of the House. :

Mr. West': That’s the trouble, to get at him. • - ; 1 '

Mr Kyle: We’ll get at him. Mr West continued by remarking that the Minister of Education should not be a member of a body like the Legislative Council, which was not responsible to the people. Mr Kyle: That’s right, .

STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER REPLY TO TRADE UNIONS. CHRISTCHURCH, September 15. The Minister for Education (the Hon. R. Masters), replying to the request of Christchurch Trade ' Unions that free education should be made! available for young unemployed people who are not fr«e-place> holders, and who cannot-pay for 'tuition, stated that the m'atter had received his earnest consideration. Cases of students seeking remission of fees on account of hardship , had also received sympathetic attention. /

He was! prepared to Consider any such further cases as might be referred to the Ministers’ 'Department, through the principal of the school, but be regretted , his •.inabilitjr i to, ap~ ply the-" principle of' remission generally, as Lhis .would, involve tn.e possibility of ,heavy'' additional• expenditure which could not be. considerod..at: the present time; yrV *'• p

THE COST OF SCHOOL BOOKS •: % . • v-•./’■. * -V-$t • CHRISTCHURCH, September 15. The difficulty of reducing the cost of secondary school books was referred to in a letter from the Minister, for Education (the Hon. R. Masters, M.L.C.), read at last night’s meeting, of the Canterbury School Committees’ Association. “The question is very difficult as scarcely any of these books are produced in New Zealand,” states the Minister.

: “The sales, in this country are too small to induce English publishers to 'made any special reduction in the published prices. In a considerable number of post-primary schools the cost is kept down as low as possible by the schools themselves stocking the books, and in addition by making arrangements for tlie sale of 'secoua-liand books.” ,• ■ v ' y