EDUCATION COST

Hokitika Guardian, 18 September 1933, Page 6

EDUCATION COST

-STATEMENT BY MINISTER. MEASURES OF ECONOMY. (Per Favour of Government). WELLINGTON, September 18. In a statement to-day the Hon. Robert Masters, Minister of Education, -said : “As a result of depressed budgetary positions, the expenditure on 1 Education has been reduced 'in almost every country in the world, in some cases quite moderately, while in others one might almost ruthlessly. “From the information I was enabled t;o gather I would say that the United States as a whole has caused greater | economies to be brought into effect | than any other c-ountry. Legislatures, generous to -a degree in times of prosperity, have found how impossible it is to continue . h 'lavish expenditure in times .of depression, and, in America, we have the -spectacle of a country moving from one extreme to another. With a Federal surplus of 183,000,000 dollars in 1930, .converted into a. cumulative deficit' of 6.547,078,000 by 1933, and with a drop in income tax from 2,410,986,000 dollars in 1930 to 747,000,000 dollars in 1933, and a reduction in customs from 487,000,000 dollars to 251,000,000 dollars during the same period, together with a huge army of 13,000,000 unemployed, it.will be realised that social service, had to come under the axe of economy in America. “Appropriations -have been reduced to such .an extent that the. situation in some schools is • really critical much move critical than is ■coinimbnlj realised. In the New York State alone no fewer than 7000 teachers aW unemployed, while those who are fortunate enough to be employed, have suffered heavy reductions in salary, amounting to more than 50 per cent, in many instances. In secondary schools in the State of Illinois there are thousands of teacher,s who have not been paid at all for their services, and others again who have received only part payment. This most unfortunate position in regard to unemployment is due to the ,depression, (thirty per cent, of the teachers being dismissed in some of the states, and to the fact that,. as m New Zealand and other countries, too many teachers have been trained., While we in New Zealand have been instrumental in .reducing -the cost of the administration of education, o'Ur system still remains intact. In many school systems in the United State s all special classes have been eliminated, and on the decision of the office of Education all work has ceased in music, kindergartens, art work, dental work, medical inspection, manual training, and elementary home economics. Conditions in many school .areas became so serious during last year that- it was necessary to curtail the school year in many country -districts by as -much as four months. ‘‘Over a quarter of a million children are attending school on a part time basis. This restriction seems to apply more to the schools in the country,: as approximately 8000 1 rural schools were.-forced. todose early last year. The oj-ties .however are not immune, as over one hundred city systems reduced their terms by 20 days or more. * “In a recent statement the commission of education said that, in this phase of economy, .the prospects were very much more serious for- next year. In the matter of capital expediture, and attention to repairs and maintenance, the system lias suffered and not only have the teachers been starved for equipment, but in some 18,000 rural schools even minor repairs have n ot been attend to over a long period. “Tn making these statements I have not in any way exaggerated the position. In fact I could go on at greater length, my information being gathered from official sources and published statements It may he asked: Why raise the matter? I do so because there are certain' sections of our community which freely express' -the opinion that New Zealand has gone too far in tho matter of economies. It may be informative to them to know that we -have left our system intact, that the children who, after all are the paramount consideration, have not been prejudicially affected and that our economies are almost wholly the result of the reduction of administration; expenses. “On the other hand it must be obvious from a study of the information I. have given that, in addition to tho savings on administration, economies have been secured in the United States at the expenses of the system, the child naturally in that case being the suffsyer. Educationists in the United States are generally concerned and are ,hopeful that, before long,- prosperity will return and assist them to restore the services which have been eliminated.

“The State after all is. in exactly the same position as the individual. Spend .in excess of your income and it is only a matter of time when nothing will remain to be spent.”