EDUCATIONAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 808, 5 February 1910, Page 3

EDUCATIONAL.

HON. FOWLDS REPLIES TO CRITICISMS. Christchurch, Thursday. The Minister for Education at the openiug of a new school at Addington, replied at considerable length to the recent criticisms of the Education Department regarding the reduction of the rebuilding vote. He said the Government had paid over to the boards a very much larger sum thau had been expended ou the re-building of worn-out schools. He was sure that the boards were saving up the money to provide for a larger amount of re-building in the future. It would be some encouragement to secure as early as possible the reinstatement of the vote but as yet he had not found the boards doing so. Taking altogether the maintenance aud re-building monies paid to boards since the system was adopted and the amounts expended, the ledgers of the boards showed that in 1907 there ought to have been to the credit /69,385, and iu 1908 /ioi,34i. Taking all boards it was shown that for four years, 1904-8, the amount spent was ,£5932. As to the withdrawal of the gd capitation, the Government considers that as the general accounts of all the boards showed a balance to credit at the end of 1908 of /20,00 c the boards were receiving sufficient to meet the demands of school committtees. Regarding the educational conference, he said it was called to deal with the technical teaching side of education, but from statements made regarding the grants he was beginning to think that it would be necessary to call a conference of boards to deal with the question of administration.