TAXATION FOR EDUCATION.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 1577, 15 July 1916, Page 2

TAXATION FOR EDUCATION.

SHEA KING at the meeting at M onion on Tuesday Inst, the Chairman of (he Wanganui Education Honrd, in reply lo n remark ns to the rights oi: the locality to shnre in the million or so paid for education in taxation, referred to the system now in force in making education the Ugly Duckling of the Administration. He said that, it was most unfortunate that neither in the Cabinet nor in Parliament was any great desire evinced to deal with the education question from a, serious standpoint. For years in the Education Department, parsimony was practiced- to a. serious extent, especially that pertaining to primary education; and at the present time, when it was necessary that our youth should he trained so as to take the place of numbers of young men who, through the war, would never see New Zealand again, it was distressing to find that just claims of tire Education Hoards were turned down on the plea that it was war-time. It might lie unpopular for him to say so, but he was (irmly convinced that the real educational needs of the country districts would never receive the attention they needed until local taxation for educational purposes,

supplemented by subsidies from the State, was in vogue. The Edueation Commission of I!)I2 recommended that (lie Slate should subsidise by £2 for £1 moneys raised by taxation; but, unfortunalely, politicians nowadays seemed to count, beads before 1 liny advocated any policy likely to affect the taxpayer. If they were likely to lose votes the matter went by the board. Yet he was convinced that such a policy for raising money was the only one which would enable justice to be done to (he rising generation at the cost of the community. They all knew that the establishment of a school in a new district increased the value of the land, and it was only fair that the hind-owner should pay for some of the benefits he reaped. Voluntary contributions were always welcome, but it was not right that the parsimonious resident should escape l at the expense l of (he generous man.