AN EDUCATIONAL DEPUTATION.

Oamaru Mail, Volume III, Issue 762, 20 September 1878, Page 2

AN EDUCATIONAL DEPUTATION.

Wellin'.'t-cx, Sept. 49. A deputation, consisting of Messrs. Barff, Reeves, Woolcook, Gisburne, Bowen, and Laliman, waited on the Minister for Education to-day, asking for an increase of Government aid for Westland Educational District. Mr. Bonar said the real difficulty of the Board lay in the scattered nature of the district, and the absence of large centres of population, which necessitates the e&tabiiahment of a largo number of small aohools, which, in proportion to the attendance, were much j more expensive than large ones. Mr. Ballance said Mr. Bonar had hit the nail s >n the head. The great fault of the prei stnt system was that it made no distincj tion betv;een thickly settled, districts like Otago and Canterbury, and sparsely populated districts such as Westland, where education was proportionately much more expensive. The aim of the Legislature was 7.0 secure uniformity of education, iiiiu "■.bis might have been accomplished had it not been for the strong wish for local self-government, which would have made the people of Westland cry out again at amalgamation with Canterbury. He could hold out no hope of any exceptional aid being granted to Westland. Last year it received a total of L 5927 in excess of its proper grant of L 9342, and they were still in debt and had largely anticipated the building grant of this year. If special aid were granted to them, every Board in a similar position in the Cojqny would have ecjual claims to consideration, Ifq doubt tile Education Act must be amended, as its working was far from satisfactory, but it would be well to continue the present system for another year, when its faults would be more clearly seen, and consequently more easily remedied. After some further conversation, the deputation withdrew,