AT COST PRICE

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1002, 19 June 1930, Page 9

AT COST PRICE

TEXT books as school EQUIPMENT COMMITTEES’ MEETING 1 Holding tliat tho time -pas now op- | i for the Education Department j ■ •31 standardise school books and pro- ; , fide them free of charge, or alterna- | ' lively, at cost price, to all children at- ! ; tending primary schools, delegates of J Auckland Primary Schools’ Com- | inittees- Association unanimously J passed a resolution on these lines at i , the annual un i ting last evening. t , Mr. £4. E. Ciiappell presided over a! , large attem 1 A new aspect of this problem was j j presented by Mr. Falkiner, who spon- , sored the recommendation from the ' Blount Eden Committee. Hitherto, he paid, the suggestions had been in the h d irection that books should be supplied ; free, or at cost, but these proposals 13 i, a d been strongly opposed by vested interests. The present i»lan was that the books should be the property of i the school, and regarded as portion of | the equipment, and should be used by ; the pupils while there. Admitting the initial cost would be heavy, the speaker , ontended a measure of relief could be immediately given by the Government providing some* of the necessary books now, and continuing this policy until all the books were supplied. The suggestion had been made that the parents. relieved of the burden of buying the books, might contribute toward tho tost of maintenance. He declared trie association should not allow the policy of education to be dictated by printers, publishers and booksellers. X suggestion that some form of contribution by the parents for maintenance of books on the lines of the old miarterly payments was strongly criticised by Mrs. M. S. Benfell. “ALL BUNKUM” The theory that children using common text-books were liable to contract disease from them was advanced by several members, and was scouted by others, one of whom described the suggestion as “all bunkum.” Tho opinion of Mr. C. J. Lovegrovo was that tho immediate remedy was to get the department to print the books j. distribute them through the education boards, thus eliminating the ‘terrible profit the publishers were making from the parents.” A Dargavill© remit urging the Education Department to revise the regulations governing the subsidising of the transport of children, who had to travel long distances to school, was passed, with the proviso that this should apply where there was no State school in the district in which the children lived. The need for better provision for drinking water at country schools, the tank system being unsatisfactory, was mentioned in a remit from the Motuaoho committee. The remit was rei erred to the executive. Similar action was taken on a proposal from the Te Kuiti committee that allowances to school committees for incidental expenses should be based on the floor space of the schools. The association carried a remit from the Newton committee suggesting the Education Department should see that no doors opened into classrooms, and that all outside doors opened outward. On a further proposal that a higher rate of pay should be given to school caretakers, the association decided to urge committees to pay these officers as much as possible in accordance with j the capitation allowance. Officers for the ensuing year were 1 elected as under: —President, Mr. S. E. \ < ’happell; vice-president. Mr. W. E. j Hay; past president, Mr. G. E. ; Spooner; editor of journal, Mr. George • Brownlee; secVetary and treasurer. Mr. * W. Dixon; executive. Mrs. M. S. Ben- • fell, and Messrs. C. J. Lovegrove, ! r. Morris. R. Rew, A. Roberts and J. j G. Turner. An address was given by Mr. X. A. j Ingram, organiser of the Wellington \ Educational Associations.