FREE SCHOOL BOOKS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 163, 27 November 1912, Page 7

FREE SCHOOL BOOKS.

TO BE DISCONTINUED, OUTSPOKEN COMMENT.

The Education Department notified the Mutation Board yesterday that grants 'Ol live class hooks would-lie discontinued, and m lieu thereof grants for school and class libraries would he provided miller certain condition's; The capitation Jor continuous readers for class'leaching would be ,',d p,. r head. For the year'ending. December 31, 1013, and subsequent years, .subsidies of £ for £ would be paid on moneys raised by voluntary contributions for the purpose of establishing, ifwintanr-ig, or increasing the utility of school libraries. For 11)11 the subsidy on "his would be Dd per head on the average attendance, in no case to exceed £lO. For all subsequent years the subsidy was not to exceed 3d per head with a maximum of ,t's.

"I think," commented the chairman (Mr. H. Trimble), "it is a great pity that the Department lias done away with free school books. I know there are many people opposed to the system - teachers and inspectors have'tried to make it a failure—but nevertheless I think the change is a very great mistake. I believe the system will be reverted to later on." Traversing some of the stipulations imposed in connection with free books under the new regulations, the chairman quoted: "Free books are to be granted in necessitous cases." •Who is," he remarked, "going to decide whether a case is necessitous or not?"

. Mr. Bradbury: The headmaster, I suppose. r The chairman: Do you (jihrk he will !)" able to a>eertaiu all the necessitous cases? Those people who really can't afford to buy nooks, but who will not lik.e to say *o. will have to lmv them. Mr. .Bradbury: Are they free'; The chairman: They have been so for several years.

3Tr. Bradbury: Well, 1 have been buying them for my boys. If I had known thai. 1 would have saved many shillings Reverting to that part of the communication relating to capitation for school libraries, Mr. Trimble pointed out that ni the future it would, amount to only ?,d per head on the average attendance. "On schools;' he added, "of 2a pupils it will be fis. You can keep up ii large library on fis a year! ' Jt will be of no advantage whatever to small Thp Department will probably spend Ihe same amount of money on free books, but won't get any advantage." There was no further discussion on the communication, which was received.