KEEPING ACCOUNTS.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 August 1915, Page 3

KEEPING ACCOUNTS.

NECESSITY TO TRAIN CHILDREN. The value of an elementary knowledge of book-keeping was emphasised in a short discussion which took place at the meeting of the Taranaki Education Board yesterday. The discussion was aroused by a letter from the dominion secretary of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, asking the 'Board to favorably consider the following resolution passed by the Union: '"That owing to the difficulty experienced by some farmers in keeping correct accounts, it be a recommendation to the Education Department that a simple form of book-keeping be included in the syllabus of the primary schools." The chief inspector (Mr. W. A. Ballantync) expressed the opinion that it would be desirable to teach book-keep-ing. The chairman (Mr. H. Trimh'c) did not think it was any good trying: to teach children in primary schoois bookkeeping before they were sufficiently developed to understand the subject'. It was a subject that should come later on when the pupils had reached the secondary schools. Mr. 'Ballantyne said he did not wish the Board to understand that lie favored book-keeping being introduced into the. school syllabus as a separate subject, but he thought that before children left school they should know some simple method by which they could keep an account of receipts and expenditure. Many children went out into the world without this knowledge, and he believed there were many farmers who were ignorant of their financial position owing to their inability to keep proper books. What he (Mr. Ballantyne) advocated was that some simple and elementary course should be taught. Mr. A. M. Bradbury said that a course as suggested would be very much more interesting and instructive than some of the arithmetic taught. The Hev. A. B. Chappell said that an elaborate course in book-keeping was not necessary, but it would be most advantageous to equip children with a knowledge of how to keep accounts. There was no further discussion, and the Board passed on without taking any action in the matter. ' '