EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 May 1919, Page 8

EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS.

DEPUTATION TO MINISTER. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. A request was placed by a deputation before the Minister of Education (Hon. J. A. Hanan) to-dav, for payment by the Government of the conveyance allowance to pupils who travel by eacli coach or other vehicle to attend technical or secondary schools. In other words, for the same allowances as are payable in the case of pupils attending public schools, including the secondary department of district high schools. It wan pointed out that pupils who travel by rail are conveyed free to the secondary schools and technical high schools, and therefore pupils using other means of conveyance should bo similarly treated. The Minister said that last year £3503 was paid for the conveyance of pupils by rail to secondary schools, £1144* to district high schools, and £.'>l39 to technical schools. It would bo impossible, without making special inquiry (so his department advised him), to estimate the cost of paying conveyance allowance to pupils who travel ,by other means to secondary and technical high schools. Roughly speaking, he was disposed to think that £501)0 or £6OOO annually would be required. With reference to the claim that a boarding allowance of, say, 5s per week, should be made: This item would run into a very large sumabout £23,000 or £25,000 'annually. To agree to these two proposals to extend conveyance and boarding allowances to pupils of secondary and leclmicnt high schools would mean that an additional sum of not less than £28,000 or £31,000 would have to be found each year. The two proposals made the subject a very large question for consideration, and he would go into the matter further with his department, with a view to coming to a conclusion on the matter.