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Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3616, 29 July 1880, Page 2

The House of Eepresentatives has at last come to the conclusion, long since arrived at in outside circles, that the Educational Sjstem of New Zealand is a far too extravagant one, and that the enormous annual expenditure for the purpose is a strain on the colonial exchequer. The debate in the House on the question was a warm one. Mr Macandrew moved that the vote be reduced by £50,000, and expressed the opinion that the Government by their action took too much on themselves, and that the system was injurious to the exercise of parental control. Education in Government schools should be made compulsory for the children of parents whose position will not enable them to give them a fair education, but it is not right that the State should have to provide the means of learning for people .who can well afford to do so themselves. Sir George Grey and Messrs Moss, Swanson and Sheehan, in accordance with their usual expensive policy, voted against any reduction. The reduction of £50,000 was negatived, but it was ultimately decided to curtail the vote by £32,000 on the motion of the Government. When the cost of education came up for consideration in .the Legislative Council Mr Whitaker pointed out that while the cost of education at home was £2 Is per child it was £3 19s here. It had been said that the cost of education was £467,000 last year, but such was not the case, as £172,000 had been devoted to building purposes. So long as the money is spent in legitimate school buildings no one can cavil, but people have a strong objection to see their money thrown away on unnecessary repairs to teachers' dwellings, useless calisthenic apparatus, etc. Many of the purchases of the Board of Education for that department have been useless, and the money shamefully wasted. But even when this allowance has been made, the sum remaining is £239,000, which is far too much for a colony so young and thinly populated as New Zealand to bear. The Government have taken the right course in reducing the vote, and we may hope to see the expenses of this department considerably lessened now that the Government have taken the initial step, and introduced the thin end of the wedge.