AN EDUCATION BOARD’S DILEMMA.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2722, 29 January 1910, Page 3

AN EDUCATION BOARD’S DILEMMA.

DISAPPOINTED WITH GOVERNMENT GRANT. [l’ltit Press Association.! WELLINGTON, Jan. 28. The Wellington Education Board received advice yesterday from the Department that the building grant for the year 1909 had been reduced from £5500 to £3455. The Board had entered into building and maintenance responsibilities on the previous estimate, and this reduction of over £2OOO is viewed with some alarm. The Board finds itself on the horns of a dilemma. During the year the Board unproved of work of an estimated cost of £2235 17s sd. and a good portion of this is partially completed by the order of the Finance Committee. The extremely urgent undertakings have been reduced to a matter of £OOO odd. Many works, it is said, will have to be dropped. Mr. Lee, the chairman, said the average grant for the last five or six years avas £4SOO. He deprecated the action of the Government in waiting till a new year had begun before making this most serious announcement. He mentioned the debit (as given in the financial statement of the Board), and stated that the money accruing from the Department was about the same figure. The moneys now due would wipe out this debit balance. The present debit on buildings was now about £3700. There .was a balance of £IOOO due, a refund from the Government, which left a net debit of £2OOO. towards which the Board had no funds. This, plus the debit before mentioned, left the Board a full £SOOO to the bad. Thus, if the Government made tlie expected grant of £5500, it would only meet present liabilities, with but a small margin. If the reduction were adhered to, the Board would find itself in the position of being actually unable to do anything. A deputation was appointed to wait on the Minister.