EDUCATIONAL MATTERS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2577, 4 February 1910, Page 3

EDUCATIONAL MATTERS.

THE MINISTER’S REPLY TO HIS CRITICS.

[Per Press Association.! CHRISTCHURCH, Feb. 3. The. Minister of Education, at the opening of the new school at Addington, replied at considerable length to recent criticisms of the E-ducation Department. Referring to the reduction of the re-building vote, be. said that the Government had paid over to the Boards a very much larger sum than had been expended on the re-building of worn-out schools. If -he was sure that the Boards were saving up the money to provide for a larger amount of re-building in future there would b e some encouragement to secure as early as possible the reinstatement of the vote, but as yet he had not found the Boards doing so. Taken altogether, the maintenance and re-building monies paid, to the Boards since the system was adopted and the. amounts expended. the ledgers of t-lie Boards showed that in 1907 thev ought to have been to credit £69,385, and in 1908 £lOl,- - il. Taking all the Boards, it was shown that for the four years, 1904-8, the amount spent was 59.3 per cent of the money handed them for re-building purposes. As to the withdrawal of the 9d capitation, the Government considered that, as the general accounts of all the Boards showed a balance to credit at the end of 1908 of £29,000, the Boards were receiving sufficient to meet- the demands of the School Committees. Regarding the Educational Conference, he said it was called for dealing with the technical teaching side, of education, but from the statements made regarding the grants he was beginning to think it would bo necessary to call a conference of Boards to deal with. the. question of administration.