CROWDING THEM OUT.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 355, 24 September 1889, Page 2

CROWDING THEM OUT.

An excellent article on the subject of school accommodation appears in the H.B. Herald and we take the liberty of reprinting the article in full. Our contemporary remains: It is to be hoped that the earnest protest of the Hawke’s Bay Education Board against the allocation af the vote for school buildings on a hard and fast population basis, will have some effect on the Minister for Education. Had all the districts “ started fair ” as regards school buildings when the Education Act came into force, there would have been some grounds for insisting upon a population basis as the fairest on which to allocate the annual grant, but that was not the case. The older provinces had numerous well-appointed schools, in some instances built out of borrowed money. The provincial debts were taken over by the colony, so that the colony in reality paid for th»se buildings. But in Hawke's Bay a very different state of things existed. The province was a young one, before it was called into existence a large part of its best land had been sold, and the proceeds expended inthe Wellington district, and the income of this province was barely sufficient to meet the first requirement of settlement—the making of roadsand bridg. ing of dangerous rivers. Considerable reserves were made for educational purposes, which now bring in a large revenue, but while the province lasted that income was very emad. Private enterprise, assisted by vo'untary subscriptions, provided some schools, and the Provincial Council built soma and subsidised others. But, so far as buildings were concerned, Hawke's Bay was far behind the rest of the colony in provision for education. Oa the other hand, it had no debt to foist on the colony, and this fact should be set against the other as entitling the provincial district to have its special wants considered. To some extent this was dune at first, but of Ute years the allocation has been on an assumed population basis, from which no depariure has been permitted. We say an " assumed” basis, because, it is well known, the last census revealed the fact that the population of H iwke’s Bay was some twenty-five per cent more than had been calculated upon, while exactly the reverse was the case in some other provincial districts. So, as a matter of bare fact, Hawke’s Bay had for years been receiving less than its due even on a population basis, while its necessity was exceptional owing to the rapid spread of settlement. It barely needs demonstration that the more rapidly population increases the greater in proportion is the need for funds for educational facilities. For example, a district with 100,000 inhabitants, already provided with school accommodation, and with an almost stationary population, practically needs nothing for school buildings. But a district of 20,000 inhabitants, and a rapidly growing population, does require considerable sums for buildings. Hawke’s Bay was in the latter position, and despite large savings made on the general expenditure, and used to supplement the building grant, the Board has been unable to fulfil its functions for lack of (means to provide shelter for the children clamoring for education. On the other hand, the Boards in districts where the population has been stationary, or has increased very little, have been able to meet all requirements and even to save money. No better justification for the request of the Hawke's Bay Board that the building fund shall be distributed according to the real necessities of each district, and not on a population basis, can be cited than the last report of the Minister for Education. He there says “ It appears that three Boards—Wanganui, Hawke’s Bay, and Otago—had less money applicable to building purposes than they required to meet their actual liabilities incurred on account of buildings; but that Wanganui and Otago had considerable balances on their general accounts. Two Boards—Wellington and Grey—had not sufficient balances on their general accounts to meet their liabilities on those accounts, but but they had assets in excess of their liabilities on building accounts.” It should in fairness have been added that Hawke’s Bay would have shown a very large balance on its general account had it not been fir the fact that some thousands of pounds have been transferred from that account to supplement the inadequate building grade. One of the tables attached to the report shows that out of 56 schools with less than ten square feet to each child fifteen are in Hawke’s Bay. These are at Tologa Bay, Gisborne, Wairoa, Ashley, Clinton, Port Ahuriri, Napier, Ormondvillo, Makatokn, Danevirke, Maungaatua, Kumeroa, Te Karaka. Makauri. and Matamau. The three last named have less than eight square feet to each child. As Hawke’s Bay has only 46 Board schools, very nearly onethird are deficient i,l accommodation for the present attendance. Auckland, with 229 schools, has only five with less than ten square feet to each pupil; Otago, with 187 schools, has only ten with deficient accommodation ; Southland, with 100 schools, has only three deficient; North Canterbury, with 156 schools, has only one deficient: Wanganui, with 83 schools, has only two deficient; Nelson, with 89 schools, has not one deficient; and Marlborough, with 34 schools, is in the same educational clover. Yet Marlborough and Nelson, which want nothing, have substantial balances in hand, while Hawke’s Bay. which wants most, has an overdraft. North Canterbury, with only one school deficient in accommodation, and with only 14 out of 150 schools without teachers’ residences, has nearly £3OOO lying to the credit of the building fund. O’ago appears with a trifling overdraft, but it has built 180 residences, and only seven schools are with, out, so that its requirements cannot be said to be pressing. Wellington has 12 schools deficient out of 74, but it has over £4OOO in hand, which is more than sufficient to make up the deficiency. Altogether, as we have said, the Minister’s own report supplies one of the best arguments in favor of the request of the Hawke's Bay Board, that the necessities of the different districts, and not their populations, shall be the basis on which the building grant shall bs distributed.