The Cost of Primary Education to the Revenue of New Zealand.

Extracts from education reports showing the loss sustained by remitting fees, the excessive expenditure upon school buildings, and the extravagant grants of public money in support of the present system. Can the country afford it?

In the Education Report of 1878 the following passage occurs :—

"The comparatively large sum of £45,944 9s. 4d. was received by the Education Boards, in 1877, from local sources, such as school fees, capitation rates, arrears of household and other rates, &c.; but all or nearly all such sources of revenue have been extinguished by the Act of 1877, and the local receipts were consequently reduced last year to £10,650, 16s. 1d., only about one-half of this amount can be regarded strictly as revenue, the remainder being made up of deposits, refunds, &c. The grants from Government during the past year show an increase of £113,718 3s. 7d. over those of 1877, owing to the maintenance of the public schools being now almost wholly thrown upon the Colonial revenue, and to the large attendance at the schools. The special vote for school buildings has also increased from £50,000 to £100,000."

[N.B.—Districts ought to be rated to supply their own school buildings. They are essentially for the use of the locality in which they exist. Economy would be much more practised when the district was rated for the buildings than can be the case where the expenditure for buildings is thrown upon the Colonial revenue. The revenue will soon be unable to bear the burden, since the larger attendance at schools of some 700 more children caused an increased expenditure in one year upon school buildings of £50,000

The Education Report for 1879, presented to Parliament June 5th, 1880, has the following :—

"Income and Expenditure of Education Boards.—Inaddition to the statutory grant of £3 15s. per annum for every child in average daily attendance at the public schools, the General Assembly made provision for the following purposes :—

(1.)	For grants to Boards, at the rate of 10s. per annum for every child in average daily attendance for distribution amongst the School Committees for local educational purposes. It is required by Order in Council that the whole amount of such grants shall be paid to the School Committees according to a pre-determined scale based upon the average daily attendance at the schools respectively under their charge, and shall form a portion of the school fund to be disbursed by the Committees in terms of the Act.
(2.)	For grants to Boards, at the rate of 1s. 6d. for each child in average daily attendance, for the support of scholarships established by them under the provisions of the Act. These are the only payments from the Consolated Revenue which Boards can make applicable to scholarships.
(3.)	For the distribution amongst Boards of the sum of £40,000 by way of subsidy, with a view to aid and encourage them to make sufficient provision for the efficient inspection of the public schools.page 74
(4.)	For grants to Boards for the training of teachers. The amount voted for this purpose was £7000.
(5.)	For a special grant of, £175,000 for school buildings."

And the question arises, can we afford so much out of the State Treasury for Educational luxuries?

Also, perhaps, the Nelson Roman Catholic Orphanage having about 17 males and 5 females, total 22.