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The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 46

Grants by Boards to School Committees

Grants by Boards to School Committees.

District. No. of scholars on roll. Grannts to Committees. Rate per scholar.
£ s. d.
Auckland 14,939 4231 5
Taranaki 1559 547 7
Wanganui 4394 960 4
Wellington 6082 1903 6 3
Hawke's Bay 3085 989 6
Marlborough 1212 317 5
Nelson 3950 918 4
N. Canterbury 16.437 5856 7
S. Canterbury 3506 1119 6
Otago 19,203 6120 6
Southland 4891 1487 6 1
Westland (to get) 3143 537 3 5

It is evident from these statistics, that the ample revenue of the Board is in no way wasted, either in the salaries of teachers, the maintenance of schools, or in the grants made to the School Committees. On the contrary, the figures demonstrate that in all these particulars the Westland Board treat their teachers and the Committees with the most wretched parsimony and niggardliness as compared with any other educational district whatever, and not only curtail and reduce the staffs of schools, and the payments of teachers, but give the Committees funds totally insufficient to enable them to decently provide for absolute wants of the schools under their charge. In what direction then, does the mismanagement of the Board's income take place? We do not profess to be able here to thoroughly answer that question. We will however, endeavor to indicate, so far as facts are-available, the direction in which the misuse of the Board's funds takes place. We find the following figures in the reports already referred to, and we quote them for the information of the Board and the public.

The "office management" of the Education Department in Victoria, coats 8¼d per scholar. In Auckland the cost is 3s 9d per scholar. The cost of the Board per scholar in some other districts, is as follows:—
Wellington 2s 4d per scholar,
N. Canterbury 2s 4d per scholar,
S. Canterbury 3s 11d per scholar,
Marlborough 3s 9d per scholar,
Nelson 2s 11d per scholar,
Otago 1s 11d per scholar,
Westland 7s 4d per scholar,

And if to this 7s 4d per scholar be added the amount spent in the purchase of buildings at Greymouth and trips, to Wellington, it then becomes clear that recent Board management in Westland has cost the Country at the rate of 14s 10d per scholar.

Inspection, and the office expenses of the Board, together, cost Westland 8s 11d per scholar. Auckland does better, and more perfect work, of the same kind, for 4s 11 1/3 per scholar; Wellington, for 3s 7d per scholar; page 5 Hawke's Bay, for 7s 2d per scholar; Nelson, for 5s 10d per scholar, North Canterbury, for 3s 3½d; per scholar, Otago, for 8s 1d per scholar; and Southland, for 4s 9d. Inspection and office work cost more in Westland than in any other district in the whole colony. A very considerable sum misspent in maintaining a book depot, causes a very heavy annual loss to the Board's funds, It is illegally a source of profit to the present Chairman of the Board, and the son of the Chairman has been employed in connection with this stock, in addition to the Secretary, the Inspector, and the son of the inspector, all of whom have spent considerable time in the care and custody of these goods. All of these same persons appear from time to time to be employed in office work, and it would appear that the Inspector spends most of his working hours, in doing the work of the Secretary. For many months past, the correspondence, circulars, vouchers, cheques &c., of the Board coming to this committee, have been all in the handwriting of the Inspector, or of some boy, or boys employed in the office. As almost the whole work of the Board consists in circulars, correspondence, and payments, we think the boys should he discharged immediately, and the office of Inspector and Secretary amalgamated. In 1880 (when the work was more cheaply and more satisfactorily performed than it is now) these two offices cost £1410; their cost at present is considerably more. In Nelson, with 1000 more scholars, the same work costs only £953. In Wellington with twice the number of scholars, the inspection and office work costs only £1100. No reason whatever exists why the plan followed at Nelson should not be adopted here, and the two offices combined. If these suggestions were acted on, and the book depot abolished, a waste and perversion of a very considerable sum of money could be effected. In connection with the book depot, a single illustration will show the desirability of sweeping it away. Dr Richardson's Text Book on Temperance is being now retailed, through the Board for 3s 6d per copy. The same book exactly can be had though the Post for 1s 9d per copy. Very numerous other matters in connection with this business might be mentioned to show the urgency of at once doing away with this book depot.

"Sundries," in the management of the Board is an item which appears to be capable of great reduction, It consists of miscellaneous expenditure, such as the travelling expenses from Greymouth to Paroa of a daugter of the Chairman of the Board, who is a pupil teacher at the Paroa School, but lives in Greymouth. In Westland these "sundries" cost £184. Auckland with nearly five times as many scholars, spends £57 in "sundries," Taranaki, £2; Wanganui, £5; and many other districts nil. Your Committee hare good reason to know that—surprising as these figures of the Board's cost are—the expenditure in Board management and "sundries" in Westland will be found to be still greater when the correct figures for the following year are available.

We are not able under any circumstances, to suggest any reduction in the staff, (already too small and too badly paid) of the Hokitika School district. With the foregoing figures before us, we are firmly of opinion that, with judicious Board management the additional assistant teacher to which the Hokitika School is entitled, could readily be paid. As for reducing the grant of the Hokitika School Committee, it is futile to imagine that the Committee can carry on its functions with the present ridiculous grant of £50 per year. With the most rigid and strict economy, it takes at least £175 per annum to defray the bare necessaries of the schools. We would gladly recommend an appeal to the public to subscribe funds to maintain the schools in our district in a creditable state, and there is no doubt that the public would come to the aid of the Board, if they thought for a moment that the Board's distress was deserving of relief. But there are two insuperable objections to an appeal to the public for aid to carry on the schools. In the first place, the Government provide the Board with ample funds page 6 for Education in Westland, and no real necessity exists, or ever did exist, for the deplorable state into which education finances in Westland have drifted—a condition utterly unknown or unheard of in any other part of this prosperous and wealthy colony. Secondly, as the Government liberally maintain a system of free education from the taxation of the people, the people cannot, with any show of right or reason, be asked to subsidise that free system by subscriptions or donations.

Richardson Rae,

Chairman. Hokitika, L. S. C.,

Vignette