Thursday, March 30. 1967

new schOols in Kings County. (Applause) " This program. as I am sure we all know is not a new development by any means. Many of you will recall something of the earl development of consolidation in this province through the efforts of Sir 8William Mac onald as he established the MacDonald Consolidated School. I was verv inter- ested, Mr. Speaker, this winter in looking back over old school reports to find one written by the late Walter Jones who was Principal of the MacDonald Consolidated School, and gave some interesting statistics about this school and its opening on May 25,1905. The pattern then bears a very, very close resemblance to the programs which we are trying to establish at the present time. There were six districts who voted to join this consolidation and they, as you know, were in the neighbourhood of Charlottetown. “The old schools were average and were all ungra ded, I am quoting from the report of the then principal, “so that it is a fair test of the advantages of consolidation.” Now as we know it was not only a fine building that was constructed but there was a school garden in connection with the consolidation, there was manual training, there was household science, and there was nature study, and there was something else. The same questions were asked by the ratepayers as are being asked by ratepayers today. Questions such as this and I quote directly again. “How could the children meet the van? How could they be kept warm and comfortable? Too far for little children to go. They didn’t want these new fangled subjects. How could the .get to school over bad roads 2" All these questions were asked and discussed

905 when the MacDonald Consolidated was constructed. I am sure the opinions varied greatly but the arguments of the objectors to the system of conveyance by vans have been effectually been met by the carrying out of the system without a hitch for seven and one-hyalf months at the present writing. I am sure the trustees of.the present day would be a little enviousp when they saw the figures relating to the costs. The cost of the school building. and I am sure my Provincial Treasurer is in the same category, $13,000.00. Plumbing and heating 81,650.00. However this school. as we recogni-re it, was very successful with a very diversified and extensive program. They even had a teacher of music. The contracts for conveying the chil- dren in 1905 averaged $1.67 per van per day, and the pupils living within a mile of the school, exce celpt those under seven years of age, were not conveyed by‘ school vans. The princip pa at that time ends up his report with a statement like this. “Our plan is to essen the expenses as much as possible while still maintaining a high quality of education and to make the school an institution which the people cannot afford to do without when the withdrawal of the MacDonald Fund in 1908 places the responsibility on the ratepayers.” The gentlemen were certainly well ahead of their time in the planning and the program they established in MacDonald Consoli- dated Institute and it is only now that we are getting back to this same type of

program.

Now I don’t need in a group such as this, Mr. Speaker, to elaborate upon the advantages of consolidation. I am sure they are well known; better recruitment, the easier recruitment of capable teachers, a more diversified and up-to-date'curriculum that can be offered in these schools and the social advantages which result of course from larger numbers of young people meeting together regularly. Consolidated Elementary Schools are certainly a giant step in our quality of educational oppor- tunities which this Government wishes for all the young people of the province.

Now nobody knows better than myself and other members of this Legislature that there are difficulties in setting up such a program, immediately y, in all areas of he province. Each consolidated unit would naturally like to have its demands looked after immediately. Unfortunately, there must be some delay and I have discovered, much to my disappointment, that in some districts these delays are avoidable be- cause they relate the very, very minor differences with regard to the location of the school building. I would hope that all trustees considering a program of consolidation ould exercise some give-and-take with respect to the location of the site so that hey might go along to the more importantsp art of the pro ect and that is the con- struction of the building. And then again am told that Jthere are limitations on e amount of money that can be used for this p se. I am sure that the citizens f this province will realize that everything cannot done at once. The government of this province cannot risk going bankrupt to bring about immediately an immense school building program. It does however plan to go about it as rapidly as possible giving precedence to the most pressing needs. And as I have said before. and as others have said before me, it is desirable in this developing program of school con-

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