Onr/r a few days have elapsed since reference was made in our columns to the statements of the Weekly filar, a Masterton paper, a State school in which the accommodation for the number of pupils attending was said to be lamentably deficient. It is possible that our contemporary made things out to be rather worse in : some respects than they actually were, ; but there is no reason for supposing : that substantial grounds for complaint j did not exist. That ease dealt with i only one comparatively small school. ; Yesterday we published a Napier tele i gram, from which it appeared that, i at a meeting of the Education ; Board there, the Inspector had stated that “half the schools of the district were disgracefully overcrowded. In a recent tour he found children sitting on the floors anywhere where they could get room. That state of things prevailed in at least fifteen schools.' In one building for 40 children 120 were present.” - The telegram adds that the Board could do nothing, as there were no funds. It is notorious that the same state of things prevails in.other parts oi the colony?; indeed we believe that each one of the Edu cation Boards would, admit that the funds at its disposal are, not sufficient to provide proper accommodation ior all the children of school ago,nr... even for that propor tion which goes to make up. what is known as average school attend anco. In addition to this deficiency in the size of existing, school buildings, there has to bo considered the absence of all school accommodation in some outlyingl localities where the popula tion, although... small, is sufficient to warrant the.erection of a schoolhouse. A part of with which the old Education Board of Westland mauagedto surround-itself was caused attempts to supply an enormous district. and a widely scattered population with. the neces sary; accommodation for giving the children the benefit of the State system of education. We are not defending the Board for going beyond its means, but..- the district is still insufficiently provided with school buildings,: and a schedule of the Board’s debts would show that many of them were incurred for build ings and repairs. 