Page:The Extravagent Expenditure of the London School Board.djvu/8

 than similar institutions on a smaller scale; but it is to be feared we shall find that the reverse is the case, and that, from a disregard of the essential principles of economy, the Board has already committed the ratepayers to an enormous, and to a great extent, an unnecessary outlay, and that unless urgent steps are taken at the present juncture to prevent it, a new Board, composed of men on the old principles, will still further continue to cause increased taxation.

In looking through the published accounts of the Board we find the following items of expenditure as requiring our earnest attention, viz.:—


 * The cost of school buildings.


 * The amount of professional costs in connection with the purchase of sites.


 * The general charges for legal expenses.


 * The amount of salaries paid to teachers, and


 * The general office expenses of the staff.

We shall find that not only are these items extravagant in themselves, but that there has been a progressive increase in each out of all proportion to the increase of the work in the several departments.

The following figures have been collected from the published accounts of the Board for each half-year. The details will be found in the Appendix.

The first and most important item will be found to consist of the cost of erecting the permanent schools of the Board. No account has been taken of the expenditure for acquiring sites, as it is difficult, without an acquaintance with the requirements of each case, to form any judgment as to whether the purchase has been economical or not. But for all practical purposes the cost of building in the several districts of London is the same, and it is a simple matter to form a comparison between the cost of building Board Schools and Voluntary Schools. And further it will be useful to compare the cost of the Board's later Schools with that