To the Editor of the "Nonrit-Cutea Dany News"
'Sm—tt is most surprising that the 'Council imposes further' surcharge fon the school fees by as much as 70 er cent. in the ease of Chinese Children attending the Municipal Primary School, since it was only six. months ago that the hard hit parents were asked to pay an increase of 100 percent, out of their dwindling pockets in addition to another 100 per cent. increase raised last autumn.
seems as if the Council has since ast autumn embarked upon a policy, of imposing enormous increase on. tuition every six months, While the Couneit employees are receiving. HE. L. allowance of as much as! 160 per cent. and are likely to receive further increase as recommended by the Staff Committe, the majority of the parents do receive much less. and the constant and huge increase of school fees has indeed been a heavy drain upon their slender resources This ts the point our City Fathers should take into consideration when they contemplate an increase on tuition during these hard times.
As pointed out in my letter of] February 6. which you kindly published in your valuable column, concerning the matter, providing educa-Vion for the children of the ratepayers is one of the cardinal obliga-
necessity Instead of @ luxury, Your correspondent Timoruy 1s" quite right when he says that education is not for such as can afford it, but something that should be within the Teach of all children We do not object to a reasonable Increase of schoo} fees in view of the rising maintenance cost. But to Increase it by as much as 70 per cent.
100 per cent. every six. months during the past three terms ig indeed exorbitant and arbitrary. While I could hardly agree with Parent that the tremendous and constant increase of tuition is another form of tax tion by the Council, 1 do support the appeal by [Awotuen' Panewr for thorough consideration of the matter by ihe Council. May I suggest that in the case of two or three children atten ing the Municipal school an ad quate allowance be given' to the parents s0 as to lessen their burden to some extent. 4
Shanghai. June 4.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.