DRESSED DOWN.

SCHOOL COMMITTEE'S THREAT. AND A FIRM CHAIRMAN. "~~~ ONEHUNGA DISSATISFIED. A deputation from the Onehunga School Committee were subjected to some very straight talk at the hands of the chairman of the Education Board this morning. In the first place, the deputation had, by telegram at the last moment, announced its intention of waiting upon the Board, and it was severely lectured upon the impropriety of suoh a proceeding. ■ ■ ■ • The deputation, headed by Mr T. Horhe, chairman of the school committee, thereupon stated its business. A high > school was wanted in Onehunga. The parents were continually complaining at the inconvenit nee ol having to -end their children into the city to school, and it would be very easy to obtain the prescribed number of names for a requisition for _ high school to he established in the district. In addition to this a manual training department was wanted a>t Onehunga. The present arrangement, requiring children to leave by the 8.15 a.m. train to attend manual classes at Newmarket, was extremely inconvenient, and the committee wasVgoing to .refuse absolutely to obey it. Tlie time-table meant that the children lost one hour in travelling, and further, the _chool at Newmarket was not big enough to accommodate all the children. Some of the standard V. children had to go in to manual classes with the standard VI. children, thus missing some of their primary work. Mr Garland, chairman of the Board, said that he realised what the committee wanted—a high school with a technical side. The Board had not yet considered, what it would do with regard to the high school proposal for Onehunga. The committee, however, must furnish more definite information, and must supply a list of names of children (possible scholars), with names of parents, and addresses. With regard to the manual training classes, the time-table, he said, had been very carefully considered by the Board in committee, and wa3 the best possible, arrangement in the circumstances- The Board could not alter -the time-table of the trains, and if the committee foolishly persisted in its attitude of "absolutely refusing" to adhere to the manual training timetable, the Board would take steps to deal with the matter. "We are not going to be dictated to," Mr Garland said coldly, "and we are not going to dictate to you. But we are not going to have the State provide all this pensive equipment for manual training for you to say that you won't take _dvantage of it. Get that clearly in your mind." He went on to compare the lot of the Onehunga children with that of thousands of other children in the Auckland district. With particular reference to the Newmarket manual training centre, he explained that from Mount Roskill, Epsom, Ellerslie, Mount Eden, Maungawhau, Edendale. and elsewhere the children all walked to classes, and did it gladly. The time-table must be made to fit in. ( Mr Purdie also explained the position to the deputation, and invited the members of it to study the time-table, and to point out -where, as reasonable men, they would ask for it to be altered. The deputation withdrew in good order, convinced against their will; and, therefore, still of. the ea-me opinion. •