KAIAPOI BOROUGH SCHOOLS.

_ a ,"/:v'rsl , ?t-!..0.;-i in a few weeks it.is expected that the new borough schools will be ifintebed and ready for opening.. The contractltime has nearly expired, bat in consequence of, the difficulty and delay, experienced by the contractors in procuring materials, an extension has been granted to them. The buildings are situated on a section of about 2£ acres in extent .-between. ; the Nqrthera',, railway line and Hilton street, which was purohased frpm the church property trustees.; the site is" the one which the local committee decided upon after much discussion in reference to other and. perhaps, more desirable sections, though considered; by them, as ; not being' quite so central. It strikes one at once that the particular spot on which ,Lhe. schools are erected is lower th>n U ought to have bedn, that the expense of filling in, thus 'raising the building 12 or7l8 ; inches, would, have added_greatly to appearances, and- placed it vx a better, position in Wet The water will Collect in the hollow in which the schools stand, and although the floprs will be high the bottom of, the building .will be always damp, and about'the doors difficulti'b ■drain in ra'iDy weather. ",',' -.'■'"" 1 ' The frodfc df s the building is on. to Hilton street, and the frpntage occupied about 130fi. The boys' division is in the right wing, the infant's school in the centre, and the girls division to-tho-left, As a school, it has a very good.ahd bold appearance at the front viow.. The -outside walls arc red brick, pbinted-with blue ash- mortar, the window and 'door dressings, angles and coping of parapets, the arches of the Gothic headed windows, weatherings of the buttresses, turret and chimney tops, are of white sandBtone from the White Rosk quarries. The dressing round the centre entrance door is of plain white stone, and that around the twej., porches alternately of brickand stone. Rising J From the left entrance, viz, to the boys' division is.an octagon shaped bell turret 45ft from the ground, to be surmounted with finial md rane, an ornamental irori scroll will also 7 , bfe jlaced above each of the entrances-ana oh <he gothic dormer window over the-main mtrance. The contrast of the brick with he stone facings and the general' appearance )f the front is pleasing, and it is only a pity hat the roof was not covered with slate inf itead of corrugated iron, but this may protiibly be improved in appearance when it has >een painted, which is intended to be done. it the main door, there is a lobby 28ft' long nd 7ft wide, extending to the left to tbp toys' entrance and to the right to--'the'girls' chool door. Near each of the latter doors re cloak-rooms 10ft x 7ft. The principal twiddle door leads into the infanU'schooi, he area-of the floor of which is 45ftrx'21ft; b has a fire place and is lighted by two large quare windows at the back and equilateral riodows in front. Adjoiningjit to the. right s the :infants' class-room 24ft x 18fk ijis: also has a fireplace,, and is rell lighted by a large GothiawindoW Bft a the spring, the best in the whole building, nd seen outside adds to the beauty of the esign of the front. The girls' rooms farther o the right comprise a large room 60ft x Ift,: with., fcwo fireplaces; lightedbyClwfr lotbic and four 6quare-headed windows, tho inner being in the front outside, and tha

latter at the side. To this room is attached a girls' class room 21ft x 20ft, with a fireplace, and lighted from two square-headed windows. Returning to .the front aga in, the .boys? division is entered by the-JJe t ;door. Passing through the cloakroom described, the boys' large room is gained, through a door -with glass in the upper panels as in the girls' side. This is 62ft x 21ft, lighted with two Gothic windows from the front, and six square windows at the sides and back ; it has two fireplaces. Further to the left is the boys' class room, 21ft x 20ft, which is divided from the main room by a sliding wood panelled partition, as in the case of the girls' class room from their large room; it has a fireplace, and is lighted from windows placed as in the girls' class room. At the back the recesses in the building will be roofed in, and lavatories made, there being also a covered way to the water closets, coal-house, Sec The walls are of 14in brickwork, bonded well, and set on substantial concrete foundations, and rise to a height of 12ft 6in before the roof springs up. The roof is an open one with principal rafters, purlins, tiebeams, and tension rods to secure it. Inside it is lined with matched lining placed vertically, which has to be stained and varnished. It does not appear that the walls of the rooms have to be plastered, but will be left as at present, though probably they will have to be painted. A cement skirting is carried round the rooms. At present the carpenters are busily engaged laying the floors. The rooms are well ventilated by air bricks underneath and veuetian ventilators in the gables, as well as a jieat ventilator put in all round beneath the eaves, with an apparatus for closing same. The fact that the schools will be well lighted may be judged from the fact that the square windows are sft6in by 4ft 6in, and the gothic ones Bft x 4ft 2in. Mr Strouts, Christchurch, is the architect, and the design reflects great credit on that gentleman. The contract for the work was taken at £2990 by Messrs Prudhoe and Cooper, builders, Christchurch, wbo seem so far to have carried out their contract in an excellent manner. It is purposed to carry a fence along the front of the section on Hilton street, a distance of 200 feet, to consist of a nine-inch brick wall with eighteen pins at a height of five feet, and a stone coping and iron rail placed on the top. The section also requires levelling and some planting, which will no doubt be done in its time.