ST. STEPHEN'S NATIVE SCHOOL

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 251, 20 October 1916, Page 10

ST. STEPHEN'S NATIVE SCHOOL

SITE DISCUSSED BY SYNOD. PRESENT "LOCALITY TO BE RETAINED. s The following resolution was moved at Tuesday's sitting of the Anglican Synod by Mr. A. R. Roberton:—"That in the opinion of the Synod it is desirable that St. Stephens School should remain upon Taurarua site, and that the work of rebuilding it should be begun as soon as the trustees can make necessary financial arrangements." In seconding the motion Archdeacon Mac Murray admitted that at first sight the proposal to remove the school out into the country and use the town property for revenue purposes was an attractive one. He differed, however, from the suggestion to move St. Stephen's School out to the vicinity of Te Awamutu. A great proportion of the boys came from the north, and he was morally certain that it would be exceedingly difficult to persuade the natives to send their boys to Te Awamutu when it was comparatively easy to get them to send the lads to Auckland for their education. If it was desired, to give the boys an agricultural education, let a small agricultural school be established at Te Awamutu for those boys who wished to do bo, to enter after having finished their ordinary sctfooling at St. ,Stephen's. ' i The Bishop explained that the Hon. A. j T. Ngata, in response to a request for an opinion respecting the proposal to move I the school into the country, had, seven I I years ago and again recently, expre&ed himself decidedly against the removal of I St. Stephen's, which he suggested should be made more a college for training boys in the trades Tather than in agriculture, for which purpose there were several schools. The Rev. J. T.-McWilliams also epoke strongly in favour of retaining St. Stephen's on its present site, and be made a training ground for the trade*. while a Maori lay member of Synod, Mr! Timothy Busby, speaking as an old St. Stephen's boy of 34 years ago, said: "St. Stephen's is in the middle of the pakeha and the church people, and the Maoris rather wish their children to be brought up among the church missionaries and the pakeha than in a country school." The Rev. H. Brown, a native clergyman, added his voice in favour of the motion, which was adopted without disecnt.