300-MILE JOURNEY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 154, 1 July 1936, Page 10

300-MILE JOURNEY.

SCHOOL DEPUTATION. TO MEET EDUCATION BOARD. achievement of object. Three men travelled some 300 miles to ask the Auckland Education Board not to close a small school near Hokianga. They were Slessrs. H. A. Martin, G.°C. Godfrey and A. H. Rogers, and they waited as a deputation on the board this morning on behalf of the Runa Runa School, rumours to close which had been heard in the district. On the assurance that 12 children would probably be attending the school, the chairman, Mr. T. U. Wells, told the deputation that the school would remain open. A letter which had been received from the relieving teacher at Runaruna stated that the roll number had fallen to 4, and beyond an increase of 2 pupils there was no hope ot numnerd increasing for some years, if at all. Mr. Martin was spokesman for the deputation. He showed that soon 12 children would be at the school. Mr. Wells said that if the deputation could assure the board that there were 12 children, then the school would not be closed. Mr. Martin saitl that rumours that the school would be closed had been rife in the district, and last week they had heard that a carrier had been asked for a price to remove the school buildings. "That brought us to Auckland post-haste," Mr. Martin said. The suggestion had been made, he said, to convey children to the Broadwood School or to the Rotokakahi School, some five miles away. Mr. Martin said that after the last floods the latter road was not passable. Bridges were down and culverts had been washed out. Mr. Wells said that the deputation had indeed shown a practical interest in their school, and it would not be closed. Further, a teacher would be sent.