WAIKANAE SCHOOL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 261, 28 July 1908, Page 2

WAIKANAE SCHOOL.

OVERCROWDED AND INSANITARY. A VIGOROUS. PROTEST.' . . ; The' residents :of AVaikanae 'are' consider . abl.v exercised over the question of. inade. quate school accommodation, defects in the sanitation of the - school grounds; -and - the"lack of a'suitable residence for.the teacher. ■ At the monthly meeting: of tlie committed • • held recently, it was resolved'that-the-foU ..y'. lowing resolution be . sent ,to 'the Education ■:.• Board:— '.. "That notwithstanding -■ the fact tliat • year'after year succeeding committees have - agitated for a . teacher's residence, and that. through lack of suitable accommodation'one head teacher has loft, and our present one, for the very same reason, is applying for a . position elsewhere, the Board has still set-. • tied nothing definitely in the way:.of providing this accommodation. ' • • "That the overcrowded "and : ; insanitary ' state of the-school has ' been.. fruitlessly brought before the Board's notice.'time and again (see report of tho late committee sent, in last March in reply to questions asked by the secretary of the..Education:Board),;:>Tho Chief Inspector reports unfavourably on the ' school, and the'clerk of .works stated -years •. •• ago ■ that the building was not • fit to maka ■- additions to. At , tho -annual ■ meeting .in ■ April Mast, attended, by : oyer forty .< house- ' holders," strong comments were .made as 1 ta, . the effect'of-. such conditions on the health ■ of the children. \ -.' ..

"That-this committee wishes to express' its disapproval of the Board's attitude lover" these matters, and trusts 'that!' by • its next meeting, to be held on : August-3, s'omo d<Wy 'finite word will be-received from the; Board., to the effect that building operations in con-, nection with both- school and. residence! ara to' he commenced almost immediately, other- -. wise .strong: measures are to -be.-taken- by, ■; tliis committee." . , .£• :/ ' THE COMMITTEE'S REPORT, ; The'present school, it .is stated,-was built' to accommodate' about 40 pupils. Tho following report (referred to in the foregoing resolution). shows tho inadequacy of the ac-!'" commodation , provided, • and - also'-discloses -. .serious defects in tho sanitary conditions'of the.school:— - , • ■ ■ . : "The average attendance for the past four, weeks was G7,-'on an average roll of 77. It is the general, opinion of the residents that the school is unhealthy, owing to its overcrowded state and damp situation. Ona child was withdraw.ir recently,'as sho went home from. school''every day with headache and giddiness. • Several parents have threat, cned to withdraw their children- if an improvement is not'- sooii 'made, oiie of : thehi declaring that-:tho .' school l cost him : £25 in' ' doctor's expenses-. 1 Recently-there hate'b'een; 7 three cases .of boys fainting in school! "' Yes*'" terday one fainted>. and-another was got'out'-. 1 in time to.-prevent him cfrom: doing'th<s'samel! '' On the same , day three children fell 'sick," '• and to-day there was another.'. Some- tim'a ■ ago it was thought that an animal had died' undcr'the building,,but when- the flooririg : : ' was removed the smell was found to be ■ caused b}\.dampness. At the same time ib' ; -' was noticed- that <-the.'. stringers - had been placed so low. that trenches had: to be dugfor them. The ,baso-board (12 inches) "was recontly buried to. a depth of nine iifches,-'-some of the ventilators . being entirely ' covered, and,'though the soil had been re-' moved, there is_ yet a. falltowards the build' ing, thus' carrying the - water 1 in wet: weathci, ■ underneath. A sum of £28 has-been, spent'. on draining, tho money being raised by subscription and'other means, hilt' the. Vesult, is - unsatisfactory,, as -the grounds are. very lowlying, and : the drainage from the hills collects in- this -particular_ spot. -Last autumn,' when metalling operations -were 'being carried oh in front of the shelter sheds;-a draywith nine-inch tyres sank' to the -box. in . mud.- Oil tho opposite side of : the road'from: • the school is a rubbish tip. for the township, which causes an. unhealthy atmosphere about ' the school!" ' ": ; ; : .' , / Commenting editorially oil the. matter, the ' "Otaki Mn.il" says:—"Tho Education Board has no money to spare, as get sufficient in building. grants from the Government, though tho Premier has just declared that- the Government has a record surplus of over three-quarters'of a-'million' sterling. • Such a- state of affairs as exists at Waikanao is a, disgrace to the Education Board and the Government of the. day, and .we trust, tho School Committee; will not' rest ontil '.. they have secured promise of immediate re- - lief."