SILVERSTREAM SCHOOL

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 3, 4 July 1922, Page 5

SILVERSTREAM SCHOOL

MINISTER'S FAVOURABLE REPLY

A deputation of residents of Silverstream waited upon the Hon. C. J. Parr, Minister of Education, and urged upon him the necessity of a school being established at Silverstream. The members of the deputation were: —Mrs. Gard, Messrs. C. H. Ritzema, F. Castle, C. Jones, T. R. Jones C. H. Fyffe, and W. Wakelin. Mr. T. M. Wilford,,M.P., introduced the deputation.

The position as stated by the deputation is as follows:—The Wellington Education Board in 1920 made a_. application for a school to meet the needs of the district. The Education Department replied in August last, that a grant was refused on the ground1 of the financial stringency,;. adding that there wasi sufficient accommodation, at the Upper Hutt School. That reply, which was regarded as unsatisfactory, was considered at a meeting of householders recently, when it was resolved to place the'following facts before the Minister :—(1) That official figures showed that 57 children from Silverstream and Heretaunga attended the Upper Hutt School, which was between three and four miles distant; , (2) the train leaves'Silverstream at 8.4 a.m., arrives at Upper Hutt at 8.17 a.m.—4o minutes before the schools opens; (3) the children in some cases have to leave their hours at 7.30 a.m., amd most of them are away from, their homes nearly eight hours to obtain five hours' schooling ; (4) the children travel without ■supervision of a teacher, and the present arrangement inflicts special hardship on the smaller children. It was also stated that the Upper Hutt school had practically reached its full capacity; Silverstream is a growing district. Seventy children will attend whona new school building is erected at. SilverstTeam. The Education Board owns four acres •at Heretaunga, but the site U unsuitable for a school. The request was made that the now site recommended by the board be acquired and a school be erected upon that site.

Mr. Wilford emphasised the special hardships inflicted upon the very young children by the present arrangement. The suggestion was made that the present site be sold and the money be devoted to acquiring the new site. The Hon. Mr. Parr said he admitted the inconvenience of the present arrangement. It appeared from what had • been stated that the amount involved would be about £2500. , On the other hand, there was the suggestion of the board selling the present site and tlie money so obtained being devoted to the new .site. In view of that suggestion, he saw no reason why the department should not reconsider the position with regard to the site. He would visit the district in the course of a fortnight, ancl_ see what could be done. If he were satisfied with respect to the site and the arrangement suggested could be carried out on good terms, he might be able to accede to the request made —that was as to tlie site. Of course there was a great demand for new school buildings, and ho could only do the best with the funds at his disposal, taking the most urgent cases first. If tho Education Board were prepared to say that in its judgment this was a most urgent case, he would be prepared to treat it-accordingly.