ISLAND BAY SCHOOL

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 22, 28 January 1929, Page 8

ISLAND BAY SCHOOL

(To the Editor.)

Sir,—l read with, a great deal 'of inter* est your report on the Education Board* discussion concerning Island Bay School in to-night's "Post," and presuming that the report is correct, will you permit.me as secretary of the Island Bay School Committee to make a few comments oa the discussion and especially in reference to the remarks of Mr. J. J. Clarke. In the first place the position as outlined by Mr. A. C. Blake is correct, except that he forgot to add that no less than 34 boys have left the school and transferred to the new Salvation Army Home at Trentharn. Berhanipore School is well below the number it could accommodate. On this, point I have correspondence from the committee. Now to Mi-. J. J. Clarke's statement. . He says that tha site (Dee street) has not beeu a Chinaman s garden for many years. Another member interjected "Twenty-five years.'' I 1 or gentlemen wlm are' entrusted with the care of schools and scholars to make such a statement as this savours of a lack of knowledge oi" affairs in which they should be conversant. The Chinamen are still on the ground under a deed of lease signed by the Education Board. Under this lease the Education Board can remove the Chinamen by giving them a months notice. When the Education Department paid for the ground (approximately £5236) the Chinamen ceased operations for a while, the area was declared an educational reserve. The Education Board then leased the grounds to the gardeners and they are still there, and judging by the rate of progress made in the rilling -of the area that they will ba there for a loug while ye(. The School Committee opposed the purchase of this property and wanted the Education authorities to erect a new school on • Victory Park (owned by the Department). Recognising at the time that money was reported to be scarce the committee asked that the complete foundations of a new, school be laid down with all drainage, "etc., but that only two rooms be erected until more money was procurable, when tha ■ new school could be completed "and the present old buildings demolished, and tha site used as the playground. ■■ The committee fully recognised how hard- it was to get a suitable site at Island Bay, hence the suggestion of Victory Park. I challenge Mr. Clarke's statement that the heads of the schools "the men on the spot" think only ■of attendances. As secretary of this committee and secretary, of the Wellington School Committees' Association I cannot allow this statement to> go by without saying that my long experience in school matters has convinced! me that the vast majority of the head teachers, "the men on the spot" and coro-mittee-men are very much concerned iii the accommodation question as regards tha health of the children under their care. Crowded schools only ineau temporary in« .flation of attendances. Sickness and epidemics (due to overcrowding) ■ will . soon reduce the attendances. lam afraid Sir, that Mr. Clarke on this occasion has not viewed the question of accommodation at Island Bay and the general position ia the same clear manner that he has approached other questions. May I inforni Mr. Clarke that when the school- is built at Happy Valley that 23 scholars will go from Island Bay and that about eight will go to Hiiughton Bay. Mr. Forsyth is correct when he says the figures for this district fluctuate. On 22ud April, 11)12 the then headmaster referred to the. same subject and mentioned that the changes during that year were no less than 340. During the last .five years the' roll number has altered very little, and the comings and goings number about 220-240. The point raised by Mr. Nicholls in regard to the possible effect on the health of the scholars is a very important one. In conclusion, Sir, I hope that the Education Board will consider very seriouslj all aspects of the case before any definite action is taken. —I am, etc.. . .'. . N. A. INGRAM, Secretary, Island Bay School Committee,