REQUESTS TO MINISTER

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 53, 6 March 1929, Page 11

REQUESTS TO MINISTER

WILLIS STREET AND MOUNT COOK

An assurance was sought by a deputation representing the Willis Street School Committee and residents of thsr district, which waited on the Minister of Education (the Hon. 11. Atmore) lasr night, that as soon as the old Terrace Gaol site is available for educational purposes a new school would be erected there, as had been promised by the late Minister of Education' and his predecessor in office. The Minister said that Wellington would receive a fair allocation of the money available for new schools.

Mr. P. Fraser, M.P., recalled that it had been-promised that a new school would be erected as soon as the Prisons Department handed over the site to tho Education Department. He e.xprossed the hopo that the Minister would visit thq school shortly.and sco for himself the conditions, under which the children were working.. Other speakers emphasised the necessity for immediate action to be taken, the headmaster (Mr. W.-E. Hird) declaring that he had travelled through many lands and taught in many schools, but iii, all his experience ho.had never seen a more drab, dingy, and deadening school than that at Willis street.

Tho Minister, in replying,' said that lie had endeavoured in tho past couple of months to visit all the schools and see for himself the conditions under which the children were working. It was only by so doing that he could come to a fair decision as to how the funds should be spent. Ho had a general knowledge of the Willis Street School, but not the special knowledge that was required, and he would take the opportunity of visiting the school as soon as possible. Heagreed that it was very desirable that schools should be well situated from a health point of view. It had to be remembered, of course, that the Willis street sito was chosen when there, was not that strong national sentiment towards education that there was to-day. However, he promised that Wellington would have a fair allocation of the money available for the erection of new schools. New schools would certainly bo erected in Wellington, but he could not say just yet what money would be spent. There had been a steady decrease in the average attendance at the Willis Street School, due, of course, to industrialisation, and that was a factor that woulcj have to be taken into consideration when determining the size of the new school. He was prepared to let the deputation see tho plans for the new primary school which was to be built on the site of the old Terrace Gaol, and which would absorb the children at present attending the Willis Street School and the Mitchelltown School.