HUTT VALLEY SCHOOLS

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 80, 5 April 1938, Page 9

HUTT VALLEY SCHOOLS

MINISTERIAL VISIT

PLANS FOR FUTURE

NEWi SITES INSPECTED

A full day was spent yesterday in an inspection of some of the schools in the Hutt Valley by the Minister of Education (the Hon. P. Fraser) and his private secretary (Mr:,P. J. G. Smith), the Minister 'of Finance (the Hon. Walter Nash), the Director of Education (Mr. N. T. Lambourne), the chairman of the Education Board (Mr. W. V. Dyer), the Education Department's architect (Mr. E. Savage), the assistant secretary to the Education Board (Mr. F. C. Demhurßt), and Mr. J. Stohehouse, a member of the board. A commencement was,made at 9 a.m. at the Petone West School, and it was after 6 p.m. when the party concluded the-toxrr^at the site of .the proposed intermediate school in Kauri ; Street. Great expansion has taken place in the Hutt Valley schools during the Oast-few years and because of the rapid increase in the population there will be further expansion in the. near future. .{ ■ "The Ministers took considerable interest in tfye open-air schools .and classrooms and questioned the teachers on their views On this type of 500 m. 'Classes we're inspected and at many of the schools the children were addressed. ':■■.':■

1 ■ At the Petone West School the party inspected- concreting work that ,is being done between the infant school and Jackson Street. In winter this airea was frequently covered with water, but the new work will prefent this. Near the main building an fextra concrete tennis court > has been laid down. The principal'proposal at She Petone West School concerns an Application by the board for the placing of a building containing two classrooms of the open-air type near "the main building. If authority is given for these classrooms the galvanised iron building in which the two glasses are housed will be demolished. »It is also likely'that the main building will be modernised to a certain extent.-

*i The Commissioner of Police (Mr. D. J. Cummings) joined the pa^ty at-the Petone Central Schpol.'Elpr (some time past a plan'hasl been.'.'udder^Consideration for transferring the. Central School from Jackson Street to • Elizabeth Street, and the police and court buildings from Elizabeth to Jackson Street. The Central School building is old and is very uncomfortable in\ winter. The school site covers two acres. It was pointed put that if the. new school was built in Elizabeth Street the land to the west of*the police station would have to be built up; and drained and the grounds would come up to a short,distancebehindthe courthouse. Arrangements would have to be made for'the children to have theuse of the Petone Recreation" Ground.

PETONE ■ POLICE STATION.

• As to the location of the new police station in Petone, it was suggested that it could be built in Jackson Street, or that the courthouse could be shifted to Jackson Street and the police Use the present court building. Another suggestion was-that an extra liorey tie put on the courthou'sVand that it be a combined cotSt'-and police building. Further, inquiries will be made along these lines.

The Lower Hutt police station was also inspected and plans for expansion discussed. j The site of the proposed new building at the Hutt Central School was inspected. This site is well behind the present building and will have access tis Railway Avenue not far from the junction with the Hutt Road. It was stated that plans for the building had been prepared and that the land for the school was in'a fit'state for an early start when a grant was authorised; A certain amount of work would be necessary on the surroundings.

The block at the Eastern Hutt School that was remodelled, with two rooms added, was commented on favourably. jki. Fraser expressed pleasure at the beautiful grounds. The Director of Education stated that he had never seen finer grounds than those at this school.

- The flowers in the grounds of the Boulcott School were also admired.

NEW WATERLOO SCHOOL.

' After lunch at the residence' of Mr. 'and Mrs. Dyer, the party proceeded to the newly-erected Waterloo School, which is the most up to.date in New Zealand. The' grounds of this school are at present being formed by the Public Works Department apd will contain a large grass area and tennis and basketball courts. The roll* at the school stands at 225 and it is expected that in the near future the accommodation will be overtaxed when Government houses being constructed in the vicinity are completed. After the Waiwhetu School had beeninspected and the ichildren addressed, the party proceeded to the Randwick School, where> some minor improvements were suggested. V At the Wilford School the possibility of having an extra room erected in the future was discussed.

The Mayor of Eastbourne (Mr. E. W. Wise) met the party at the ,■ Muritai School. It was explained that extra accommodation was needed i at this school. The roll increased by twenty every year and in two classes there 'were 57 and 59 pupils respectively.: '■■ Application has been made for j the erection of-two extra rooms at Muritai, but before any finality-is reached ;on this point consideration will be given to the possibility. of extending the block. . ■■' ' ~ - - .'■ :-■-'■■• '■ At the back of the railway workshops at Moera a large block of Government houses is being erected and it was agreed that a new school would almost certainly be necessary on the board's block of approximately four acres. It was explained that the nearest schools -were Waiwhetu, which was full, and Randwick, which would be full when houses being built in the vicinity were completed. ■ Consideration was given to the need for setting aside an area of land for a school in the block of Native land in Waiwhetu which will probably be taken for housing purposes. It was stated that the Waiwhetu School.was comparatively close to this block, but as this school was already full and the block was large enough to contain. many hundred houses a new school site should be set aside." The last areas inspected were the Education Board's site near the foot of Park Avenue in Naenae and the nine acres set aside for the site of an intermediate school in Kaufi Street, Lower Hutt. ■