MINISTER OF EDUCATION.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 29 April 1925, Page 4

MINISTER OF EDUCATION.

ELTHAM SCHOOL DEPUTATIONRECEIVES’ LIBERAL TREATMENT. Alter the formal opening ceremony at the new school at Eltham yesterday afternoon, a deputation consisting of Messrs Bridger (chairman; and other members of the committee waited on the Minister lor Education, Sir James Parr, in regard to improvements at the school grounds, and also of the furnishing of the school. After the matter had been discussed at some length, the Minister promised a subsidy up to £250 for the year lor all permanent improvements on the grounds, and an amount up to £2OO on the unexpended balance of the grant for concrete work and school furniture.

Mr Bridger, who was introduced by Mr Hawken, M.P., drew the Minister’s attention first to the o’d school, part of which would have to lie used for the infants^and stressed the need of having all the children in one building. The Minister said he understood the school, though old, was quite sound, and that it would cost a lot to remodel. He did not feel inc'ined to spend much money on that work. lie would remind the committee that in one respect, that of space, Eltham would be unusually well placed, for while in some schoo. s children had only ten square feet of room, in Eltham they would have about thirty. Mr Bridger also stated that the committee needed furniture, and improvements to the grounds were required. The committee would like to finish the entrance path in concrete. There was a portion of the grant unexpended. and the committee asked that portion of this be devoted to the work. The Board’s architect said there would be a few hundred pounds left, because the grant had been £6232, and the building had cost under £6OOO. Continuing, Mr Bridger said the committee had to lay out the grounds for football, hockey, tennis and basket ball, and he asked if there would be a subsidy on money raised locally. The Minister, after naively observing that he did not think Mr Bridger had omitted anything, said he was pleased to see that already work had been done at the schoo 1 . He told the deputation plainly that the Department had been very generous, and he remembered five sh ears ago having a report on the old buildings and finding they were perfectly sound, though out of date. He had debated much before making a grant for the new school. He said that out of an annual amount of £400,000 for new schools, £IOO,OOO was devoted to replacing wornont buildings, and gradually lie hoped to catch up on this work. Eltham had now on its very fine site one of the most up-to-date and best-built schools in the Dominion. He would remind the deputation that there were many other more pressing cases in the Dominion which must be relieved before Eltham could expect more. He had to put the facts plainly before, his hearers, but he hoped some day to complete the rest of the new schoo 1 . and one reason was that until that was done he could not realise on the old site to put to the credit of the new. He would get a report on the»old buildings as soon as possible, so as to see what was best to be done.

In regard to grounds, lie counselled the committee to continue its work, for what the Depa rtm'en t wan ted to do was to subsidise local effort. 'He would promise it £ for £ up to £2;jQ for the year for all permanent improvements such as satisfied the Department. The committee was beginning a. new enterprise. and lie wanted to encourage it. The Department could not, however, concrete the whole ol the paths, but would do those right round the school. . In regard to furniture, he. understood it *waS light out of date, and new furniture could be secured out of part of the unexpended' balance. It was only fair to reward the Board, and he would 'eave the matter of spending the money promised to the Board and to the committee. The latter should send a nlan to the Board, which could forward it on to the Department.

Air Rridtrer thanked the Minister very heartily for the liberal manner in which the requests of the committee had been met.