PATEA AND HAWERA

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 14 May 1925, Page 10

PATEA AND HAWERA

MEMORIES OF THE OLD DAYS. (By “Fifty-one”). The jubilee of the 11awera public school is (or should lie) an event of considerable interest, a.s tlie growth of the school since its establishment in 1875 is a guide to the progress oi the district. As one who knew Huwera fifty years ago, I can vouch toi the fact that the growth in both directions has been almost phenomenal—the attendance at school increasing from 30 to 40 to nearly 1000, and the P''P"iation from 200 to 300 to nearly oOOO; and, mark you, instead ol one school, there aro now several in the borough— Technical. Taw.hiti, St llary’s and Catholic — which should bring the attendance nearly up to tlie 2000 mark. Prior to the first school being built in Hawera, the education ol the nsdig veneration was carried on in some other building, (possibly the old blockhouse, as that was the only smtaoie phee at the time). it is of interest to note that the Abolition of Provinces Act came into operation in November. 1876. and prior to that education was under the jurisdiction of the Taranaki Provincial Council. Patea, which was then the chief town in South! aranaki had its education board, and Hawera was governed from there. In November. 1877, the Education Act wa s passed, which provided for free and compulsory education, and it was immediately after this that the v\ anganui Education Board came into existence, whose jurisdiction extended to Hawera, if not further north. About twelve months ago, when the controversy was on regarding the date of tlie building of the Hawera school, I wrote' to an esteemed friend m New Plvmouth, asking him to look up the

mittee, applying to have the Hawera school constituted a High School. Mr. Williams made a lengthy statement to the effect that it would he more desirable to have a high school established at Patea. He quoted from Inspector Lee's previous report and from letters from residents in the Patea district to prove his assertion, and considerable discussion ensued. Ultimately Air. Williams moved the resolution standing in his name, and Air. Duthie seconded: That the Patea district school he constituted a high school. Air. Sanson moved as an. amendment and Air. Boss seconded: That the Hawera district school be also created a high school, to participate'equally with the Patea school in the rents lor serves set apart for the purpose in that district, always provided that neither high schools' be a charge upon the funds of the board. The voting was then taken on both the resolution and the amendment, and the latter was carried. Some confusion arising out of the irregularity in the voting, the chairman ruled that the votes would have to be taken again. After some discussion Air. Williams allowed the amendment to. he added to the resolution, jvhich was then carried. The members of the Wanganui Education Board at that time were: The Hons. W. Fox and J■ Bryce. AI.H,R. s, Rev. J. Ross, Afessrs AY. H. Watt, J. Duthie. AY. Williams, H. 1. Jones, H. Sanson and Dalrymple. Air. Bryce was chairman. Of the above prominent citizens of that time I do not know of one who is still alive. Air. Williams was the father of Air. Dan A\ illiams, of Aleremere; and the Hon. John Brvce was the hero of Parihaka. Air. \y‘ H. Watt was AVaitganm’s most prominent merchant, and one of his v reft test achievements was the defeatof the Hon. John Ballance at an election for a seat in the House- ot Representatives in the seventies. There was no comparison between the two men as politicians, hut party feeling ran high

(Taranaki Education Board records, but there were unite- to be found; however, the following information was gleaned from the files of the Herald : The Patea Education Hoard was elected on dune 25, 1874, and Mr. W. Cowern was later appointed secretary. —At a meeting of the Taranaki Education Board on July 6, 1874, a letter was read from Mr. T. Middlemas, 'Hawera, asking the hoard to send £5 for the schoolmaster. The writer w.as' referred to. the Educational Trust Board. — The Patea. Education Board on July 7, 1874, confirmed the appointment of Mr. C. Harkness as a teacher at Hawera, at a. salary 'of £BO per annum. (Note—What the £5 was for does not transpire, but the salary of £BO is a mere fleabite to what teachers receive to-day).—The election of a Hawera school committee took place on July 20, 1874.—The Patea Education Board on November 9, 1874, authorised the calling of tenders for the erection of a school at Hawera. to be of the same, size and plan as the school then being erected at Carlisle (Patea). —At a meeting of the 'board on December 7. 1874, the tender of T. North for £313 w.as accepted, and the erection authorised. In one of the earnest issues of the Patea Mail it was stated that the Hawera .school was completed, and the new schoolmaster (Mr. Dunne) would take possession i mined lately (in May). The above gives a slight insight into the carlv history of ‘the school, and L will now deal with what took place

at the time, and the Conservative element was too strong for the Liberals. Labour had not then entered the arena Mr. Fox (afterwards bir William), was one of New Zealand’s most proiirinent politicians, and occupied the high position of Premier on no les s than live occasions, the first time in 1856 and the last in 18/3. Mi . .J Duthie was the head of the linn of .John Duthie and Co., and he also held a seat in Parliament for some years at a later date. He established a business at Wanganui before going to Wellington.

Parents to-day are 0,1 muoli better footing regarding educational facilities than in the- early days of the province, when there were nothing but private schools, and all fees had to he paid out of the family purse. Notwithstanding this disability, however, some of our most prominent Taranaki men received the best nart of their education at one or other of these private schools, which savs much for the ability of those who undertook the training of our youth when Taranaki -was but in its infancy. When the Provincial Government took over the educational institutions in Taranaki, parents were not called upon to pay to the same extent as previously; but they still had to Then, again, what was known as the “chimney tax” was imposed—that is, one chimney in eYerv dwelling was taxed to the extent of £1 per annum. This affected bachelors as well as parents, and there was a con-

in IS7B, when, no doubt, the people of Hawera were beginning to realise that they were something more than a suburb of Patea. I may state that in 1878 J. was proprietor of the Bate a Mail, and it js from that paper 1 am now quoting to show the extent cf the rivalry in school matters. In a report of the Wanganui Education Board’s rneeting on May 28 of.. that year, it is stated that a letter was received from Mr. T. Middlemas, chairman of the Hawera School Com-

j siderabie amount of, grumbling with the former that they should he compled to contribute towards education. They had no children of their own, they said, and why. should they be taxed. The parents, qf course, retorted : “Then gbt married, and you \vjll have nothing to complain about.” The ’above deals with the early stages of the school. and no doubt there are others in Hawera who will be willing to contribute something on more recent occurrences.

• Back Row Mr. C. Warden, Miss C. Synnott, Mr. H. LyaU, Miss E- Ecciesfieid Mtes >h=4, m -

Among those distinguishable in the grotip are Lord and Lady Ttanfurly; Mr. C. E. Major, M.H.R., and Mrs. Major.; Mr. B. C. Robbinsi, Mayor; Messrs. C. A. Strack (Headmaster), John Heslop, E. Fake, and L. H. McAlpine.