TOKAORA SCHOOL

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXX, Issue LXXX, 14 February 1920, Page 5

TOKAORA SCHOOL

NEW ADDITIONS OPENED. The new room and porch which have ™ iy SfANWed *<> the Tokaora School yeie officially opened yesterday by Mr Kobert Masters, chairman of the Education Board, m the presence of a large | eluded Mr Lees, member of the Educa;tion Board and the Rev. 0. H. Grant Con en and Mrs Cowen. Mr Masters was accompanied by Mrs Masters. Mr i±. &. Johnson, chairman of the school , committee, presided. The new. room is , capable of seating forty pupils, so that j there is accommodation at the school j tor /6 pupils. In the construction of j the new room expression has been given to the latest ideas, and the health, comfort and convenience of the teachers and pupils have been well considered. The room is lighted with four large windows facing the sun. The windows can b e dropped completely into the wall, and by doing this and opening two shutters in the opposite wall a current of cool air passes over the heads of the pupils. While a pure atmosphere is thus preserved in the 1 room, no draught is felt owing to _ the he:ght of the openings through i which the air is admitted. There are two double blackboards, which slide up and down on pulleys, and can be very I simply adjusted to meet the conveni- , ence of an adult or a child. The room I is heated by a Unique stove. The porch runs the full length of both rooms, and is fitted with washing basin, hat pegs and other conveniences. Mr Johnson said he was very pleased to welcome the visitors and to see so many present. On behalf of the committee he wished to thank the Education Board for the way in which they had ' carried out the improvements, which would mean so, much to the comfort and health of the pupils and staff.' ■ The room gave them perfect conditions, ; but they still needed better sanitary (provision. In the past the school had I not been all that it should have been, j In addition to the improvements to the I building the committee were having j the grounds enlarged so tha,t the child- : ren would have more room-lor recrea- ■ tion and would not be in the same danger from the horses. Mr Masters, who was received with, applause, said he was very pleased to take part in the opening of the additions to the school. As chairman of the ( Education Board he Had' many duties to perform—some pleasant and some unpleasant—but his duty that day was a decidedly pleasant one. He was glad to find that the committee were so -well pleased with the provision made at Tokaora. Mr Johnson had told them that the conditions were now perfect, and after that he felt that ihe could rest at ease as far as the building was concerned. With regard to the septic tank system he was pleased to say that a grant of £150 had been made for this. (Applause.) Proi ceeding, Mr Masters said that the best , i barometer of a district's- progress was to be found in its school. In Taranaki they had been building schools during the last three years as fast aa they could, and this was a clear indication of the progress of the province. They had now a good school at Tokaora. The Board and committee had done their duty, and it was for the parent® to do theirs. It was their duty to fit their children for the heavy burdens that would be imposed upon them as a result of the war. They should send their children to school regularly, otherwise the best results could not be obtained. Mr Johnson had said that the health conditions of the school were better than in the past. In that respect the school could not be too good. Taranaki was supposed to be very healthy, but the reports of the medical officers would be staggering to some of them. It would be much better, he thought, if these reports, instead of being treated as confidential, were published. At present they did not have more than ten doctors and dentists for the "whole of the schools in New Zealand. This was not giving the children fair treatment." He favored free dental and medical treatment for all school children. Bfe would like to say a word about the Tokaora Committee's work. It was one of the best committees in the province. It might surprise some of them to know that the committee had agreed to pay out of their own pockets £100 of the price of two acres of land for school purj poses, but they should not allow these • men to pay this money. Every parent should contribute his quota, and he hoped sincerely they would all do so. , Mr Masters congratulated Mr Francis, the *headmaster, on the tone of the. school. If they were to take a walk through the school gardens they would see what an enthusiast Mr Francis was in agriculture, which was the hue is Gf I their progress, and should have close attention in both the primary and secondary educational systems. He had much pleasure in declaring the new portion of the school open. Mr Lees said; that a common question for discussion at debating clubs was whether the pursuit of any object gave greater pleasure than its accomplishment. "With the school improvements he was sure that possession gave , greater pleasure than pursuit. With. j the Education Department in Wellingj ton it had been found that the wheels j revolved very slowly, and to obtain | anything from the Department may I take anything from two months to | two years. In Tokaora's case it had taken just about two years. He expected that before very long even therooms they had would be too small. Increased land values must be followed by increased production, smaller holdings, and a larger population. Consequently more school accommodation would be required. He congratulated the committee on the success of their efforts, and was quite sure that they would take the same interest in the school as in the past.