EXTENSION SOUGHT.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 210, 6 August 1931, Page 6

EXTENSION SOUGHT.

RUSSELL STREET SCHOOL. PROTESTS AT DELAY. Protests at departmental delay in acceding to a request for additional class room accommodation were again voiced at the meeting of the Russell Street School Committee last evening. In reply to the committee’s letter urging that a grant be approved for an additional classroom, Hon. H. Atmore, Minister of Education,- replied that the senior inspector of schools for the Wanganui district would go into the question of accommodation for schools in Palmerston North, and until the latter’s report was submitted no action could be taken.

Mr W. A. Swanger, secretary of the Wanganui Education Board, wrote on similar lines. “The department is endeavouring to ascertain whether in the event of intermediate or junior high schools being established there would be vacant accommodation in tho existing primary schools. I wish to say however, that this is merely assumption on the part of the board,” stated the writer. Members expressed the opinion that the matter was being unnecessarily held up. It was stated that the Director of Education and the senior inspector had visited the school to obtain the figures with which they had already been furnished. “It seems to be a game of bluff,” commented Mr Larcomb. The headmaster (Mr F. C. Campbell) reporting in connection with the Education Board secretary’s assumption that tho establishment of a junior high school would relieve the position said that such would most certainly not be the case. J It was unanimously resolved to' write to the board pointing out the fallacy of such a contention. It was pointed out that even if forms one and two’ were removed, there would still be overcrowing among the infants In connection with the possible establishment of a junior high school Mr Campbell stated that headmasters of the city primary schools were being supplied with location maps on which to mark the localities in which their standard five and six (forms one and two) pupils were living.