TWO SCHOOLS FAVOURED

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 222, 20 August 1931, Page 6

TWO SCHOOLS FAVOURED

decapitation of centra, building. TAKARO PETITION SUPPORT) T. The attitude of the Wanganui )•>; cation Board concerning the quest of new schbol accommodation m i> merston North and the decision of r . Education Department to remove t top storey of the Central School bim ing were indicated at the mom:, meeting of the board yesterday, wi. ; it was considered that, rather tin. erect new classrooms on the Cent! School property, it was preferable , build a new school on the Cuba Str<. or another location in the Ink.: . area. , . Telegraphic advice was receiv-d from the Minister of Education. Hon H. Atmore, that a decision had birr made to decapitate the Central School and provide additional classrooms in wood. . f* “It is my opinion that if the building is decapitated it would be hetier to erect two new wooden schools in ” Palmerston,” said the chairman of tD. board (Mr W. A. Collins), in reporting that he had communicated that view & to the Minister S>. Mr J. K. Hornblow said he under- p stood that the Minister had definite m plans for the decapitation of the building, but had made no provision for ai- fji ditional accommodation.

QUESTION OF SITE. “Yes, he has,” observed the chairman, “but the provision is made mr accommodation on the same site. I think it should be on another one.” The Minister’s telegram was re- |i ceived and the matter was dealt with | further, following receipt of an appii- | cation from parents tor a school at i Takaro. This was supplied by a pen- § tion disclosing that -tnere were ouii | children of sciiool age in the district s affected. Of these 289 attended the J Central School, 11 West End and six the Convent. There were 156 under school age. “The time is ready for something to be done to get a new school there,” said the chairman, speaking in support of the application. “Nothing has been done because there has been sufficient accommodation at the Central School. As that building is being decapitated the time is opportune to get this school at Takaro. 1 think the chief inspector will back us up in that.” “I quite agree that there should be a new school altogether,” said tho chief inspector, Mr \V. Blackie. Mr M. H. Oram moved that tlw action of the chairman in writing the Minister urging the erection of a school at Takaro be endorsed, and this motion was carried.

It was said by Mr Oram that although the Cuba Street site was mentioned the parents had been given to > understand that the building might be jg erected at some other suitable point. That site was only referred to because it was held by the board as a a reserve. The district referred to was H thickly populated and there was no 9 school between Central and West Enu. 3 MEETING WITH PARENTS.

Mr W. R. Woodroffe moved that the chairman and the secretary meet the parents who had signed, the petition to come to some finality on the site question.

The chief inspector said that in determining the site attention' had to be paid to the future. The site referred to in the petition was adjacent to the business area and it was desirable to get children away from the commercial centre as much as possible. In addition, if the school were put where it was , suggested it would be near West End. It would be better to find a site somewhere else.

Mr Blackie pointed out that while the erection of new buildings in wood < might effect a saving in cost, it would ’ not do so when it came to a matter of ~ staffing. In that connection the inclu- j: sion of accommodation on the one site E was the more economical, although his I: personal view was that that meant too big a subject. The motion instructing the chairman and the secretary to interview Takaro parents was carried, and the chief inspector is to submit a report to next meeting. The chairman reported having authorised certain metalling and sanitary arrangements in respect to the j Central School Temporary accommoda- 1 tion He advised that he had visited 1 Palmerston North at the instruction of the board and had-taken the committee responsible to task for not applying for remedies in the proper manner, direct to the board instead of through the Press. If the people concerned had made application direct instead of calling the public meeting, he said, the matter would have been fixed up quite simply. Mr E. F. Hemingway characterised the action taken by the committee as reflection on the two Palmerston North members of the Board. The chairman’s action was endorsed. RUSSELL STREET NEEDS.

Vigorous protests were made in a letter received from the Russell Street School Committee concerning the shelving of their application for additional accommodation. It was realised, the letter stated, that the board could not supply what was wanted, but it was thought that the department should be made fully aware of the imperative need for action. The excuse that the matter was in abeyance because of the junior high school scheme was being finalised, and referred to as “departmental camouflage.” “I don’t think it is camouflage at all. The department is considering this scheme and nothing will be done until it is decided one way or the other,” said the chairman. Mr Oram : Won’t accommodation at Russell Street be wanted in any case ? Mr Blackie: I don’t know that it will. The new scheme will mean the transfer of the whole of standards five and six.

A motion by Mr Oram that the department be asked for an early decision was carried.