MORE SCHOOLS WANTED

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 15055, 26 July 1912, Page 5

MORE SCHOOLS WANTED

THE NEEDS OF BIRKENHEAD.

At the meeting of the Birkenhead Borough Council lat evening, Mr. J. W. Court reported on behalf of the deputation which waited upon the Education Board on Wednesday, and stated that the deputation had received a favourable hearing from the Board, and was hopeful of success. He suggested that the Council .should receive the members of tho Board when they visited the district on August. I. in order to impress upon them the possibilities of the district. He thought he was safe in saying that there was almost a unanimous desire to have a school in Birkenhead. The Mayor (Mr. Wm. Wallace) contended . that the time had arrived when the Board should secure the site for the school. Some time ago the Board's attention was drawn to the desirability of securing the Highbury Estate for a site for the proposed Birkenhead school. That property, which was the most suitable site in the district, was then offered for £1750, and they all knew that the present day valuation was very greatly in excess of that sum. The Northcote district was in exactly a similar position to Birkenhead in regard" to the school, and the Mayor of Northcote was taking action, and he (Mr. Wallace) believed that the Northcote people would not now stop until their efforts had brought about the end desired. If the Board dilly-dallied in the matter, it would have to pay a great deal for a tite eventually. He anticipated a very thickly populated area in the centre of the borough in the near future and also mentioned that tho Foresters' Hall was available during the daytime for a school if the Board wished to utilise this means of providing an infant school. The Mayor suggested that all concerned should now join forces and work unitedly towards securing a school for Birkenhead. He quoted instances where better results had been obtained in small schools, the teacher being able to give more direct supervision in some cases.

Mr. Reg. Shepherd pointed out that there were very few failures in the Birkdale schools.

On the motion of Messrs. Campbell and Church, a committee, consisting of the Mayor (Mr. Wm. Messrs! J. Maginness, J. W. Court, C. E. Campbell, F. M. King, and Jas. P.. McPhail, was appointed to meet the Board members on their visit of inspection to the district on August 14.