PARNELL SCHOOL SITE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18017, 16 February 1922, Page 9

PARNELL SCHOOL SITE.

ST. STEPHEN'S AREA SOUGHT.

BOARD TO REVIEW REQUEST.

The matter of securing the St. Stephen's Maori school area as a site for the Parnell Primary school was again considered by the Auckland Education Board yesterday, wlier a letter was received from the Diocesan Trust Board to the effect that it could rot depart from its previous decision to hold the site for the purposes of the trust, The board decided to renew tho application, and the Finance Committee was instructed in the meantime to endeavour to find a suitable sito elsewhere in the district. Mr. H. S. W. King suggested that the trust be asked in what circumstances it would receive white children into the school. Could the trust refuse them admission? he asked. If these children were admitted would the department then recognise that they were attending a public school ? i Mr. J. D. McKenzie: When the Education Act came into force we should have assumed the trust, and I still think we should do this. The Secretary: As I understand it, there is no provision for free tuition there. It would really be an act of grace for the trust to take the children, and it would „pply only to indigent children. Mr. A. Burns asked if there was not some other Bite the board could Focure? They had no wish t 0 force their children into the trust's school. The conditions at • Parnell were almost a scandal. Mr. McKenzie stated that there were about 800 children attending the Parnell school, and they had only an acre of land to play on, whereas St. Stephen's had three acres for about 30 or 40 Maori boys. It would only be by Act of Parliament that they would be able to get justice for the school children of this district The chairman, Mr. E. C. Banks, said the bovs at St. Stephen's would be better off out in the country, like the boys at King's College. , Mr G. W. Murrav stated that there was a good deal of sympathy for the contention that what was given to the Maoris should not be taken from them. J 1 could I not, however, be suggested that tne board's intention was to take the place : awav from them in the strict sense of the term. The Government had offered to e;ve tho trust an opportunity of getting rid of Und on particularly advantageous King: I want the public to know that they have had offered to them a site of equal value. ~ , . Mr. Burns: Douhl© the VSIU6. After further discussion the decision mentioned above was arrived at.