MINISTER IN NORTH.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18088, 12 May 1922, Page 6

MINISTER IN NORTH.

| MR. PARR AT WHANGAREL ; PROVISION OF NILW SCHOOLS j FINANCIAL LIMITATIONS... . ; [BT TEL£<i2U.l , sr.—OW>T COKItESPGNPENT.] WHANGAREI. Thursday. Tho Minister for Education, Hon. C. ! ,J. Parr, arrived in Whangarei from the j North this afternoon. Ha received a do- ' putation headed by Mr. W. Timewell, | president of the Chamber of Commerce, : who urged the need for a train service on I Wednesdays. Tho present, schedule gave ; a double train service between Whangarei ! ami the northern centres only on Tues- ! days, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Thurs- ! day was tho half-holiday, and therefore j the Thursday trains were of little use to the ! settlers, and no use to tho business people. I Wednesday trains ivould suit all parties I and connect with the river traffic, which | ra.i chieriy on Wednesdays. The Minister ! said he would personally see Mr. .Viaasey j in regard to tile matter, but aa it did j not come under his department he could j otier no opinion. Their case, however, j seemed to be a very strong one. j Mr. A. L. Curtis, chairman of the i Whangarei School Committee, represented tho urgent need tor one new scuooi and the enlargement of the present schools in Whangarei Borough. both the existing | schools were graveiy overcrowded, and the I children's health was endangered. The ! committee contemplated a rapid increase i in settlement when the railway was com - ! pleted, and already tho accommodation 1 was far below the standard required. | The Minister said he knew the circum- ] stances, and recognised something must ! be done. If the local committee would j go ahead and get £20C€ towards a new school on 5j per cent. Government deben- ! tures he would give a new school for Whangarei precedence over every other proposal. Plana should be got out at once. Mr. Curtis also asked the Minister's support for a grant of about £100 to bring the sanitary system of the schools up to tho proper standard. j Mr. F. Cutforth, former chairman of the School Committee, represented the Bar- j ough Council in supporting the School : Committee, and conveyed the unanimous j resolution of the council, drawing the j Mimster's attention to the unsatisfactory j condition of the schools and the number | of children away with sickness and iniec- j tious disease. | The Minister asked for the report of j tho health officer. Tha chairman of the committee said he •was not aware that health officers had j visited the schools _ | The Minister said he would not consider i tho matter until he had the health officer i j report. If that bore out the representa j tions made, the committee would get the j grant: if it did not, they would get j nothing. Mr. ~ Carrath, representing the high j school, asked the Minister to earmark j money for tho new high school. He-urged that the new hostel and a wing of the new school should be gone on with at once to meet the demands on the present high school. The Minister congratulated tho high governors on securing a valuable site for a new school, hostel, and playing grounds, but they were asking him to ear mark for Whangarei three-quarters of all the money he dared expect for expenditure ill tho Dominion on secondary education If they would provide the sheep he would provide the pincers to do tho earmarking, but, unfortunately, ho bad not tho shecip. and there waa no prospect that Mr. Massev would be able to provide them. He hinted that Whangarei should follow the example of Mastorton and raise its own monev He wished the deputation and the public to know that no Government in Now Zea'arid had spent mora money on education than the Ma«pev Government. He had spent over £500 000 last year on school buildings, a sum that exceeded any nrovious expenditure during four years H : s advice in rcsard to the bi<*h school wns to wait for some months and then see him atrain. He bad fi of all to -orovrrte for those in the blocks where the truvnts r.ffererl to build : f he wiwuj find the b'mber and bnVks. His rev+. dutr wns to the ovo™-rowded schools. The health of the children in these schools was at ar*A he must do something. Tti« anh«ieauentJv visited and twnected the hospital, but was unable to visit the schools.