CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18551, 8 November 1923, Page 11

CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL.

• BOARD RECOMMENDS PIOPIO. EXPERIMENT IN" DOMINION. CONVEYANCE BY MOTOR-VAN. The little township of Piopio, in the King Country, has been selected by the Auckland Education Board as the most favourable site for the erection of New Zealand's first consolidated school. The principle of the consolidated school was approved some time ago by the Minister for Education, and the board was requested to furnish a report as to the best site. Mr. T. U. Wells, who acquainted himself thoroughly with the working of the consolidated schools system during a recent visit to the United States, and Mr. D. W. Dunlop, advisory inspector, were accordingly requested to look carefully into the respective claims of Piopio and Otorohanga. both of which districts were considered favourable localities for the trying-out of the new system. In a report presented to the board yesterday, both centres were stated to have such strong claims that great difficulty had been experienced in coming to a decision. Piopio had been selected in view of the fact that it was remote from the railways, and consequently cut off from many of the facilities available to the people of Otorohanga. Further, the schools to be consolidated at Piopio were all sole charge schools, and consequently handicapped by the difficulty of securing efficient teachers.

When the scheme was first considered, it was thought the purchase of motor vehicles, wages, and erection of a garage would make the cost of conveyance very high, but proposals had been put forward by which the expense' would be greatly lessened. If Piopio were selected, it would be necessary for the department to provide motor-vans for conveying the children to school from the outlying districts, but arrangements could be made for the garaging and maintenance of the same. A suggestion contained in a memorandum from the Minister that contributions toward the establishment of the school might be made from the board's rebuilding fund, and from residents of the district, was not favoured by members of the board, who stated that the establishment of the consolidated school was a matter of national, and not local, policy, and the Government should find the money. The strong claims put forth by Otorohanga for the establishment of a consolidated school prompted Mr. J. Boddie to suggest that the Minister be asked to try out the system in both centres, but this proposal" was not favoured by the board. Members expressed the opinion that if the scheme proved a success at Piopio, it would soon be adopted elsewhere, but if the , board asked for two schools for a start, it would probably get neither. The report "of Messrs. Dunlop and Wells was approved by the board, and their recommendations will be sent to the department with a request that steps be taken to put them into effect. A recommendation that the question of the establishment of a District High School at Otorohanga be referred to the senior inspector for favourable consideration, was also approved.