RENEWING OLD SCHOOLS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18813, 13 September 1924, Page 12

RENEWING OLD SCHOOLS

POLICY OF DEPARTMENT.

INCREASE IN MONEY SPENT.

PROVIDING TEACHERS* HOUSES.

[BY TELEGEAI>H.--JWECUr. BEFOHTEB.] WELLINGTON. Fridar.

School buildings and teachers' residences were the subject of some suggestions in the debate on the Estimates in tho House of Representatives this afternoon. The Hon. A. T. Ngata (Eastern Maori) led off with an appeal for tho allocation of more money for the maintenance of native schools, some of which, he said, wore old and in bad order, while the teachers' hcuses were often in much the same state. The Hon. D. Buddo (Kaiapoi) remarked that there seemed to be a feeling that old school must be worn out before anything material was done to improve them. Many of those built 40 years or so ago had floors much too near tho ground, and were damp and unhealthy. The Minister for Education, Hon. C. J. Parr, replying, said that the maintenance of native schools was not directly under his department, which, however, was consulted about it. Tho trouble was that these schools were often in places so remote that it was difficult to get anyone to tender for repairs. He knew three oneroom schools, each with a teacher's house, which lately had required painting. In each instance the lowest tender was over £100. Regarding Mr. Buddo's suggestion that only worn-out buildings were replaced, tho Minister said that it was too general to be accurate. Tho department was overtaking arrears in the construction of schools as might bo seen from the vote, which was £400,000 a year now, as compared with £100,000 in 1913. However, ho almost feared that in tho next eight or ten years a large sum would have to bo voted for replacing old buildings. As it was, everything possible was done to remodel such buildings and make them fit for, say, another 15 years, provided the timber was sound. Later, Sir George Hunter (Waipawa) expressed the opinion that better accommodation should be provided for school teachers in the outlying districts. Tho Minister reminded members that the building of teachers' residences was nothing more than a venture, because a variety of circumstances might occur when the building would become useless or unoccupied. At present thero were something like 120 teachers' residences (Still unoccupied, representing about £1000 each, or something like a total of £100,000. Tho department was doing its best to meet tho urgent cases, but recognised that any such building should be erected only in a district that was becoming settled. He hoped to give grants for 24 of such buildings this year.