NEW SCHOOLS

New Zealand Times, Volume L, Issue 11665, 1 November 1923, Page 5

NEW SCHOOLS

OR CONSOLIDATION MINISTER CONSIDERS CLAIMS OF SILVERSTR.EAM. DECISION DEFERRED. Tlie claims of the Silversironm district for a public school were voiced hy a lirge deputation af residents in the public hall oh . Tuesday, whom the. Hdn. C. J. Pair, Minister for Education; was present. With him was Mr W. H. Field, M.P. .for the district. Tlie Minister pibniised tb consider the claim.

The oaee for the as stated, was that at present some 59 children had to travel driily ffoiii Silverstream to the .school at Upper Hutt, but the time-table was extremely unsuitable The. children,, it frris stated, had to leave, at, 8 o’ clock fn .the liiOrning, spend 13 minutes in the train, and then wait abcut for nearly ah hour m the playgrpuiid for the school tb open. This entailed special hardship oh the pupils ih the p-nmel classes, Some • r the parents raised objections to tile children having to travel by train to and from school. As the district had Bfecome fifihly established, it was confidently jiredicted tlihi close on 100 p uni Is wotiid be available for a. hbw school.

HUTT OVERCRCWdFH

Mr Parr remarked thrit the F.ducatioh BOrird had placed the Bequest of thfe Bilv’erritifesihi district ninth On the list of urgent froths, therefore it ap-herii-ed tlirijt the board did not look on the riiritter aS being .extremely mgeot>. Moreover, the department took thfe View that .while there, was accommodation at the Upper Hutt School, rind -a railway Setvicte handy, a new School at Silverstream was not im-ihe-di'atfely necessary; although he,himself, looking ahead, had a few months ago authorised the purchase of a site at Silverstieann.

To this statement of the Minister , the deputation , made reply that the Upper Hutt School fros already overcrowded; and a hew school would ,be rfeqiiited,there; if tu t at Silverstream. Thfe, Alihistfer afterfrrirds visited Upper Hutt, .and concluded that Silver r shream had leached a stage when its ctriim for an independent school would have tfe Be considered. SUBURBS’ OHAIMS VALID.

With reference to ,a Suggestion thria to build a .fechool at- Silverstream would be, Oppfesed to tlie pdljey pf eonferip .dating country sfchpete, Air Parr pfeintfed out tliat what lie .was aiming at in the mattfer of cOnsoliditing schools w.is to clofee the kßitaU one-teacher Schools ih thfe country rihd ’tranfejibft the pupil* By thotor to wfelLeiihippfed central sbhooife Thfe growihg kuhurbs of the' cities must eventually be provided frith sehoOls of their own, notwithstanding Hi’o fafct that a rriilfraj- liiiglit Coritifectthfe different districts. “As i Siiburh grOfrij;” Hie Minister pfeintfed oht to a “Times” reporter, "rihd thterfe are ITO dr 200 children available for a school; the district is naturally ambitious to have its own Bohool. eipfeciriliy. if tliero it rin extremely inconvenient railway service, rind t-iie aniibitiott should he satisfied where .thp condition of the public finan ces permits of this being done. MOTOR TRANSPORT.

“I am now awaiting an expression of opinion from the Auckland, Educatfoh .Board as to which of two districts, Pfojiio -Sr CtOTohrihga, thouid. be selefetfed for the first consolidated echopl in Ahckland. Ih either crise it will mean that seven or eight one-room schools will be .drifted, and the children brought by motor transport t'o a freil - staffed central school, to which there frill also be attriolied a. district high school affording tlie opportunity of secondary education.” ..At-* iargelj'-rittencied. mefetihg of, the Wellington Masters’ Association, the following resolution, fras carried unanimously:—“That tha Alihistfer for Education lie cengi'atulrited, oil his consolidrited.. .countrV-Sehodl . mfevemeiit which will be a decided advrihtage and ber.pfit to scholars, pam its, and teachers.”