OPUNAKE SCHOOL.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 February 1919, Page 3

OPUNAKE SCHOOL.

'DESTROYED BY FIRE. The public school at Opunake was totally destroyed by lire at about one o'clock on Friday morning. When the fire was discovered it was burning iiercely, and there was no hope of saving the building. Tho school furnishings, which had been removed to in adjacent shed at the time the building was taken over as a temporary hospital during the epidemic, wer« uot damaged. It is about three weeks since the temporary hospital was closed and sinca then the building has been unoccupied. There are suggestions of incendiarism in. connection with the lire, and investigations are being made. The school was built about 37 vears ago, some additions being added" in the year ISM

Owing to the uneasy feeling in tho district with regard to sending children back to school in the bunding which had been used as a temporary hospital, a meeting was held on Tuesday evening, convened by the School Committee. Major Kcenan, who was, the health officer in charge of the district during the epidemic, stated that medical opinion was to the effect that eo far as influenza and meningitis were concerned, the germs could not live for long out of the human bodj r , and therefore there could lie little" risk of infection, and the school was to hi thoroiiarhly fum.igr.tcd by the Department. Mr W. R. Wright, Chairman of the Opunako District Public Health Committee bad written. to the Education Board regarding the feeling of uneasiness in "the district over the matter, and the members of the school committee came to New Plymouth in connection with tha matter on Tuesday last, it beinj stated that sonic parents had* resolved not to send their children back tu the school.

It was decided that the interior of the school would be painted witli two co<>ts bct'oring re-opening. It should be stated that the Education Board's staff was just on the point of proceeding to Opunake to repaint the interior of the school yesterday morning, when news of the lire wa3 received.