WEST END SCHOOL SITE.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 August 1919, Page 5

WEST END SCHOOL SITE.

COUNCIL RESENTS ATTITUDE Oat! EDUCATION BOARD. 7 i At laet night's meeting of the UJ Plymouth Borough Council, the Mejft referred to tho report o( a deputMkj from the West End huhool Committee { the Taranaki Education Board, on tl matter of the new site desired for school, and took strong exception to A attitude of the Board on the qoMttajj Mr. Burgess said that at the time U proposed exelu ngo of propertiea wae, \f font tho Council he hod voted in-,£|M of it, against his convictions, but K# $| now determined to vote in future fIfMH i giving away any of the borougfc ,sf| serves for any other purpose than tijtlfl for which they were get aiide. '■ 'Am | could not understand the reference* T| | "underhand work" in the matter, or M suggestion that the Council wu actiu j selfishly, and placing obstacle! In t« way of the interests of the children jj| the district. After expressing "in tfjl approval .of some of the statement* gaJnf by members of the Board, and tha'ifH deavours to place the reßponsibUitr.fjf the failure of the negotiation! oft '&• shoulders of the Council, Mr. BUMM said the policy of getting load teiuTll give away their reserves for elttft lei school buildings was a wrong one. ?M responsibility for the education, of* thf children was on the Education ment, who should buy the land cnrm up the schools required for that ; p«r| pose. If the West End School WMj| the condition it was stated to be, fbil the Board should tackle the matter, iSI not rest until the Departmen f.imm both the site and the school ■ss& present policy, if pursued, would ftftg| in the Department eventually iShjM that if a local bpdy would not gjft/w site that was desired for the puSofft? then there would be no school. SoMui' fts Education Boards took the laadlcl the local bodies for schools, the £ep*ff& ment would let them do it. He thofghjb the Boards were showing weakness hVnol fighting tie thing out with the J&! purtment. ■ >!

Cr. Collin said the suggestion tfl*t'4h«;l Council had alienated a portion af.&d original Western Park Reserve ifar'tjt?! purposes of a bowlhg gTeeiTWM WlAtf in any caee the part used for a bowjjjnft green was being used for recreation Mr 4 poses, for which the park was int*ns|d,' He pointed out, however, that the dfibf; hold the Jand only during the pleMun f off;| the Council, who could resume It* 00-"a pupation at any time. He aXjo refttrmlj to what had been'said with report <fli?| other sites available and tjkafc'J as there were sites in the netghbonrforiNi wliieh were, or would be at an early wfM available, the Council had nothing ttfn to do in the matter but to let the BetrcV.f or the Department go and buy a site. &tffl stated that he knew of a site right op-M nosite the ono that was wanted, wtl&rll had been for sale, and the owner ha*| hurl strueted his agents that if. any Wttjsi tures were made regarding it for tfaf fUT«I| poses of education they could offer « *{.|§ 10 per cent, below the Goverom(*t'is| valuation, Nothing was done, and the section had been since ca* Mp'Jj quarter-acre blocks, and he believed, : 'm&M Cr. Clarke said from the beginnin#-Tm',s had been in favor of the change and was still so, but he did Awll bel'eve in seeing the Counoil blamed, fnfTO what it was not responsible for.' Hi;J thought the Council need hav* no nm&& so far as its action in the matter wneerned. The fact uf the matter was '"] ;hat the Government was shuffling out 'J )f its duty, and the Education Board .:< fforo assisting it, and blaming tig'J Council for not doing its duty. =J y Cr. Rill remarked that he believed &»>'>■ Joard had never asked the Goronugtinit o purchase a site for a new school it ' Pest End. ~. , £'

Cr. Short said that while he did Wt ~ agree with the attitude of the JS&uov,<3 tion Board, and while it wu very May '« to get indignant over the matter, tin jS I fact must not bo lost sight of tbas all J • the time the children were suffering. H« Jf -had understood all along that there WW '• no other site available. If there ma, p then the Board should endeavour to buy '■} one. It not, then he was still in faror • : of giving the area asked for. It «u well known that the children were »uf> '•!; ferinjF on account of the unsnitability of .fejfj llio ground* and the overcrowded oaMi- 'w tion of the school, and the sooner tkey Jj were shifted out of the place the baiter., H Personally lie would liko to see tfcaja 'M provided with a new school on the Tukftpa reserve. In his opinion tfcj !% ehildren should be considered befor»,*nyr J other interests. After all, if the Wafta>3l End people were in favor of tlw) te,* •['■ change, they were the ratepayers, ajiAJ&e ,'rJ ,did not think the ratepayers other,','! parts of the Borough were afaeh «on- -1: * corned about the reserve. - ; Mr. Burgess whose business if 'JS was to look after the ehildren's and he answered hi« own query. Ow* *» tinuing, he said that when the negothV '•!■] tions for the exchenge fell through the! ,'j Education Board had •not corae with My <■' 'V other proposition to the council. In fitcV FJ they had never offered any solid property [ ' * in exchange for flie site they wanted, ij Mr. Burgess then further referred to % some remarks by the chairman of the-" *9t board on the occasion of the deputation, $ t nrA said that if the Wet End school ".''" was in the condition stated and th«-,,i« board was powerless in the matter of' "*{i acquiring another site, then they should. "■! resign as a protest, und tho We«t Bnd< '*■& committee should do the hame, and re- * Jj fuse to carry on the work of tho IMtatt*' 'S| meut under such circumstanws. H» waj ,'!!s surprised that Mr. jlaslei.i could say ß '; 'M that the conditions at West End were * '™ a disgrace to any Kducatiou Department, > and still bo prepared to continue (x> do the work of the Department if the board "' was powerless. "Apparently the board want that site, and wou't take any other," said the Mayor. "And won't pay for it!" interjected ', Cr. Hayden.

Continuing, Mr. Burgess said Jni- pi\* ! - tested against the remark that the ooun- ' - ■, cil, by its attitude, was keeping the , clrildreu of the West End cooped up as they were under present conditions. The . fault was with .the Government, and if '-'i things were as bad a* they were„pic- -\f tmed, then the Government should buibi >' a new school and provide the site [ it. He determined that if the ooun- 'y .'A I eil parted with any of its reserves it'. ■ -It should receive value for it. ' .'-,""■■.'* During the discussion the town elort ' '\\ drew attention to the action taken re- % cently by the public o! Palmeraton '! North in regard to insanitary school 3 buildings, where a public meeting had de- '■. manded that ithe Government should :fll remedy the matter and resolved that, '\ failing action being taken, the commit- ' v j tee Ira urged to close a certain school ? immediately, and assured the committeo '< of its unanimous support in th« event ;" of such a course being necessary. \* Several councillors replied: The propel waytodol