THE OPAKU RESERVE FUND

Taranaki Daily News, 21 August 1930, Page 13

THE OPAKU RESERVE FUND

TARANAKI BOARD PROTESTS.

UNITED PROVINCIAL ACTION.

“Thai the Taranaki Education Board views wjth alarm and indignation the recommendation in the education committee’s report to Parliament that the revenue from the Opaku reserve which, was, in 1995, set apart by Parliament ‘to -provide scholarships for the higher education of deserving scholars in Taranaki province’ should be resumed as a national endowment for the benefit of the university of Northern' New Zealand. The board regards this proposal as a. broach of faith and strongly protests against its adoption.” Such waft tho text of a resolution unanimously passed at the. meeting of the Taranaki Education Board yesterday. The acting chairman (Mr. J. A. Valentine) in moving the motion stated that the whole .of Taranaki was concerned. There was a very grave danger of losing the benefits at present derived from,the fund, such as they were, ■whereas these could easily have been expend- ■ ed. The whole province must show a united front over the matter and he was moving so that a lead might be

given. In seconding the motion " Mr. A. Lees said that it was quite definite that unless some united action was taken by the whole of Taranaki the district was going to 7 lose for ever the revenue that had been set aside for the provision of higher education- in Taranaki.. He ex- | pressed surprise that the recess committee when visiting the district to take evidence had not mentioned the matter of the Opaku Reserve. Its proper course would have been to have inquired at the Education Board' office as the headquarters of education in Taranaki. He did not think it was fair that it should have made its report without affording an opportunity for Taranaki people to say something in the matter, and it was quite evident that Taranaki " must get to work and take some decided action to prevent the report from being carried out. He knew the feelings of the chairman of the board that it was their duty to see that the reserve was kept for Taranaki, and he would have the backing of tho whole board."

Mr. 11. Dempsey said that he wished to compliment the acting chairman on the concise, fair and just way in which he had placed the position in the pain-, phlet he had prepared. Mr. W. 11. Jones held that the. board must go further than the resolution. It must educate public opinion on the matter.

Mr. Instill did not know where the recess committee had secured its information regarding the reserve. The acting chairman said that when the reserve was set aside for Taranaki the legislators had in mind the establishment of a colonial university which should be on the lines of the universities they knew; such as Oxford, Cambridge and Durham. Those were teaching as well as examining bodies but the University of New Zealand was only an examining body and had no need, therefore, of the funds. That was an ini- ' portant point. Mr. Lees said tho accumulation of

funds was made an important point but it was not the fault of the Taranaki educational authorities that the money was not used. Regulations put in by tho authorities in Wellington prevented many deserving pupils from securing the benefits of the reserve. Mr. Jones did not see that Taranaki should sit down and take a ‘back-hand*, cr” of that sort. They must be educat- , ed regarding the true position so that they could speak with a united voice.' Mr. Lees said there was a possibility that the report might not be-brought in this session. If it did they must get busy at once. ’ On tho motion of the chairman and Mr. Jones it was resolved to forward a copy of the resolution to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Education, to every member of Parliament, to every local body and to each High School Board and school committee in Taranaki, and with it a copy of the board’s pamphlet on the subject to the editor of each of the newspapers in the larger towns and cities of New Zealand, that ~ every local body in Taranaki should be asked, to endorse the resolution and send a. copy to the Prime Minister and the .Minister of Education.

On the motion of Messrs. Lees and Jones it was resolved that tho chairman be empowered to convene a conference of all concerned- and in all parts of the province, provided he deemed it necessary to deal with the matter.