EDUCATION IN TARANAKI

Taranaki Daily News, 19 January 1933, Page 12

EDUCATION IN TARANAKI

MOVEMENTS OF TEACHERS VARIOUS REPORTS DISCUSSED. MONTHLY MEETING OF THE BOARD. The monthly meeting of the Taranaki Education Board was held at New Plymouth yesterday, when there were present Messrs. S. G. Smith, M.P. (chairman), J. C. Barclay, W. H. Jones, J. McAllister, J. A. Valentine and W. H. Dempsey and Dr. H. M. Thomson. The teachers’ selection committee recommended that the following apponitments be confirmed: Mr. G. Ryan, sole teacher, Kiritehere; W. A. Fryer-Raisher, head teacher, Ratapiko; Miss Marjorie Armstrong, assistant, Kaimiro; Miss Louie M. Fisher, assistant, Ongarue. The Waitara school committee will be informed that consideration of its letter must be deferred until the attendances of all the larger schools are known. The matter of making any necessary appointments will be left in the hands of the deputy-chairman (Mr. Valentine) and Mr. Dempsey. Mr. Valentine stated that the Waitara committee had asked that an additional assistant should be appointed as from the date of the school opening. In view of the uncertainty as to the roll numbers the board was unable to do that but the committee • had decided to ask all headmasters of the larger schools to forward to the board after the second Friday of the school year their roll numbers and their proposed organisation for the year. The question of appointing additional assistants to relieve large classes would be considered then.

After consultation with the actingsenior inspector the following appointments will be given effect to: Inglewood, head teacher, Mr. Robert Brown; Raekohua, head teacher', Mr. Albert C. Nicol; Tawhiti, head teacher, Mr. Noi-man H. Murray; Ihaia, sole teacher, Mr. Arch. J. Heibner; Puniwhakau, sole teacher, Mr. Kenneth Potter; Moeroa, sole teacher, Miss Joan Y. Tonks; Omoana, sole teacher, Miss Joyce Higgins; Pukeho, sole teacher, Miss Miss Doris E. Callaghan; Eltham, assistant-mistress, Miss Florence M. Fraser; Fitzroy, assistant-mistress, Miss Dorothy Walker; Manaia, assistants mistress, Miss Mollie V. Chilcott; Mokau, asgistant-mistress, Miss Irene McCrae; Pembroke, assistant-mistress, Miss Leith Sheppard; Ohura, infant mistress, Miss Janet H. Wilkie; Central, assistant master, Mr. Gordon J. Caiman; Manaia secondary, assistant, Miss ’Evelyn M. Miller. Mr. Dudley Gower will be appointed relieving head teacher at Heao for the first term of 1933. Resignations were accepted as follows Messrs. A. E. Stone (head teacher, Tawhiti), J. Jolley (head teacher, Pihama), M. Lee (sole teacher, Ihaia), C. Morton (sole teacher, Heao), H. D. Dobbie (sole teacher, Waitewhena) and R. C. Adlam (assistant teacher, Central), Miss M. Gorrie (assistant teacher, Central), all from January 31, 1933; Mrs. E. Deighton (sole . teacher, Tarurutangi), Mrs. A. E. Winthrop (head teacher, Ratapiko), Mrs. I. Larkin (assistant teacher, Central), Miss J. M. Smith (head teacher, Oakura), from December 31, 1932. Leaves of absence were granted Mr. M. Lee (sole teacher, Ihaia), Mr. A. J. Carroll (head teacher, Mahoe), Miss E. M. Kennedy (sole teacher, Whareroa), Mr, A. Lawn (assistant, Hawera). ARCHITECT’S REPORT. Mr. C. H. Moore (the board’s architect) reported as follows: That good progress was being made with the Fitzroy. new latrines. Hie whole of the drainage would be completed within a few days. Until the borough drainage system was completed the school would have to carry on with the present septic tank system, which could not be dismantled meanwhile. The new roof on the main building at Stratford was nearly finished and during the next fortnight they would concentrate on the remodelling of the main convenience. The sloping floors in three classrooms at Hawera had been levelled. Repair work had been done at Okaiawa, Koru, Lepperton, Radnor, Opua, Courtenay Street and Dudley. Tanks had been replaced at Upper Mangorei and Pihama. .The proposal to hand over the portable room at Tokihima to the Wanganui district at Tawata had been finalised and the building should be on the new site ready when schools opened again. Mr. Moore proposed to send a gang of men to the Ohura district next week. Altogether there would be three months’ work in that area.

The finance and building committee recommended that the secretary’s action in arranging for the removal of blackberry in. the school hedge at Inglewood be confirmed; that a grant of £5 be made to the Mahoenui school committee towards the repair of fences; that, providing the committee found the labour, the board supply material costing £2 9s for repairing fences at Mangamingi; that the Te Roti school teacher be paid £2 towards the cost of papering the residence; that the board drew the attention of the department to the fact that experience of running cars in this district indicates that it is not possible for cars to be run at the rates quoted in the department’s circular; That £2OO be transferred from the general fund for the purposes of purchasing chalk and handwork material and adding to the school and class libraries fund for the purpose of purchasing supplementary readers; that the question of making a recommendation to the department regarding the acceptance of the following conveyance contracts be referred to the deputy-chairman and Mr. Jones with power to act: Tawhiwhi to Tututawa, Upper Okoke to Okoke, Kent Road to Lower Mangorei, Ngariki Road to Rahotu, Te Wera to Huiakama. MANUAL AND TECHNICAL. The manual and technical committee recommended that the Compiling of and issuing of a rural science handbook detailing the policy and scope of work in Taranaki be referred to the board; that fees of 9d per term be required of manual pupils for 1933 as for 1932, allowances for cases of hardship being made as usual, that the following contracts for conveyance be accepted: Tikorangi, W. M. St. George; Bell Block, New Plymouth Borough; Hurford, Omata, G. H. Duke; Kaimata, Miss E. Burkhart; Pihama, J. Williamson; Kaponga, A. B. George; Mangatoki, Finnerty, W. Gower; Auroa, E. F. Sandford; Otakeho, Kapuni, A. B. George; Okaiawa, D. Blair; Normanby, Egmont Motors; that cleaning of centres by paid cleaners be reinstituted, where possible the remuneration to be at the old rates, less approximately 20 per cent, that the supervisor be authorised to spend up to £35 in cooking replacements and to £l2 on woodwork equipment; that the Te Roti school committee be informed that the department refused to institute any new conveyance. The manual Supervisor (Mr. D. Mackay) reported that the centres closed on December 9 and for the following week the instructional staff was engaged in stocktaking, accounting, completion o registers add. in preparation of requisition lists for next year. In the woodwork section instructors also gave attention to grinding and setting of tools, while the kitchen equipment was put m order by the instructresses. Notwithstanding, the difficulty of nn-

ancing manual work, the year’s activities terminated very satisfactorily within the financial bounds placed on them and with efficiency unimpaired. A survey of the year’s work showed it to be well up to the standard of former years. With very few exceptions all pupils completed the year’s work and a fair number had made extra models. There would be necessary some replacements owing to normal wear and tear but that was relatively small and the equipment would be sufficient for efficient working for next year. Only a few minor repairs to manual buildings were accessary. With one or two minor exceptions conveyance functioned excellently. A larger vehicle was obtained in the Pihama service and the Mahoe-Cardiffi-Pembroke service required adustment; the ques-, tion of the Transport Board requirements for one or two non-competitive services was still under consideration by the departments concerned. In a year fraught with uncertainty and with not a little anxiety, the instructional staff had given the board good serr vice and had shouldered added responsibility in the matter of economy very helpfully indeed. HEALTH IN THE SCHOOLS. Dr. E. G. B. McLaghan, school medical officer, relieving officer in Taranaki during the absence of Dr. R. J. R. Mecredy, reported that she had examined the following eighteen schools: Tuna and another near Stratford, Vogeltown and Welboume (New Plymouth), Mahirikau, Matiere, Turoto, Nihoniho, Waikaka, Otangawai, Tahi, Heao, Mangatupoto, Ohura, Ongarue, Te Whakarae, Aukopae and Tokirima. Dr. McLaghan said that she was fortunate in having the assistance of Sister Corkill. The number of children completely examined was 576. In all 259 notices were sent to parents and the parents of 21 children were personally interviewed. The buildings, offices, grounds and conditions were satisfactory. The general health of the children was good. Obstructed breathing, enlarged tonsils or enlarged glands of any moment were interestingly scarce. There was very little contagious skin disease. She was surprised at the rarity of scabies and she thought that the Native nurse at Taumarunui must be very active. There was unfortunately no dental clinic at Ohura.

A settler in the Tokirima district wrote complaining of the growth of the ragwort hi the school horse paddock. It was decided to draw the attention of the committee to the matter.

A letter was received from the Minister of Education (the Hon. R. Masters) stating that he had received notification from Mr. J. W. Richards through Mr. H. G. Dickie, M.P., protesting against the proposed action of the Education Board in closing the Moeroa school as it was considered that the children were too young to be taught by correspondence. The secretary (Mr. H. W. Insull) said he had replied explaining that it was not intended to close the Moeroa school, but that it was intended to run it as a full time school, Moeroa previously having been run as a half-time school with Omoana.

In connection with the proposed establishment of a school on Upper Oxford Road, the secretary said application had been made to the department for authority to erect a moveable school there, but so far no reply had been received.