TARANAKI EDUCATION BOARD.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 16590, 12 November 1919, Page 3

TARANAKI EDUCATION BOARD.

MONTHLY MEETING. The Taranaki Education Board met to-day. Those present were: Messrs. R. Masters (chairman), H. Trimble, H. J. Eaves, S. G. Smith, M.P., A. Lees, H. H. Grayling and P. J. H. White. The chairman welcomed the new member for the South AVard (Mr. Lees), whoso intimate association with school committee and other public affairs in the Okaiawa district would be of great help to the board in its administration of that area. Mr. Lees replied. ATTITUDE OP AN OFFICIAL. The hoard discussed the point whether they should treat as confidential a report from their architect concerning the views expressed by a departmental official when on an inspection of school buildings for the renewal of which the board had 1 applied. Mr. Trimble said the report should not be made confidential, as the board would get the blame for not doing the work, although it was the department’s fault. Mr. Smith said l that on going into departmental offices it could he seen from the piles of records that someone had spent the whole of his time clipping comments and criticisms from newspapers. Now that money had been voted for school buildings the department said it had to sit down and classify applications to see which were the most urgent, yet for the past two years they had known of most of these applications. Now, at tho eleventh hour, when money was available, the hoard had to suffer further delay before receiving replies to their applications because the latter had to oe classified. Mr. Smith proceeded to refer to the visit of the official reported on. In connection with the Waitara school; the speaker asked him if on his visit he went underneath the school. He had; to admit that he had not done so. The speaker contended he had no right to say he had thoroughly inspected a school and found it would stand additions when he had not thoroughly inspected it. With regard to the Courtenay Street infants’ school, the floor space per child had now been reduced, by increased attendance, to eight feet. Mr. Smith said that, as a member of the board, he was not going to consent to the proposal of the official to patch np that old/ building and attach to it a new room. Mr. White remarked that it was quite time the school committees, the boards and the public dictated the education policy. He referred to a paragraph in the report concerning the Central School which said that the official “would not give this any hearing,” as if he wore the final arbiter in everything connected with education. Tho conditions of accommodation at tho Central, Courtenay Street and West End schools hod 1 been a scandal for four years past. Mr. Thimble referred to the fact that the Ngaere residence had been described by the hoard’s architect as not worth painting and then, because this official, who was a school inspector by training, came and said it would he better to renovate the building, the board was to spend money renovating a building that was not worth it. The chairman gave a summary of the official’s attitude by saying that he contended that because one residence was a little better than the worst residence there was no need to do anything to that residence. The hoard carried resolutions deciding that the Education Department should be asked to reply to applications for grants for replacement or portion of Waitara School (application made on March 17), for a new infants’ school at Courtenay Street, for additions to the Oeo School, and for various school residences. APPOINTMENTS, LEAVE AND RESIGNATIONS.The chairman reported having made the following temporary appointments daring the interim: —Carrington, assistant, Miss N. Hayes; Hawera, assistant, Miss S. Sole; Kaimata, assistant, Miss S. Sole; Okahukura, solo teacher, Miss M. Rhynd; Manaia, assistant, Miss M. Boyde; Waiau, sole teacher, Mr. G. Graham; Douglas, assistant. Miss A. Aitken; Tikorangi, head teacher, Mrs. M. Woods; Upper Mangorei, sole teacher, Mr. V. Stanton; Hawera, assistant, Miss E. Guilford; Mangatoki, head teacher, Miss F. Hardy; Puniho, head teacher, Mrs. Dawson; Central, third assistant, Miss E. D. Leech; sole teacher, Miss E. Jupp. Leave of absence on account of illness was granted as follows:—Mr. J. B.'Maiu, assistant, Stratford (X week); Miss B. Burkhart, sole teacher, Ahititi (two weeks); Mr. E. Bary, assistant, West End (two weeks); Miss K. Tobin, sole"teacher, Marco (two weeks); Miss G. Barak, sole teacher, Turoto (one week); Mrs. M. E. Evans, mistress, Puniho (one week) . Other leave was granted as follows:—Miss H. Drader, mistress, Tahora (to visit America), Miss 0. L. Ducker, probationer, Frankley (matriculation, examination). The following resignations were accepted:—Miss E. Parli, assistant, Kaimata; Miss J. T. Graham, sole teacher, Waiau; Mr. E. Bary, assistant, West End: Mr. 0. Harford, sole teacher, Waitaanga. The board; adopted the following recommendations made by the teachers’ seteotion committee to fill the vacancies:—Stratford, 9th assistant, Miss Elsie Parrott; Hawera grade, 7th assistant, Miss Ellen A Satori; Bth assistant, Miss Clara A. Mander; applications to be called for tho 9th and 10th positions. To Kiri, assistant, Miss Elsie Farquhar; Lepperton, assistant, that fresh applications he called; Warea, assistant, Miss Annie Flemming; West End, Ist assistant, that in the event of satisfactory replies being received to the wires, the nsmes of Messrs. Earnest H. Rowntreo and 0. H. Strack he forwarded to the committee. Okahukura, sole teaches - ; Miss Charlotte E. Orr; Mangorei (Upper), solo teacher, Miss Lucy Prideaux; Waitui, solo teacher, provided a satisfactory reply is received to the wire forwarded, Mr. George Ralph he appointed; Carrington, assistant, Miss Mary Blewman; Kaimata, assistant, Miss Fitzgerald. MANUAL AND TECHNICAL MATTERS. Tho Manual and Technical Committee recommended, inter alia; Tlfat the architect be instructed to prepare plans for an assembly hall for the New Plymouth Technical School and an application he made to the department for a grant; that Messrs. Smith and White report on the necessity of hostels for boys and girls attending the New Plymouth Technical School and Messrs. Trimble and 'Masters for the Stratford Technical High School, and Messrs. Eaves and Lees for the Hawera Technical High School; that the hoard considers Mr. Gray’s appointment as headmaster of the Hawera Technical High School carries with it the supervision, (under the Director of

Manual and Technical Education)' of manual day and) night classes held at the Hawera Technical High School J that the director of the New [Plymouth Technical School he grantld permission to issue a prospectus in connection with his school, provided its oast does not exceed a sum of £SO( that the sum of £lO he donated towards the sports fund of the New IT??* mouth Technical School; that the architect be instructed to report on the director’s application for increased accommodation for a typewriting room at the New Plymouth Technical School; x that the question of the appointment of an agricultural instructor for tha Hawera Technical High School be re* ferred to Mr. Trimble to report oni that the senior inspector, in conjunct tion with the director of manual and technical education, be asked to report on the staffing of the Stratford trict High School, to the chairman of the board; that a vote of thanks be conveyed' to Mr. George Brown for hii donation of geological specimens and misorosoopo to the New Plymouth Technical School. The report was adopted. TRUANT OFFICER'S REPORT. The truant officer (Mr. G. Pasooe) ret ported that he had sent out 66 notices to parents for irregular attendance or children attending primary schools. Re* turns for the month of September had been received from all the schools. With regard to technical night classes 2$ notices had been sent to parents. ’ The attendance at Hawera and New Ply* mouth was not so good as he would like and prosecution would have to be made. In the case of a prosecution at Hawera of a parent who applied for exemption of his eon from night classes on the ground of receiving private tuU tion, the magistrate, after hearing evidence, had dismissed the case, oonsidi ering the boy was receiving suitable education as required by the Act. ARCHITECT’S REPORT. The architect to the hoard (Mr. C. H» Moore) reported on the progress of the erection of new schools at Tawhiti and Arawhata and of preparing the timber for new schools at Marakopa and Wat* rere. Additions, alterations and painting to Pihama school and residence had been completed, and painting and, repairs at the Mangatoki and Norfolk residences were being carried out. Revised plans (according to an arrangement come to at a conference between the architect and the Superintendent of Education) had been forwarded to Wellington. , . - . ... - , “I have had to hold over a lot os repair work I know to he necessary,’’ the architect stated in the course of his report. “We could do with a lot more men, and more seasoned timber, and the only solution will he to get a bigger section and go in for a planer, and run out own rusticating, flooring and lining.” SCHOOL STAFFS AND SALARIES* The secretary (Mr. P. S. Whitoombe) reported having attended a conference of secretaries of education hoards at Wellington on October 16 and 17 called for the purpose of considering the draft of the proposed staffs and salaries regulations in conection with the Education Bill before Parliament. The regulations had been drafted in a very practical maimer and showed that the Department had taken into consideration recommendations submitted by boards. They provided for a more liberal staffing of schools, higher salaries fop. teachers, and payments by the Department for sick leave and transfer or teachers. It was expected that the regulations would come into force almost at once, and in accordance with their provisions the salaries of all teachers in the service on April 1 last_ would have to be brought into line with tha new scale from that date. MISCELLANEOUS. With reference to cocoa at the schools it was decided to reply to an inquiring school committee that grants made by the board for the purpose of supplying school children with hot cocoa were primarily intended for the winter months only, and that the hoard regretted that it had no funds available to Subsidise the cost of supplying hot cocoa throughout the year. The architect reported that two counties (Clifton and Hawera) had agreed to the request of the board that its vehicles should be exempt from tolls. On the recommendation of the finance committee it was decided that further recommendations should he made to the county councils which had not granted exemption.