“ OVERCROWDING.”

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17569, 20 June 1925, Page 8

“ OVERCROWDING.”

PHILUPSTOWN SCHOOL. DEPUTATION TO MINISTER. Complaints concerning class-room congestion and lack of playing space* at the Phillipstown School were macks this morning by a deputation from the school committee to thc Minister of Education (Sir James Parr). The deputation consisted of Messrs J. Taylor. J. Prosper and B. Crank* burst, and was introduced by Mr D. G. Sullivan, M.P. Mr Sullivan said that the committee wished to lay before the Minister complaints concerning overcrowding in class rooms and the lack of playground space. Yesterday, for example, there were 10* infants crowded into a room 2211 by 241 t. Tho children were as thick as letters on a printed newspaper page, and it was quite impossible to expect them to work when they were jostled together like that, inhalin'* bad air. ihe Minister: Why not go to the Education Board? It's their duty to place a matter like this before" the Minister of Education. Mr Prosper: it has been before the Board. Mr Sullivan; Jt is said the matter has been before the board; if it has not been attended to, thc school con. mittec has a duty to its children t.i advance the matter further. Conditions at Phillipstown appeared worse when compared with the model school. In it there were only 30 children in one room as against 107. Continuing, Mr Sullivan said that the playground space was inadequate because the school roll had increased from 790 to 872. Tho Minister; That is too many, but what about thc other schools the children could go to? Christchurch East is half empty. M'r Taylor, chairman of tho school committee, said that the area of ground at the school was five square The Minister:* Mliat about the half acre we gave to the model school 9 That means you have got throe acres of land. Mr Taylor suggested that the manual school at Phillipstown school should be taken -away, and the building handed to tho school as a class-room. Failing that, two portable rooms might serveThe Minister: My secretary has communicatee} with the secretary of the Education Board as be says he kuowj nothing about this complaint of vours. The Minister, in reply, said lie had heard nothing about the. matter and i . was the duty of the department to bring before tbo Minister without delay -any cases of over-crowding. It wa> his policy to remedy over-crowding. If in tho machinery of local govern men i there was delay, he was not to blame for it. Tie found it difficult to believe that a school could not be better managed than to have 107 children ip one class room. However, ho would call on the department to make, inquiries. He would not pledge liimse’f on the question of more playground, and lie was afraid that tho school could not expect any more. BOARD'S STATEMENT. When the matter was submitted to the secretary of the Education Board this morning ho said that no recent ecmolaint concerning* accommodation a L - Phillipstown had been placed before \ thc board.