EDUCATION BOARD.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LX, Issue 17063, 16 August 1917, Page 4

EDUCATION BOARD.

The Wanganui Education Board me, Si 8* ni«ht» n wlleii were present: (Messrs t. Piraiu (chairman), Sewell Alclntyre. Christie, Hemingway Bvv- j ant. Joblin, Collins, and Eraser. A CROFTON REQUEST. \vAntl P- ut jtio.n consisting of Messrs. W. Oldtield. T. Whai 9 and T. BarJon, representing the Croftcn School Committee, waited upon the Education Board last night and urged the erection or a central school buiidmg be%t n £ rofton and M arton Junction _ lhe Chairman (Mr. PiraniV said there had hma a proposal to build a central school as suggested, and when the matter was formerly under discussion a report by Mr Purnell, then a member of th c Board, was secured. It was fouiid impossible to get a grant irom the Government, and-the matter was held over until after the war. Mr Oldfield stressed the great need tor a new school. At present the Crofton school was overcrowded, and two classes had to be taught in the porch. lhe Chairman: Are the people propared to provide a site? The Deputationist: We have not gone into that matter.

The Chairman: That will be the first question the Minister will ask. If yon cannot answer it-, we cannot, and that will be the end of the matter. The Deputationist: We und-erstood from Mr Purnell that the Board would be prepared to buy a site. The Chairman: Have you any idea what it would cost? The Deputationist: One hundred pounds per acre.

The Chairman :• Would you, as an outsider, recommend that the Board spend £400 on a site? Tho Deputationist: Certainly I would, to get away from the present site, winch is polluted. The Chairman: Has it taken you thirty or forty years to find that out? Mr Barton said the pollution was paused by a creek. The trouble dated from about four years back. Tho Chairman: If we had had any complaint we could have taken action at once. Tho committee could not hare been watching the matter closely. Mr Barton said the children bathed in the polluted creek.

The Chairman: Yon should take steps to prevent the pollution of the creek. The Deputationist: You would have to stop the Borough Council then. The Chairman said the Board recognised three, years ago. that.a central school was necessary, but they were faced with the fact that the Government would not provide money for netv schools. They simply said, "Wait until after,the war," unless it was a case of great urgency and a school not >n existence. Tba Board had never had a case yet of being asked to buy a site, and offers were constantly being: made. The position aptveared ' pretty hopeless just now. There had be^n cases of people offering to fhrtl half the money, but the Denartment refused to givo th,e other half. The Board, however, would do its best in the niattp.r. Oie fact in tho deputation s favour was that the Senior Inspector was m favour of the proposed central school. TTJRARTNA SCHOOL. An application was received from the Turakina district for,su-hqw.school. The Chairman considered that in view of the present prohibitive cost of building material it would be better to patch the building up for a yenr ■or two. When the Board had wanted the residents to clear a site, they oojected, And if anyone was.to' blame it was the local people. It was resolved to get the forem-.ni to report on the matter. CAMPBELL STREET/ It was decided to get Mr Anscombo to draw plans for a school to accommodate seven hundred, pupils, at Campbell Street,. Pahnerston North. MISCELLANEOUS. A grant of £100 for forming a road to the Raurimu School site was notilieu.

It was decided to apply for a grant tor a school at Moturoa. It was agreed to proceed with ilie work of enlarging the Ohakea school subject to half the cost being provid-

Notification was received of the completion or arrangements} for additional ground at tho Gonvill© School, and a report on additional shelter-stad accommodation Was adopted. Provided the committee provide half th.c cost and a Government subsidy ig available, it was decided to agree to proposed alterations in the class-rooms at the Victoria Avenue School.

The Board members will inspect the Central Infants 3 school grounds, with a view to improvements. The following resignations were received : H. Stevenson, assistant, Asthurstj E. Murphy, assistant, KiwiteA; R. H. Tregurtha, sole teacher, Kohi; W. Walker, sole teacher, Table Flat.