The Daily Telegraph. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE WAIHI MINER TUESDAY FEBRUARY 9, 1909 SCHOOL ACCOMMODATION.

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume VIII, Issue 2472, 9 February 1909, Page 2

The Daily Telegraph. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE WAIHI MINER

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 9, 1909 SCHOOL ACCOMMODATION.

Horo dull tilt* Press tho Peuiilo's Right maintain Unawccl by iiiQuenrc unO unbrilnl l.y gain, Hero l'nlriot Truth her glorious precepts draw. Pieced to Religion, Liberty nnd Liw.

The school accommodation difficulty in Waihi, is we understand, likely to be represented to the Minister for Education or Premier at an early date, owing to the unreasonable stand taken up by the Auckland Board of Education in the matter. Yesterday morning a phase of the quostion cropped up which demonstrates the fact that an acute stage had been reached. Some thirty children, accompanied in some instances by their parents, waited on tho headmaster from 9.30 to 10.30 and demanded admission, in view of tho fact that it was common knowledge that there were vacancies for seventy more pupils in the school, Tho headmaster had once more to I'.oint out that he had received imperative instructions from the Board's secretary (Mr. V. Rice) .tiiiit until the youth school was opened, no more children were to be allowed into the District High School. Some of the parents protested that if the Chairman of the Hoard look upon himself to admit: 125 ohijdren above the stipulated ' !number to the Mount Edeni .School, pending further arrange- j inonls. tho same consideration I should be extended In Iheni. The! headmaster said ho would do what he could in fin: matter, but in the meantime it was impossible I for him to accede lo their requost.! it is generally recognised hero' that owing (o the smallncss of I the Botith School building, it will; be impossible to conduut-a full complement school as-far us Mhj • standards are concerned, and if j>; ' quite paloiilthataniiifaiitdepari- j men I will have In he added lo the Diislricl High School, j especially in view of its cmilra!! situation, and the growing popu-i lation of Waihi. We mi-' deratand that it is probabV that the Minister will be com- j municated with on the matter at an early date and tho qiiostiui placed before him in itt, true

light. It is undoubtedly a serious thing for any community to have ( a considerable number of children of school ago wandering about i unable to obtain the ordinary ' educational privileges of this Dominion. The several ilcputn- i tions which waited upon the I School Committee the other even- ! ing demonstrated this fact. We. , have also had from Iho Chair- ! man's own lips that all efforts mado by this committee are futile as far as Iho . Auckland Board of Education is concerned, and we are inclined to think that there is something at ithe bottom of the whole trouble which should be probed immediately and without favour. It is recognised that parents are liable under the Act if their children do not attend school, hence the Board should be held equally responsible if they'fail to provide the necessary accommodation, as they have undoubtedly failed lo do in Iho present case, for children anxious to attoi d,

arc prevented by circumstances which, to say the least, do not reflect to the credit of the authorities concerned, There is little doubt that some extra accommodation must be provided at the District High School,, notwithstanding the fact that the South School, such as it is, will soon be a going concern. We should like to point out that the Board's truant officer is evidently an officer of the Board only, and not a servant of the people. If his duty were to be exercised just now, what an interesting stale of things would ensue, and in this connection we would ask, why is he not discharging his functions at this particular moment? Peihaps if he did, the game which now exists, of the Board placing the blame on the shoulders of the i Minister, and the Minister in turn blaming the Board, would be brought to a sudden stop.