SCHOOL BUS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 7, 23 September 1942, Page 5

SCHOOL BUS

CURTAILMENT OF SERVICE

PLAINS PARENTS CONCERNED

An enthusiastic meeting of parents affected by the curtailment of the School Bus services catering for the children attending the Edgecumbe, Otakiri and Whakatane High Schools was held at Edgeeumbe last Saturday.

The route from Te Teko via Otakiri and Otakiri road has been eliminated and the Te Teko bus now runs via the river (West Bank) road thereby depriving the Onepu and Otakiri districts of a school and passenger service Avhieh has for many years been serving Otakiri, Edgccumbe and, Whakatane. The official reason for this cut is that it i,s due to the necessity to conserve rubber*

TJie meeting expressed its feelings regarding this sample of de-

partmental insincerity in no uncertain measure. Surprise was expressed at the Education Department's allowing the children to be the first to he penalised in Lliis piece of local economy. Other Glaring Instances l Spealkers enumerated, glaring examples of buses and service cars being run several times daily and in some cases on roads parallel with the railway conveying pleasure seekers- and others Avhile, here in a

country district, -where there are no alternative means of travel, children, primary and secondary, are deprived of the usual transport to school.

It was pointed out that the present Prime Minister when Minister of Education had promised the settlers free transport to school when the project of consolidation on Edgecumbe was abandoned in favour of the present system. This promise was now to be dishonoured and the "Economy Axe" was to be applied to the children first. Strong Protest The meeting decided to seek the assistance of the local M's.P., Messrs Sullivan and Doidge and the following resolution was- carried mously:—"That fhis very representative meeting Avisli to enter a very strong' protest against the discontinuance of ithe school bus services and is emphatically of the opinion that the Department's action in cutting the school services is starting from the wrong end, and is further of the considered opinion that the children should be the last ones to suffer in cuts, etc., and suggests that a big saving in petrol and tyres could very Avell be effected by cut tailing the various passenger services still running in this and other parts of the country. "This meeting would further like to draw your attention to the fact that the Jit. Hon. P. Eraser, when Minister of Education, visited, this district some few years ago and promised that if a High School were not established at Edgeeumbe, the children would be picked, up and conveyed to Whakatanc. And this meeting requests that this promise bo- honoured and that the bus services be reinstated and continued."