ISOLATED DISTRICT

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 96, 10 August 1945, Page 5

ISOLATED DISTRICT

SCHOOL ACCESS WANTED MATAIII ROAD AREA A letter to the Whakatane County Council last Tuesday from the Dip rector of Education advised that over a period of years representations had been made to the Department for the establishment of a Native School at Tauwharemanuka, in the Urewera District about 21

miles beyond Waimana ? and three

miles on the Waimana side of Ta\Av hana. In the settlement there are

about 2f) Maori children of ..school age ; avlio for some time, had not been receiving any education at all and as Maori children as a general rule could not be catered for satisfactorily by the Correspondence School tliere was a urgent necessity for the establishment of a

school for them. A suitable site ha'

been acquired and the Building Con- ' troller's approval obtained for the erection of the necessary buildings. The Public Works Department had advised hoAvcver, that the road into Tauwharemanuka owing to slips and lack of adequate maintenance was noAV not in a fit condition for the passage of heaA'y motor vehicles.. On that account no builders are prepared to tender for the Avork. It Avas undes-tood that the road in question is partly in the Whakatane County and partly in the Opotiki County and the Council Avas asked if it Avould carry out such work as was necessary on that portion of the road Avhich lay in the Whakatane County. Speaking of the area Cr Wardlaw said that much of it could be deif the Maori occupiers applied themselves but at present the rates Avere practically nil. It Avas mentioned also that there had been talk at one time of shifting the Avhole settlement to Wainui on the Ohiwa shore. It was decided to reply to the effect that the council regretted it had no funds a\ T ailable for improving the road Avhich Avould also inAolA r e a heaA 7 y annual maintenance cost.