THE HUTT SCHOOLS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 440, 24 February 1909, Page 8

THE HUTT SCHOOLS.

BOARD VERSUS DEPARTMENT. DEPUTATION TO THE MINISTER. ' : NO . SHOW FOR BRICKS. _ • ' ■ . I ■ • For some time past, a deadlock has existed .between the - ■Wellington Education Board and the; Education Department concerning" the establishment of a' new school in the eastern portion of the Hutt borough. The need .for its establishment■■ has been persistently • advocated. 7 by ■ the - Education Board on the grounds, broadly speaking, that',the. Main Hutt School is congested,; that its situation,' at, one end of the .district, imposes the burden of distance upon younger children; and that' the growth of settlement and increase of population in the eastern portion of .the"'district, justifies the establishment of an additional school -building, distinct, ,'ih. its. constitution, from the Main: School. The Education Department, on its side, insists that this. Main School should be extended ; to complete . its establishment as a school graded and staffed on a basis:of 500 or slightly over,, including a properly "organised', infant; .department? and that, this effected, the crection of a new V might; be deferred, for a .time; the ■ provision . of a now' school in Eastern . Hutt ! would not, held .the; Department,' .obviate the necessity for : increasing the... accommodation .at the Main. School,., and. hence, ..the settlement of the ; question on the basis suggested . by- the. board would; entail a; doublet; and, in. the of the Department,, an unwarrantable expenditure. /As neither side lia s _'evinced any disposition.-to abandon its position,- the. board decided, at its last/meeting) upon an appeal ;to th 3 Minister, and a deputation,, representative- of the board and the; Hutt School Committee, was introduced .to by Mr. W. i -a., iield, .M.P.j jesterday; afternoon. / T .*: . • The Position Outlined. • the course of his* l introductory; remarks; which .were brief,.; Mr.. Field- outlined the position '.'as; the board /it. With- a ; roll .'number.; at ", the Main School,. . of? 508 pupils'v ; andv accommodation, for 390 only, -it •was • desirable ' that this; congestion,;- in tho. interests of . those living some considorablo distance away in the eastern - portion of the .district,;-should be relieved, by. the' erection ot; a new school in that portion of th'e district.': . *'•' :

Captain_.T.; W.'-M'Donald traversed the tacts of the case at isome length; At pre-' sent, .he said, a large number of pupils at he. Main School were being accommodated ; m ; two .temporary-buildings,' which-had been' > leased for .-the reception of the secondary 'classes^ and the slower' ■primary 'classes; Meanwhile,■■•the site' which, had been purchased for school purposes at the' Eastern !,, was lying idle, and had cost £20C0. Ca!, i \ '• (I ns P e Ptor-General •'/■ of ?!!,*?'£ll2o- was the: sum. • . '■. '■ '; ■ V Captain' M'Donald,. continuing,, said that, no. doubt- that was so; he was not ■' sure of _tlie .exact, amount.; .They weW: also': paving u De P artm e*t?s,attitude'on 'this question.- It was. necessary that V building, or. a , portion of oner. should be erected on •this : now site... They had :/6hildren-infants ■•-commg from' the northern extremity of we district right-to the southern boundary, ;.whero> the Main Sbhool: . was ' situated. :•'' If • the -•Department -was./prepared to go; to the expense,.- of building additions to the . Main ;Spho°l, .'why. not spend the 'money on a + W +v ■ Tu Ulc * 1)0more convenient :TO o fe nß a1 he i 0th0 ? > nd : Wr t he : district:'. ,lhe_ ■Mam . Sohool contained six ' rooms-^ne ■ with a:seatmg_icapacity. ofi 90,' .arid -the: othern® °m aco °mmodating 60 each, -390 'FavbnfnT'+V,'-" lravM ' s, "Snments. in, ft ? «f? the new sdiot)], th® speaker said that -fifty-eight; new ; buildings : had- cone ' ud ;n-the; Eastern,.Hutt within 8 thela^ye^: • secondary classes .at the Main School were showing ; a- decrease in; attendance," and' ■their accommodation; ••■in.' the.; Main" School bv tbn °h' re ), leTed ;f ■ th ®' suggested ■ Y-i i '" -Moreover,;-..those; vounir' Hi!tK°n'' Qn ' tll - e ' otheri ' side: vo'f the frlm V r 'ffi ?o , wer e, ex P° s ed,'to'serious'danger from .; traffic, on / account. of the nature bf the ilfiSf : the bridgo: ;Ho ' hop«a ; .the Minister. = would, accept tlieir ./point of view, .an extension of the Main School would .on y ..be tinkering with the -subject. ! : tW "n?r e ? 'Statement, submitted,, showed that the, distribution of:-;pupi]g.• in'.ith6-dis-trict was as follows:— Main' School '■■ 2. In tho' proposed now district" ' ,H ; 3- Romaiijing at the ■ Main Soho'o'l' : :■-4. Probable attendance if all east if iC f nyer attended:.the.new;: who™V°/ ' 2 58 .Js h °- 6IaSE . diS ' ribution ' n . nder the. above heads, ■ ' Inf i nts - s-i r -5.2. s. 3. 5.4.. s.s. s: e. n .4. ,••• 67 39 20 . 34 J %,» Views of the, Board. ity and knew- the; requirements •of the disfcrict. In _matters of ■ this, kind, 'where the erection- of _a new school might affect the'at- ; a school already existing in';another portion, of ■ the ' district; it "ometime fe e i" - t a i the' action of. the: board coriflicted.with the interests of the.head teacher and tho staff of ; the existing'-, school' As a board,. concerned with the. broader ' question of n°S ? v ! tl!i,^ h e ,€clu catioriai: requirements' of a- district, thoy could not be influenced llad 'icon stated +L hnA e ® ?ste f of ;tl ? e Main/School that the. board. was conversant .with the edu.rational, needs the' district;.-'-- He would ' that, that members of the board had been over, the district again and P 1- ~ He.-regretted that the.'board had found itself m conflict with:' the Depart-, ment on the question. The Hutt was a scattered ; and. there were; a 'lrinre number of families in the neighbourhood of tho proposed new school. ;. cA 11 ( : referred to a factor/which had, so far, not been touched upon. An attempt ;was being ; made,. he said, to establish a mnirv high school .'proper for the --Hutt Valley. The .boarcL hopGcf that in the future,that event. would be duly consummated. The provision; of accommodation for the'-second-' ary classes at ;the Main School-might therefore, bo considered in the light 'of-' such an event.

Mr. Hogben: The Department suggested ~o high school proper for the Hutt Vallev six years-ago. _ , • J - '. Mr.:. Vile, continuing,''said:. that thare was no serious objection to the provision- of accommodation v for the secondary. classes at the. Mam School,, so long as that did not preju d ice L 'the establishment, of the; Eastern Hutt-School. -.What'.they, wanted was a sdhoolof-200 or 300;. pupils at Eastern Hutt; Mr., Wilson .(chairman- of the Hutt School' Committee); enumerated the objections to the' present school. ; Its ground area was limited and' would be further reduced by extensions to," the building. The members of his 1 committee,, during a recent canvass of the district .for subscriptions' to the picnic fund : had everywhere been, met .with' the question: '.'When is the new school to be built?" On' account of the distance to be travelled by, pupils, in the remoter. parts of the district, wet weather frequently' affected the attendthe Main School.' Niynbers of children, who otherwise would attend the State school,- were being sent to-private schools. The rent of the temporary promises was £2 weekly, which would pay the interest oil the cost of the new school. The'feeling in the district ivas unanimous on the question, and even six of the nine meinbers of the com-' mittee, who lived; within the boundaries ■ of the Main, School; -had . expressed themselves in favour of the establishment of a new school in Eastern Hutt. The Minister in Reply, The Minister, in, reply, said that the educational requirements of; the Hutt .Valley had received his attention at various times since he took charge of his Department, and he wes afraid that- the board had not done the best tiling-in every case: He instanced the new school at Petone West, the'site of _which bad not met with- his approval.,- Can-

cerning the.present matter, lie. did not know whether it would -be possible to do anything. He couldn't make bricks without straw. Authorisations in respect of expenditure on educational requirements "had been very heavy, and . where ' there was ino money, there could he no deeds. If this matter had been dealt with previously, before other claims which meanwhile had been preferred had been considered, , something in the matter of extensions to the present , Echool could have been done. The establishment of the present.school, was based on. the requirements of an attendance-of: 500, or slightly o l ' or , and until that had been .provided for,, they, could not receivo the full educational value for tile cost of maintaining it on that basis. It was quite clear that if a new school were, established in the district;: and a .popular teacher appointed,'.thp ; attendance'.at the present school would be reduced.: It was not the business of the, Department to' build schools under such, circumstances.; If that unanimous meeting of parents at the Hutt' had to find a portion of the cost, of'the. now school, well, they - would probably: give the matter more serious and careful thought. He_felt convinced that."differences -of this kind would only he satisfactorily settled when the people of the locality- contributed a .portion-'.of the cost, instead of:.calling upon someone else to find the money. Tha Only Settlement. : It appeared to him that the only settlement of the present difficulty was'tile-provision of a side -.department'!of 'the' Main School, in the eastern portion of the district. • The distance aspect- of the.' question < was not" .of!:such a nature .as, in .the. opinion of the Departmeiit, constituted a -bar.;,. The side-school was the farthest the Department, would go; . future events-would, probably' determine whether the' n(l ?\ s ue stion might: be; further considered. Ihe Department. was ■ hot 'respohsible. for the' present position, 1 and was not prepared to put up a new school' as suggested; A carefullycompiled . list of' . children' in ' the district showed- that • there ;were -only !'lls ; children ontlio north side of Knight's Road. . Mr. Field: Compiled: recently? - The .Minister : Quito recently;; ■ , Mr., Hogben: The" figures, were supplied by the board s truant inspector. '!\ .:, ■-' . ! . . Mr. Field: What :was.the use of buying a sit-o at Eastern Hutt, then ? . . .. . _ Minister:' It .was ".clearly , understood, that the, site was purchased for future, not present, needs. Wo' have '.;no ' money : for what is now asked for. J V-'--- ''

Mr.', J. G. W. Aitken: "What .about-paper money ?; : Mr;.' Hogg' might, suggest something on this point. ' (Laughter.)' ;'•' ;■ ■ ■ ■;. : Mr.'; Field: .The,' board has: found the whole cost of. : the site and two-thirds of the build-

ing. • ; Mr.' Hogben: Government money. ; Mr.;. Field: Eut'thefe was no: special grant. ; Mr. ;Hogben::lt' was!paidVout of the'building grant. _. ■; . /..v. ■ ' The .Minister, continuing,' said: that': they ■had more;urgentVplaipis upon their, expenditure than for* such' a . project as now suggested. He:would.see,how far ; it .Would ,be ppssiblo to go in the direction of a portion, at least, of the side.school. :. Hecould hold out. no liopo beyond that: •■;_; ■ Mr. Eield-;hbped;:that it wottld be. an integral school, apart .from' the. Main. School. Captain.M'Doiiald'urged that it bo a separate school, up to, .say,- Standard ly. .Tho cost of adding to tho main school could be ;diverted for the mtrpose.■. '.V. ~.;■ : ; The Jlinister observed that-the MaiiiiHutt School must first ".bo, added Jto!-} j: He : knew .what was; underneath/'the present-agitation'.' :' ■ Captain 1 : M £ Donald ;said that tho board was ; strongly:.•; opposed : t0.;.: the .'principle', of- sido; schools. • V '.V.;;; 7 .' >'o

Jlr.; HogbOn It; could, bo'made a separate infant school. y-r,:- v ■: ; The.Minister,:.Tliere is no.objection to'that —up to Standard Ii ; /v •. ...\. "There was no: further discussion..- Mr. : Fieldi'..on.ibehalf v oflthe deputatibn, 'thanked : the Minister,; remarkingi that ; since' they had been refused half a loaf,, they, had at least been given. a crust. : . . ; ' :r'; ■ .