SOME TEACHERS' HOMES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 831, 1 June 1910, Page 6

SOME TEACHERS' HOMES.

NO BATHROOMS, NO WASrj-HOUSES,

OLD AND FRAGILE STEUCTUEES.

At what must havo been considerable pains, the Education Department has collected a mass of interesting statistics ou the subject of teachers' residences, and presented them, per circular memoranda, to the several education boards of tho Dominion for consideration and amplification. One of thc<e memoranda, was read at the meeting of the Wellington Education Hoard yesterday. It was stated, with regard to the ii'njrovoineiit of teachers' residences, that "the Minister has under consideration the yue>lion of making some provision for this important but necessarily costly work." From returns obtained, it appears that "there are about 1100 of these buildings, of S'hich 481 art without bathroom or washhouse. Of the latter, three are 8-roomed residences; 12 are 7-roomed houses; 81 have six rooms; 113 have five rooms; U<i have four room*; •![> have three"rooms; 7G have two rooms; and four have one room. In providing for the erectkn of new residences during the last ye;;r or two tho Department, it was stated, has had to restrict the accommodation to five rooms, with, in addition, a bathroom and a washhouse. Of G6i residences of five rooms or less, sb' are over thirty yearold; there are 71 between the ages of ;. and 30; 39 between 20 and 25; 3ii between 15 and 20; 22 between 10 and 15; 23 between 5 and 10, while 25 are under five years old. No Patching of Old Houses. "Generally speaking." it was stated, "it would seem of doubtful expediency to make any substantial expenditure on residences more than twenty years old, for the reason that tho original buildings would be worn out before the additions. It would be equally inexpedient, generally speaking, to spend money on additions to one-roomed or two-roomed houses; they are, : usually merely of "lean-to" construction, slight in structure. There are 200 houses of three to five rooms that need improvement. To bring these up to standard would cost ,£18,000:— £ 196 bathrooms, at ,C 25 4900 125 washhouses at ,£25 3125 122-one room each at JBSO ..: ' GIOO 3S-two rooms each at .£IOO 3800 Total £17,925 "Expedient" Expenditure, £12,000. "In many cases, howevei —say, oue-'third of that number—there are single teachers to whom the residence is of no advantage. It is therefore estimated that 4:12,1100 would probably t suffice to meet all the cases in which it is expedient to spend money at once on improvements. "If your board "will send in a list of residences defective in any of the particulars named, dealing especially with those not more than twenty years old, and placing the cases in order of urgency, the Minister will be glad to consider it with the view of providing at least an instalment of the requisite fund. Is the Department Sincere? Mr. J. G. W. Aitken doubted the sincerity of the Department in the matter of s'pending money on teachers' residences in the manner indicated. At any rate, if they (members of the board) had anv expectations in that direction they would not be realised for many years to C °Mr AW. Hogg, M.P., thought that Mie board should get into touch with the w.hool committees on the subject, and obtain the fullest information as to what was required in the way of improving the residential conditions of the teacher. "There will be a scramble for a share in the improvements, he Vl observed. ... . Mr. Aitken: Quite so. There will be a scramble, and the loudest and noisiest of the claimants will get what they want. It was decided to supply the information asked for, the secretary to procure the necessary details for review by the .board at a future meeting.