PALMERSTON SCHOOLS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 257, 25 July 1919, Page 9

PALMERSTON SCHOOLS

MINISTER BBPLIES TO COMELAIS'I'S.

The following motion was carried at a meeting of the" Wahganui Educational Boa d:-"This board gives its hearty endorsement to the.protest made.bj-the chairmen and headmasters oi the Pamerstou schools against .the disgraceful overcrowded .state and inadequacy oHhe buildings in that urban area, and. ex-: p esses its indignation that the Minister and tho' Education Department allow such si. condition.of affairs to exist tram vear to year without taking any steps to authorise remedial, measures. ■ Commenting on .this resolution yeSteriday, -the Minister of Education (the Hon. J. A. Hanan) said: "On reference to the Department's files; I find that only two applications for primary school buildings at Palmerston. North ■ are _ before the Department. The delay, that has'taken, place has beeri duo to the fart, •that tho Department could not see its way to make ft recommendation to mom favour of tho grants involved,' holding that the plans should bo modified and bo altered as to be more in keeping with the requirements of class-room accommodation. The Department has not objected to recommending grants for essential class-room accommodation. On the contrary, in. one of the cases referred to, it actually suggested increasing the accommodation, but it has objected to unnecessarily expensive features embodied in the plans to which it could not agree, having regard to the limited funds available ana the urgent demands from other districts for actual class accommodation. Foresample, in one of the two cases mention-, ed above the.board's proposals made provision for two class rooms only, but the plans submitted embodied other features, including a pavilion or assembly hall, which could not bo agreed to. The cost involved was about .-6-100!). The Department's' objection was submitted to tho board in September last, but no amended proposals have yet been received. ' "One matter which has been a subject of dispute between the Department and the board is that relating to the desire of tho latter body to make provision in ■their buildings for. ns?pniblj- halls. J'he trection of assembly, Vails means increased cost, and if granted to schools in one district would lirccssirily hnve to be granted to schools in other districts, lu this connection, I mav say that the largest and oldest school in my own electorate, is iibnnt to bo renhicwl.. Much as T should like to see an assembly hall provided in that fchoo), I have had to decline it because the woneys available for building purposes an. 1 not such as to ennble a feature of this kind to be provided in schools generally. Tho vote mode available last session for expenditure for all buildings and sites .was £iOO,000. In approving grants the claims of all district's for a share of the amount available have rightly to be considered. The liabilities at tho end of March, amounted to .272,878, which would come out of the grant of .£IOO.OOO. Vp to March .11 last, the expenditure for the year was ,E115,721i and the (■ominitments amounted to ,C2-!o,'lßl—ranking a total o? .£350,207. Vnm .April Ito June 30 the amount of ecu mitinents was. in round figures, ,£r(l,000. Thw expenditure, with coimnitinc.its, is the largest sum that has over been authorised for buildings mid sites within a similar period. 'As I have previously said, if the nnnioroiw -xpnlirnKoi's are to be met. n vH'.v large increase, in the vole for buildings will require to be provided nexl *;-:.;• inn. "Lost year tho ordirnry education estimates were, increascri by .EHI.IK. These estimates, too, will need to be j-rently increased if the salaries of professors and teachers nro In be raised and certain services aro to ba extended in ecope."