PALMERSTON SCHOOL BUILDINGS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 260, 30 July 1919, Page 3

PALMERSTON SCHOOL BUILDINGS

A REPLY TO THE MINISTER

(To tho Editor.) Sir,-As tho Minister of Education has made a feature of his statement about school buildings in Palmcrston-lieuig published in'your journal and telegraphed all round tho Dominion—l presume you will allow mo to put the position iu clearly as I can from the board's side, especially as liq endeavours to cover up the muddling administration of his effete Department by charges .against our board. While no one would blame. Mr. Hanan individually for tho state of affairs existing within tho Department, it seems a pity.that he has not insisted upon the reforms ho knows are urgeutly requiredincluding the retirement of inefficient or incompetent officials and the provision, by Cabinet of sufficient means to build decent schools—or resign from the Ministry and appeal to tho community to end or mend tnc present state of affairs. .• The Minister's: choice of a 6peech to Press representatives when his administration is assailed is certainly' moro convenient to himself than the good ok: method of defending the Department on the platform, but much more unsatisfactory to his critics. It reminds mo bi tho custom of Ministers of the Crown' at Home, except Mr. Fisher, (the Minister of Education), who ascertain when a dinner Or luncheon of importance is to be given; and then arrange to deliver the"speech of the evening," which is often very much like tho 'fly in amber. Some writers have assumed the Minister's statements.to bo facts, whereas many are only half-truths and others absolutely incorrect. ■•. ■ • ■ I admit that it is not right for other parts of New Zealand to be treated worse) in tho matter of school sites and buildings than the Wanganui district, and there is no district where most of these are so suitablo as those in our district;, but there is little thjmks due.to the Department for that,considering that over £3ofioo has been spent in our district,on those.purposes during the last twelve years, not one penny of which has come from the Education Department; "indeed, the latter has of lakstultified aid hampered every attempt to get tho public to contribute towards primary, education. Apart from local contributions, there are many reasons why our buildings are as good as they for years .largo contributions werb made from our general fund to the, building fund, until the Department staVted foisting on that fund charge after charge, expense of preparation of unnecessary return after return, office accommodation for Government officers not employed by the hoard, etc.; apparently in an effort to limit the money available for transfer. To try and cope with'the parsimonv of the Education Department, the overdraft of the board at one time reached .6801)0, and grants overdue from the Department exceeded that amount. At present a considerable sum is due from the Department, some of it over two years, yet the members of the board have been "threatened with prosecution if they dare to aiir ticipate those payments in any way. ' It is an uniortunate thing for New Zealand that there is 1 not an authority on primary school buildings in tho Departinent—not an architect of any sort—and that the architects employed by tho boards are at the mercy of mcii who know nothing of building, design, or execution. So much as an introduction. Now let me deal with the Minister's statement to' your journal's representative.

The four Palmcrston schools aro overcrowded, nnd have been so for years past. This is mainly due to the policy of the Department of never considering a grant for increased accommodation until a school has been overcrowded for a year, and then taking from twelve months upwards to come to a decision." By that time, .the attendance has again increased, and the additions authorised are insufficient to house the existing pupils, letalone . the natural increase. Tho last Director of Education (Mr. Hogben) recognised this, and on a visit to Palmcrston in. 1912 suggested that a new Bite should bo selected for the largest school (Campbell Street) and an up-to-dato echool erected thereon suitablo for requirements for somo years to .come. He saw a site proposed, and approved of its acquisition. Unfortunately the task was a difficult and-expensive one for the boards—for it involved an exchange of land with tho borough, the land Board, and the purchase of part of it from private individuals. Every obstacle was eventually overcome, and an expert in school architecture was engaged to prepare plans. This he did, and the cost was estimated at considerably less than the amount Cabinet recently authorised for the. erection of a school to accommodate fewer pupils in Auckland. The architect reported to tho board that he had 6hown the complete plan to Mr. Hanan, who expressed his approval of it generally, especially tho appointments and flat root, yet it was turned down by the Education Department as too elaborate, nnd our board was asked to forward plans for. an infant department only, probably because, with its usual prescience, the' Department belioved that building would be cheaper after tho war than it was two years ago.- Like the humble folk we are, the Department's dictum was accepted, and plans for- an infant department were prepared and forwarded to the central authorities. Those did not pleaso the latter, however, mainly because ,an assembly hall was ineluded at an extra cost of some £iW. I notice the Minister's objection to an assembly hall is tho expense, yet his Departmental officers object on the ground that it is insanitary! Eight of our largest schools have assembly halls, and the consensus of expert opinion here and nt Home is that no large school can be efficiently conducted without an assombly hall largo enough for the whole school. However, the necessity for accommodation was so urgent, that plans were again sent to tho Department last November, and yet, two months ago, the Department .again asked for a plan without a hall! So that, for eight, months the Minister and officials have been in possession of tho plans and made no movo in tho matter till the other day, when the architect interviowed Dr. Anderson in Dunedin. In a rather obscure way, without specifying the school, the Minister referred to an-addition to a Palmcrston school costing ,£4OOO, the objection to which was made by tho Department last September, but no amended proposals had been submitted by th"s lioard. He refers to tho College Street School. .Ho must know— or he should know—the reason for that, which is again tho fault of his own Departmental officers. Tho residents, very properly, objected to the infant rooms being- erected on tho old site whon there was a good 6ito of four acres immediately opposite, nnd as an earnest of their genuineness offered to contribute £M-to-wards the purchase of. the extra land. We still await tho approval of tho Minister to the transaction.. The Minister quotes a lot of irrelevant figures about tho grants for school buildings being exhausted; but the school building troublo in New Zealand baa been accentuated by the parsimony exercised during tho last five years, and at ft time when tho expenditure on his own Departmental officers has gone up by leaps and bounds. If thero was ever a time when foresight was required—when tho health and education of tho rising generation should have been tho first consideration—it was during war timo. let the first essential, decent housing, haß been moro neglected than ever. No one admits more than I do the advisabilitv of increasing teachers' salaries, better facilities for freo higher education, dental and medical inspectors, physical drill instructors,' more secondary school inspectors, greater efficiency in the Central Department, increased grants to school committees, school and educational journals, etc.; but before and above thorn all must come sanitary, roomy, well-lighted and heatod schools and good playgrounds. Yet these are placed Inst, not first, by Mr. Hunan's administration. It. is possible, as Mr. Hanan seems to hint, that Cabinet may bo to' blamo, yet, 1 feel confident that if the peoplo of New Zealand know that they authorised tho expenditure of ,£BO,OOO on a State Firo Insurance Office, nnd begrudged tho necessary buildings to safeguard the health and education, of our children, they would soon receive air ultimatum which would put an end to that 6ort of thing.—l am, etc., FRED. PIRANL. Chairman, Waugnmii Education Board. Feilding, July 26.