PALMERSTON SCHOOLS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 279, 21 August 1919, Page 7

PALMERSTON SCHOOLS

BOARD AND DEPARTMENT STATE OP DEADLOCK "AND THE CHILDREN SUFFER" For. sotno time there have been strong complaints from tho people of Palmor- . ston- regarding tho conditions of schools in ' that town, and yesterday a doputa*tiou representing tlio 'school committees . t-f the leading schools of the borough ■ waited on tlio Minister of Education (the Hon. ,J. A. Hasan) to impress upon him • tho ungont importance of notion by tha tßbpai-hnent to remedy the grievances under which tho'people of Paluierstoii : .were-.•suffering -in this tespect ' The speaker who put most of the case for' the deputation was Mr. J. A. Nash, M.P.,- but Tie was not present when tho y interview- commenced. • •Mt. ; Hoddesr explained, that tho ••deputation was representative of the - school committcos and the. Chamber of Commerce. • Mr. -A. ji Mali on, ohairman of the '. Campbell Street School, presented to the . Minister a .j>etitipn 6igi;ea by fOO householders, sottinp out that the school was old-and insanitary, that illness among ■ teachers and scholars was prevalent in consequence, and' asking that a new school be built as soon as possible. It ■was true that fivo class rooms were being -• .built on tho.new sito in. Featheiston * Stireot. Tho request .was that- the en,"*tiro sohool be rebuilt. It was not fair - to ask householders to send their child- . Ten to tho old Echool.;. Ho had. b?en threatened -by parents that after a cer- ' tain ;dato they would not send their ■ children to the school, and the suggestion m being made that tho matter , should .. 1)3 tested in the courts. They knew that they had the sympathy of the Minister. What tlioy wanted now was something done,-tho building of a.new school on the new site in.Fcatherston Street. Mr. Haaan: You are getting the infant sohooL ■ : Tlmt ;will relieve, tho overcrowding, will it not? • Mr. Mahon: That is not enough.

Whose the Blame?, Mr. Hanan said, that the trouble was betweon tho Education Board and the Department. Tho board had submitted plans of which ; the Department could not approve. :If the board took up the position of refusing to comply with the requirements of tho-Department, .then it ■would not he fair to' blame the Department for not . giving way in regard to those features to which exception was taken. Tho Government had to find the monoy; the board was merely a spending authority. When a dispute took place sometimes the matter was referred to the Minister, and always the Minister wrfs anxious to- remove the carae of , the trouble. Unfortunately in this case the board had been obstinate, and the delays had been.long. He did not propose to discn.?3 tho chairman of the. Education Board, who a keen educationist and a friend of his. Mr. Pirani was anxious to have the best possible schools in bis .district', but there' were certain' expensive features which he wanted to have in these schools to which the Department could not agree, having in mind the amount of money available, and the requirements of other districts. Mr. Harian went on .to speak of tho delays about the College Street School, and he challenged, the statement made m Palmerston that the Education Department had shown incapacity. It was just as well to see on whose shoulders tho blame for the delay should •fall. The files of correspondence showed that there had been no' incapacity oh,the part ( of. the Department. Ho gave a histay of the dealings between the board and the Department regarding the rebuilding of the Cdllogo Street School. After correspondence 6pread over many months, the board, having submitted plans which could not be accepted by tho Depart-ment,-was asked in September,' 1918, by the Department to submit amended plans. Amended plans had not yet been received from the board. " :

-Mr... Nash,said- that .two membors of tho board,liad interview's with the Department, and still could not get approval of the plans.

No Fault of the Minister's. Mr. Hanan said that ho supposed the reason was .'that tho board'.would not comply with tho -requirements of .the' Department. In view of tlie delays that had occurred he had got a vote passed by the Government, in order that so scon as plans might bo finally accepted there should'be no further dolay about going on with the work. As soon as the plans were fppr'oved the moneys would be handed over to the Education Board. But if a board took up the attitude of insisting upon its views, and delays occurred on account of tho noriacceptance of faulty plans, then it must be for the board to take the blame.

Mr. Nash: I want you to regard me ns chnirman of one of tho school com-, mittees for the purposes of this interview. I want to say that we feel very raw in Paljnerstoii at the present time owing to the condition of the schools lit Palmerston' North. The other evening thero was an indignation meeting hold, irnd I presume you have already read a report of that, meeting.

Mr. Hanan: I- shall be very fflad to havo any evidence to support some of tho expressions in the resolutions, because I think that certain oonduct was attributed to the Education Department which no fair-minded man would uphold, after pßrusal' of the files. Mr. Nash said that the people had arrived at tho stage that they had decided that after September 30 they would not • send their children to Campbell Street.School. He would not. hesitate to say that he would recommend them to carry out this course, owing to tho rotten and insanitary etate of the (school.

• Mr. Hanoi]: Suppose wo admit the con. ditions— • '

Mr. .Nash:'That does away with argument at once. We want to my we appreciate and fully realise what you havo been trying to do. That was one reason ■why wo wanted Mr. 'Massey and' Sir Joseph Ward, liore, so that the position could bo pointed out to the Government.

•'Mir. Hanan: You know about the plans submitted-by tho board?

Mr. Nash: What we say in reply is that .wo as school committees are not concerned in regard to any argument between the Department and the board. .Mr. Hanan: Are you not interested in getting tho facts ,iud in putting the blame on tho proper shoulders. A'plan was prepared for this new school and tho plans were objected to because tho accommodation provided was small in proportion' to the cost; The proposals embodied accessory features which were regarded as extravagant. In August a voto.wns approved l;y Cabinet for tho erection of a new infant department. To the expensivo features in the plnns the Department could not agree,- -nor can 1 agree in view of the requirements of other districts and tho money'available. If tho board will agree to tako what other districts -aro taking, and what other districts are asking for, then the matter can proceed. But otherwise it is unfair to put the blanio on tho'.Department., .. . ' ; • '

"We Havs No Power," Mr. Nash: Supposing the Department is right, it. is not fair that the children should bo asked to continue in. tho pre. sent school. Why could not tho Department put tho building up? Mr, JTanan: AVo lmvo no powor.

Mi-. Nash suggested that tho Department: should get a report mado on tho School by the Health authorities with a view to having it condemned.

Mr. Hamtn: Wo lmvo no power. Wo havo no power to condemn schools or to erect schools. Ho explained this matter in more detail, making it clew that tho JlpiKirlment could not deal, with school buildings or with school sites.' Mr. Nash: Is not legislation necessary to givo somebody some power? Mr. Italian: I hope that tho Minister of Education may havo increased powers. I mn very much' disposed, if I am ever offered the portfolio of Education again, to lake steps'to havo altered the condition under which tho Minister of Education works. In tho meantime, there is the Act, and, as a Judge says, I 'have to administer the daw as I find if. Whether the' powers of boards should bo interfered with I am not goinff to say at tho present moment, but if tho board takos ijip tho position that it refuses to build

a sohool unless its own plans are approved, then you aro going to have a position such .is oxists in Palmcrston today, and which no one regrets mora than I do. I don't hiivo this trouble with tho other boards.

Mr. Hash said flint a position had been r«\c;hed when something would have to be donei The children were not going to the schools. That was a dead. certainty.

Mr. Hanan: Don't you see what'you aro up against? Can't you see that it is an impossible position if the board insists upon having its way in respect of plans, insists that 'tlio hoard's' wishes s!hall be complied with irrespective of what the State Department, which has to provide the.money, requires? ■ Mr. Nash said that, lie understood the dispute between tho bSnni Mid tho Department ■ was on the question of assembly halls in schools.- If this was the stumbling block, then it was up to tho Government to put some legislation through. Mr. Honnn: What are you asking the Minister to do?. Do you ask tho Minister and the Department to give ; way.- and obey the behests of-tho Education Board? sfr. Nash:-"Wo want to' bring pressuiw to bear." He went on to speak of tlio condition of tho Campbell Street School, making it cloar that it was, in his opinion, very bad indeed. Mr. Hanan: And the board is aware of this, but yet in spite of this, it refuses to build a school unless .its wishes are complied with! And tho children suffer. . . . Does it not occur to you as strange' that you hear no complaints from other districts except in respect of overcrowding, and this is being remedied gradually.. As we.get more money we will deal more effectively 'with it. Mr. Nash eaid that the real trouble was not that the Minister of Education was'unwilling to give relief, but that the Government gave him :too little money for tho work to be done. Tho interview was interrupted at this stage because the Minister .wished to attend a meeting of Cabinet, and , the deputation asked to lmvo another interview. To th'is the Minister agreed, although/he indicated, that ho had no more to say in tho matters in, dispute. At the later interview lie would ask' the members of the deputation' to the files and.seo for themselves where the fault lay. ' '