"MOUNTAINS OF RED TAPE"

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 303, 18 September 1919, Page 4

"MOUNTAINS OF RED TAPE"

LOT OF A COUNTRY TEACHER. When going over a list of prospective works at the meeting oi Hie. Wellington Education Board yesterday, the mutter of the teacher's residence at Hamua enmc under discussion. A letter was received from the Ivciucation Department staling that it had decide:! to purchase and remodri! Hid existing residence. Mr. T. Moss made a strong protest against this cows? being adopted, and he read the following -letter from tho headmaster:— "At tho monthly meeting of the School Committee, held on September 1, I was instructed to inquire from you what progress has been made in providing a new residence. 1 understand, that tho residence question has been shelved by the' board 'for five year:!, whilo the present building has bwn condemned by thn senior inspector, clerk of works, school committees, irnd residents, and lastly yourself. In spite of this my family have to live on in a leaky, dirty, smoky, worm-eaten and rat-infested bni'.d--iiißi gi™? my wife constant and arduous work trying to keep it decently clean. I can assure you that if you octuaHy realised tho living conditions of my family, you would strongly urge our Education' Department, with it-, mountains of red tapv to-move, and move more swiftly, in tlio matter. Candidly, I will not live another winter in this Jioufc. as I unhesitatingly- decline to submit my family to tlio' risk of the present disgraceful; 'hygienic condition?.—Yours faithfully, (Sirned) J. Barnett." Mr. Mos*. said that this residence was one thai: the ioacher had built for himself. He had simnly gone over to aneighbouring sawmill, taken a little timber, and errctfo a small residence, winch h» had added to fren- time to time as his family prev'. TV buildinsr was situated in n damp location, it- was wornieatPh, and van originally badly meddled. Tho chairman said that if the pbico w.MS (vorm-eaten and as bad as was represented, it was no pond t]ie Department tH'ilii' , .' of T"modollini it'. It was decided V write ; to the Departwent urging immediate action in the matter, and nointing out that a mistake would t>o made by remodelling the place.