Proposed School at Milltown

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1947, 1 December 1906, Page 3

Proposed School at Milltown

A deputation from Milllown, Mossrs J. 1 L, Parley and W. Beets, waisod on the ,ehool Committee last night, and rcscutod a petition from tho residents of ililltown to the number of 53. Tbs puli * ion was addressed to the Eduoation 3oard, and a cavoriog letter asked tho School Committee to support the request. Cho position mentioned that a Echocl wa3 cquired to accommodate 118 children as iollows : 17 at 5 years, 18 at 6 years, 17 at 7 years, 17 at 8 years, 10 at 9 yoars, 14 at 10 years, 10 at 11 years, 8 at 12 yearo, 4at 13 year?, and 3io 14 years. All tho children live within five ohaina to a mile of tho proposed tile. The position was aa follows : The households! s of Milltown tavo again lo approach tho Board in connection wiih the establishing a school on ihe Elacation Department's site in this po head suburb. The particulars! given with the following list of sigaatures wo trust will be convincing preot shat our reqee t for a school to be erected wiibout d..| B y, is a jest and pressing oar. A laige number of children under tho age cf 12

ygi*rs have ui tho preeent time to travel to the main school. Is is to fcotjpto.cd ihst they can he in a fit stale for study after . bring ou the road, as many of them are, from before 8 o’oicck in the morning '? Lately some 32 sections have been purchased as building sites within half a mile of the proposed sohool site, and tho Elgin township sections, also within half a mile of tho site shortly to be placed on the market, will give additional impetus to building in this end of the town. Trusting that ycur Board will see the necessity cf erect ng a budding for the reboot proposed on she Milltown ei:c, before she winter of 1907, and so grant the petitioners’ prayer. (Hero fallowed tho signaturrs ) Mr Pasley .said- tho* matter <bad been brought before the -Committo and the 'Education Board on a-previous ooccasion;

and they bad purchased tho sito monlionod on the potition. Milltown was growing, mul a number of childron woro coming in nil tho way to tho main school, which was too far. In twolvo months ho thought that ovor 100 childron would bo going to the school if it woro granted, 'l’ho petitioners thought a school would bo required to accommodate 150 pupils, Mr 0. Carton asked Mr Pasloy if tho petitioners had considered the question of transporting tho children. Tho Board had powor to do this, and provide conveyances to bring children to and from tho schools, This system had worked woll olsowhorc. Mr Pasloy did not think tlio potitionors would care to havo their childron brought to school in that way. That matter, hows over, had not boon put to tho petitioners. Mr Wildish did not think tho transport system would be popular in Gisborne- Ho thought tho petition should bo backed up, and tho only point ho thought tho committee should consider was tho boundaries and see that thoir own district was not cramped too much. Mr Pasloy said that no signatures had boon obtained lower down than Stanley road.

Air Nicld moved that tho petitioners request bo strongly supported for a school at Milltown. M r Wildish seconded tho motion, suggesting that before tho petition was forwarded, the) petitioners moot the School Committee and discuss tho boundary. Mr Rowley said that lie hoped tho Committee would pause boloro they supported this matter, Tho starting of a

school at Alilltown would cut another big slice from their own school district. The children growing up thoro now would replace those leaving school lie was very much afraid if in addition to tho Haiti

school another school wore opened in Milltown it would seriously allcct the touchers in his school. They now had as good a stall' of assistant teachers as could be found in the colony; and if tho school roll fell and salaries were cut down they would not be able to keep them. Tho Kaiti School would accommodate 250, and if another school to accommodate 250 children was granted within two miles of the main school, it would certainly daumgo their school.

Air Wildish said tiic same thing had been said when the Mangapapa School was opened, but it did not materially allcct tho school, and tho school roll had roaohod its

highest point since, Alt Rowloy said'it took thorn throo years to rooovor themselves after tho Mangapapa school was oponod, and it only accommodated 20 pupils. Mr Brown supported tho motion, as ha had oxporionoo at Milltown, and knew it was a long way for children to oorna. Ho considered it his duty to help tho people there to got a sohooh The motion to support the potition was then oorriod, and tho deputation with* drow.