PLAINS HIGH SCHOOL

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4430, 21 June 1922, Page 2

PLAINS HIGH SCHOOL

— » CLAIMS OF KEREPEEHI. LETTER TO THE BOARD. At a recent meeting of the’Kerepeehi School Committee the proposal, of the Ngatea Memorial Committee to urge the erection of a high school at Ngatea was discussed. There were. present Messrs Booth (chairman), H. D. Jamieson, W. Herkt, S. Bridge, and L. A. W. Bagnall (secretary). Mr. Jamieson, introducing the subject, said a protest should be made regarding the centralisation of schools on the Hauraki Plains till the roads now under construction were opened up. It was decided to communicate with the Education Board on the matter,* and the secretary has written the following letter.: “In view of .the report that your Board is considering the erection of a high school at Ngatea, I have been instructed by this committee to point put to you the central position of Kerepeehi and its natural advantages compared with other townships on the Hauraki Plains. The high, roll- - ing country of sandstone formation affords splendid drainage and sanitation, which canno.t be obtained on the flat country. Its position as a natural centre decided the Lands Drainage Department to make it their headquarters, and a township has been laid out by the Government. In the drainage scheme roads from the Awaiti and Ngapua districts will lead direct, while at the present time it is practically the same distance from Turua and Kopuapahi to Kerepeehi as it is from those places to Ngatea, whereas settlers on the sections to be opened up in the near future will have to pass through Kerepeehi and then travel six miles to get to Ngatea. Another very importent item is that an area of eight acres has been set aside as a public domain, and it is anticipated that a cricket and football ground and tennis courts will be laid out. An area of about 42 acres close to the township has been given as a show ground, so that as settlement continues, and the railway from Paerca to Pokenp is constructed, Kerepeehi must become a distributing centre owing to a convergence of roads and its position at the junction of the Awaiti Canal and Piako River. As a set off to the £5OO available at Ngatea .towards the cost, T think that upon investigation your Board will find that more than that sum will be saved in the purchase of the necessary lands as a school site at Kerepeehi. I am enclosing a plan of the Plains showing the reading system, both completed and under construction, and if any further information is necessary I would refer you to Mr. J. B. Thompson, Chief Drainage Engineer, and Mr. H. M. Skeet Commissioner of Crown Lands, as to the future of. Kerepeehi. Trusting that your Board will make the fullest investigation into the claims of Kerepeehi before committing itself.” BOARD SUPPORTS NGATEA. A STRONG RECOMMENDATION.. In connection with the high school proposal Mr. E. Walton, secretary of the Ngatea Memorial Committee, has received a. letter from .the Auckland Education Board stating that the request for the establishment of a district high school at Ngatea had been forwarded to Wellington, and that the Board had strongly recommended that the district high' school be establistied at Ngatea from the beginning next year. ADDITIONAL SCHOOL LAND. In a further letter to Mr. Walton in reply to an application by him op beha>f of the Ngatea School Committee for ar. extra 3% acres for school site purposes, in addition to the present 3’l acres, the Education Board has advised that it had resolved to again urge the Education Department to approve of the reservation of the addi-’ tional land. A copy of a letter was also enclosed from the Director of Education at Wellington declining the extra area, as in the director’s opinion seven acres was too large an area. The secretary of the Auckland Education Board stated: “If a district high school at Ngatea is sanctioned, and the additional grant authorised for the erection of a residence, the Department would reconsider its decision and authorise the Lands Department .to reserve the 3y 2 acres for school purposes.”