SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4451, 9 August 1922, Page 2

SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

MONTHLY MEETING.

The usual monthly meeting was held on Saturday night. The members present were : Messrs W. H. Taylor, W. Redfern, E. E. Gillman, W. T. Power, W. G. Garry, B. Veale, L. CCane, and C. Pascoe. The headmaster Mr G. H. Taylor, and the newly-ap-pointed secretary, Mr W. L. Lawrence, were also present.

SANITARY DRAINAGE MATTERS. Mr E. E. Gillman reported that he had seen the Board’s architect and had gone into the whole matter ot the sanitary drainage. The architect was inclined to put in the automatic flushing system, and also to improve the sanitary matters. The Board’s foreman would be in Paeroa shortly to make an estimate of what is required, and authority will be applied for as soon as the estimate is ready. SCHOOL GROUNDS. Mr Gillman said that the proposition put forward by .the committee with reference to the fencing was not likely to be favoured by the board. If the Government subsidy was granted he and the headmaster had pledged the committee to pay £2O .towards the cost of the fence. The board might then pay the balance of £3O. The action of Mr Gillman and the headmaster in pledging the committee to subsidise the cost of the fence up to £2O was approved. It was also decided to forward a letter ’o the board offering a subsidy of £2O. WATER SUPPLY. The chairman reported that he had interviewed the Mayor with reference to the water supply account.. His Worship, said Mr Taylor, was very sympathetic, but owing to the state of the water supply account the borough was unable to help them. He had hopes that perhaps next year, when the account, would be a little more solid, the Borough Council would help them. FOOTPATH. Mr Taylor said that part of the drain in front of the school had been piped and filled in, and the footpath was to be gravelled in a few THE "TREASURE BOX.” The secretary stated that he had just received the books, and had prepared a statement as far as he was able. After some discussion the chairman, Mr Gillman, and the headmaster were appointed to go into the accounts and endeavour to find out how the various accounts stood. All outstanding accounts were passed for payment. SUPPLY OF STATIONERY. It was resolved to fill in the requisition form for a supply of stationery from the Department. The headmaster remarked that it should have been sent in in June. BALANCE-SHEET. The secretary stated that the books had been audited and found correct.. The secretary of the board, in replying to the committee’s letter asking for the reason of the delay in returning the books, stated that the books were posted in Paeroa on April 21, and not at, an earlier date, as stated, and as there were several hundred to audit it was impossible to get through them at an earlier date. MANUAL TRAINING SCHOOL.

The chairman said that matters in connection with the manual training school had not progressed quite so satisfactorily as he would have liked, but they must hope for the best. He had just seen Mr Poland, who told him that the matter had been referred back to the Education Board from the Education Department for .a report on the removal of the Mackaytown school. The committee, however, had not favoured this, and he thought that a protest should be entered against such a proposal. Mr Poland was still hopeful that the school would be established: however, he was doing his best. After some discussion it was decided to await the report that the Minis!er was desirous pfl getting. The following correspondence in connection with the matter was read :

The chairman’s letter to Mr Poland was as follows :

“On behalf of the parents and children of Paeroa I desire to put before you a matter that has for the last fifteen years caused much dissatisfaction in this district; that is, the requiring of the children of the local schools to travel away from Paeroa by train to receive their manual and technical education. You are, of course, well aware that such train travelling for school children is best avoided, and is most objectionable when, as has happened quite recently, the children arrive back at their home station alter dark, in pouring rain, and have then to make their way home along dark roads fpr considerable distances. "You will remember that last August the Department stated that the establishment of a manual training school at Paeroa ‘must be held over for the present,’ and that ‘it is no: considered that the pupils will be subjected tp undue hardship in attending the classes, at Thames during the coming summer mopths.’ Hoping that the Department would now be able to relieve the children of. the ‘undue hardship,’ which undoubtedly they are being subjected to during these winter months, my committee raised a sum approaching £lOO, sufficient to raise the necessary money for a new building by the purchase, of 53? per cent. Government bonds, a system to which we understand the Government has given its assent in other places (Hamilton, for instance) when a new building was required. "I understand tha.t the Auckland Education Board approached the Department again on June 9 last asking that the request of the residents pf Paeroa be acceded to, but sb far I have not been informed of any further developments. In these circumstances I should be grateful if you would assist us by urging on the Department the injustice of further delay. For your information I would point out that the children ofl two schools in Paeroa are affected, about 120 children in the Paeroa District High School alone being concerned.

Then, at present Netherton children arc being deprived of this education altogether, while those attending, in Paeroa who live so far away frjom the railway station as to make it most unreasonable to expect them to travel three, four, or even five miles after dark, are being denied the benefits of this tuition during the winter months. When it is considered that the cost of carriage of the children and teachers must be at least £250 a year it is hard for us to understand why, even on this ground alone, children are not relieved of this disability. The children attending the High School at Paeroa from Netherton and Karangahake. and those from out near the abattoirs do not go to Thames during the winter.

“Trusting you will do what is possible to help us in this matter/’ In acknowledging the receipt of the letter Mr Poland wrote from Wellington as fallows':

“I have your letter of the 13th. inst. in reference to the establishment of a manual training school at Paeroa. I saw the Minister of Education yesteiday in support of the representations made by you, and he has promised to go into the matter immediately to see if anything can he done. I left your letter, which fully explains the position, with the Minister,”