MANUAL TRAINING

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIV, Issue 4542, 21 March 1923, Page 2

MANUAL TRAINING

FURTHER LETTER FROM MINISTER. . At the meeting of the Chamber of Commerce last' evening the following letter was read from Hie Ministcof Education wFh roferen.ee to the establishment of a /manual training centre in Paeroa:— “I, have, to acknowledge, with thanks, the receipt of your letter of the 23rd instant forwarding a copy of a resolution carried at the last meeting of the Paeroa Chamber of Commerce relating to the question of establishing a manual training centre ' in Paeroa at the earliest opportunity. “In reply I have to say that several propositions have been placed before the Department recently in connection with the establishment of such a centre at Paeroa, but that none of them has been considered entirely suitable. ) Durjng the last two years no grants, with one exception, have been made for new manual training centres. The sole exception was the case of Motueka, where a large number of pupils were previously without .any possibility of attending manual training classes. In Paeroa the conditions are little, if any, worse than they are in a number of other cases, and while it is not contended that the arrangements at present in force arc satisfactory in every way, it t is felt that the present time of financial stringency is not opportune for extending the provision of buildings and equipment for manual training, especially in view of the fact that the probable spread of junior high schools in the Dominion will necessitate reconsideration of this branch of the primary work and the inclusion of manual training centres in the junior high schools. At Paeroa an excellent site has already been obtained for a future technical school, and the probability is that'such technical high school will include a junior high school within its activities, so that in making provision for manual training in Paeroa the developments which must shortl y take place must be taken into consideration. “nl view of the probable large development in the near future of the town and district it would appear to he bad policy to make piecemeal additions to the facilities for manual and technical training at Paeroa, and my Department is decidedly of opinion that no capital expenditure should be incurred until a general scheme suitable to the growing needs of the district has been considered and adqpted.” After the letter had been informally discussed it was resolved that the president confer with the chairman of the School Committee with reference to taking further action.