NOT ENOUGH SCHOOLS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 351, 8 April 1911, Page 5

NOT ENOUGH SCHOOLS.

SPREAD OF SETTLEMENT

It is weli enough known already that the increase of settlement in the King Country is, or has been, more rapid than the construction of schools, and that some of the teachers in the small schools already built often find themselvea in the same state of perplexity as was the old woman who lived in a shoe.

One of the Board's inspectors, Mr G. K. Plummer, has been in the King Country backblocks, and he submitted to the Board on Wednesday a report to the effect that schools were urgently required at Mapiu, where there were from 30 to 40 children of school age; at Managiti, 20 or 30 children ; and at Mokauiti about 40 children. Mr Plummer would not commit himself by saying what size the new school buildings at these places should be. The settlements were all new, and there was a number of young children. Roads were not made through the districts, and the attendance at the schools in winter would be very uncertain. If marquees were to be supplied to give these schools a start, he thought it would be wiser to wait for some months before asking for schools of a definite size, which might prove next summer to be too small for requirements. Mr Parr remarked upon this furtherevidence of the remarkable increase of settlement in the King Country. They were all back-bloocks settlements, many miles from the railway line, without roads, and mostly in bush and fern and ti-tree. The executive committee had taken action on receipt of news from the inspector as to the urgent need for schools, by sending up marquees and appointing teachers to these places. He advised the Board to accept the inspector's recommendation to delay the building of schools for a little time. Usually settlement went on at a rapid rate, and the schools might soon be found too small, and the Board had had experiences of the other sort —schools erected had not been attended by sufficient children to warrant their being kept open. The Board agreed to take the advice of Mr Plummer, and to do nothing about new schools at these places for a month or two.