EDUCATION BOARD

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 119, 18 April 1940, Page 9

EDUCATION BOARD

COMMITTEE ELECTIONS. SCHOOL IMPROVEMENTS. Tlio Wanganui Education Board met yesterday, tho chairman (Mr E. F. Homingway) presiding. Others present were Messrs W. H. Brown, A. Sr Coleman, I. W. Mudford, J. W. Batchelar, P, Munro, L. Bailey, AV. T. Benefield, L. Annabel. An apology .for absence was received from Colonel J. H, Whyte, who was indisposed. Feeling reference was made by the chairman to the character of the late Prime Minister (lit. Hon. M. J. Savage) and the meeting stood in silence as a mark of respect, an appropriate resolution being carried. Resolutions of sympathy were also passed in connection with the deaths o( Mr D. G. Warner, teacher in charge of tho Kopane Settlement School, after 24 years* service, and Miss E. J. Cuming, infant mistress at Toihape The chairman stated that Mr Warner was sevorolv wounded in the Great War. Ho had been teaching at Patea, Wanganui, Owhango, Tokorangi, and Kopane,. as well as Hawke’s Bay. The chairman referred to the ponding school committee elections throughout the'board’s district, and expressed the hoard’s thanks to all committee members for .their untiring efforts for tho children of their respective districts. The board fixed the date for the holding of a second meeting of householders in districts which failed to elect committees on April 22 as June 5. GROUND EXTENSIONS.

Tho urgent noed for accelerating proposals tor extending tho grounds of the College Street, West End and Rangiotu Schools was stressed by MiBrown. Ho said no progress had' been made regarding the purchase of property at Rangiotu, which should be taken under the Public Works Act, or with tho extensions at the Palmerston North schools.- —The matter was left in tho hands of. Messrs Brown, Batchelor and Mudford to report, tho chairman promising to expedite the matter. , Advice* that special leave with full pay up to three days may l>e granted to teachers who were farewelling relatives who were leaving New Zealand with the forces was received from the Education Department. The chairman remarked that it see filed unfair that teachers who were actually going overseas with the forces could net get three days’ leave to put their affairs in order. A suggestion was received from the Palmerston North Head Teachers* Association regarding the housing of all supplementary readers for city schools at the public library. The chief inspector (Mr Biake) reported that, he favoured a two years’ trial for the soheme, providing the readers were well cared for.

Mr Brown said that the supplementary readers would be well housed in the library. He urged that the teachers’ hooks lie housed also at the library so that tliev would be available at all times. The head teachers’ suggestion was approved and the proposal to transfer the teachers’ hooks was recommended for adoption by the library committee. Mr Brown added that the city library was desirous of establishing a special teachers’ section arid the City Council would no doubt assist in the scheme.

An application from the headmaster of tire Marton District High School for a grant of £5 towards the cost of purchasing music and equipment for the newly-formed school orchestra was declined, the chairman remarking that if the request were approved all schools in tho board’s district would be- requiring similar treatment-. The secretary reported that as the number of children in the Lower Ridge Ltoad service (Kiwiten) had fallen to one, he had arranged cancellation of the transport contract, with compensation,—The action was approved. Mr E. A. Field, purchaser of a residence on the recently acquired addition to the Foxton District High School site, asked for an extension of time within which to remove the building. The time under the contract expired on May 2. —Tho application was granted. , The Education Department notified that a subsidy of £55 bad been granted for tli© construction of the swimming pool at Kairanga School. Mr Wliibley, who has been appointed principal of the Palmerston North •Intermediate School, now in course hf, erection, renewed application for the erection or purchase of a residence iii Palmerston North. Mr Brown explained that the housing shortage in tlie city was as acute as over and there were sections available for building near the school. —It was decided to reply that, owing to other urgent work, the application could not be granted. Mr Brown stated lie would endeavour to arrange for a provisional committee to' be formed, which might assist in obtaining a house. The secretary said that there was no legal provision for such a committee, though an amendment to tho Act might meet the position. RUSSELL STREET SCHOOL. An application was received irom the Russell Street School Committee for an additional, grant to enable the Public Works Department to- finish ground improvement works started last year. Tho board’s architect vAIr E. K. Hodge) said the works should be finislied. Only about 1000 square yards of ground required to he levelled at a cost of between £25 and £3O. The hoard should apply for completion of the work by scheme No. 13 workers.— It was resolved to forward the application to the Public Works Department. , _ The Terrace End School Commitmitteo wrote applying for topdressiug asphalt, Th® architect said that lie de sired to- make further inquiries regarding the contract and the merits of tar or bitumen for-the work. Mi- Brown stated that tar was found satisfactory for surfacing in Palmerston North. It was manufactured there ami would ho preferable to getting bitumen from elsewhere—The architect was instructed to bring down, a report. , _ , . The Foxton District High School Committee wrote expressing appreciation of the work and co-operation of the acting headmaster and staff, particularly in relation to the visit of the children to the Exhibition. Mr Mudford referred to the excellent organisation of the Wellington Education Board regarding the reception of children from outside districts visiting the Exhibition and the city, and on his motion it was. decided to forward a letter of appreciation. An offer from a resident of Table Flat for the purchase of'a shelter and woodshed from the board was refused, a higher tender being desired. Mrs Kennv, of Moutoa, wrote asking the board to consider the sale of the school building at" Moutoa. —The matter was deferred in view of the fact that the Government had purchased a large area of land in the vicinity and may noed the building. A request from the National Patriotic Fund that the hoard approve a

proposal that children collect nonferrous metals as a means of augmenting the fund and of helping to overcome the shortage of lead, brass and copper, was granted. The senior inspector reported adversely on an application for the estab lishnient of a district high school at Rangiwnhia on the grounds, chiefly, that the post-primary classes were unlikely to contain more than 20 pupils. He recommended that the matter be deferred for one year.—The report was adopted. ARCHITECT’S REPORT. Mr Hodge, the hoard’s architect, reported that tho whole of tho concrete work had beon completed in connection with the rebuilding of the Central School baths, Palmerston North. Tho interior walls had yet to be plastered. Painting in connection with tho remodelling of the new Kairanga School and maintenance of the school, residence and outbuildings had been completed. Construction work on the Intermediate School, Palmerston North, was proceeding a little faster than formerly and tho work was nearing completion. He assumed it would be three mouths before the building would be ready for occupation. Immediate arrangements were to he made for putting in hand the levelling of the recently acquired area at tho hack of the original site. Tho Foxton dental clinic building was almost completed and the building would he ready for occupation within tho next weok. Repairs anil topdressing to the asphalt area surrounding the Whakarongo School had been arranged and a tender accepted for £22 15s. Some minor repairs were being effected to the Fox-' ton School building, . At the Marton District High School tho original heating service of the wooden-building had been disconnected, redesigned and linked to the heating installation of the new building, the girls’ cloak room converted to a retiring room, and in the brick building a dividing partition had been removed from between two small offices to give more adequate accommodation for teachers, At Tokorangi general repairs and improvements had been effected to the out-office buildings. Improvements to tho out-offices and repairs to tho main building had been completed at Kakariki. STAFF APPOINTMENTS. Appointments to the board’s teaching staff were notified, including the following: Mr I. B. Hubbard, headmaster, Ohakuno D-H. ; Mr C. Haydon, head teacher, Taonui; Mr AV. G. George, sole teacher, Beaconsfield; Mr C. A. It. Buchanan, assistant master, Palmerston North Central; Mr lb A. Graham, assistant master, We§t End; Miss L. V. Finlay, infant mistress, Manchester Street; Miss A. J. E, Thompson, assistant mistress, Lytton Street; Miss N. M. Letliaby, assistant mistress, Russell Street; Mr D. Priest, headmaster, Kakariki; Air A. O. AVimsett, assistant master (A. 5), Taihape D. ; Miss C. E. Mills, assistant mistress, Ohakea,