DIPTON SCHOOL BUILDING

Southland Times, Issue 24883, 24 October 1942, Page 2

DIPTON SCHOOL BUILDING

STRONG PROTEST BY COMMITTEE A strongly worded letter from the Dipton School Committee on the state of the Dipton school building led to equally strong comment by members of the Southland Education Board on the same subject at a meeting of the board yesterday. It was decided to send a wire to the Minister of Education pointing out the urgent need of building a new school at Dipton. It was also decided to communicate with the member for the district, the Hon. Adam Hamilton, on the subject. The letter from the secretary of the school committee stated: “I have been instructed by my committee again to draw your board’s attention to the deplorable state of our school. I may state that we have written to the Health Department concerning it. The committee is very concerned about it and the effect the school and out-offices may have on the health of the children. We do not know if your board actually knows the conditions at the present time. One of the windows is so rotten that it is falling out, the top sash being almost completely gone. The head master has had to board it up. It has been like that for six months or more. Not one of the doors will stay fastened. The teachers have to put blocks of wood in them to keep them closed. Also the out-offices are in a very bad state, especially the girls’ convenience, which is really dangerous. As far back as 1937 the inspector in his report commented on the bad conditions of the out-offices. The committee feels that the time is long past when a new school is due and we want your board again to press the department to have this granted.” PROTEST JUSTIFIED “This protest is fully justified,” said Mr S. Rice, chairman of the board. “The state of the Dipton school has been represented to the department time after time. Various Ministers of Education have visited the school, but yet nothing has been done. The building is practically falling down, but we are unable to get a grant. It is really a shame that children should be asked to attend such a school.” “This has been going on for years and the people of Dipton have been long suffering, too long suffering,” said Mr W. Bell. “If I were a parent in the Dipton district I would not send my children to the school.” Mr H. E. Philp: It does not seem much use asking the Minister of Education to visit schools. Mr Rice: I think it is so far as school residences are concerned. Mr Philp: But schools are more important than residences. OTHER URGENT WORKS On the recommendation of the executive committee it was recommended that the following list of other urgent works should be placed before the department:—Pukerau, rebuilding school and residence; Wendon, raising and reorientation of school; Orawia, remodelling school; Orawia, additions to residence; Kapuka, rebuilding school; Tisbury, remodelling school; Limehills, rebuilding school; Wanaka, removing school to new site and additional accommodation; Thombury, rebuilding school; Wyndham South, rebuilding school.

The Education Department wrote advising that a grant had been approved to cover the cost of the erection of a teacher’s residence at Five Rivers in brick veneer. The Building Controller had approved of the work being done.