Education Board.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 293, 15 December 1904, Page 4

Education Board.

■ The Taramiki Education Board met ' ftn Wednesday. There were present : Kessrs E.G. Mlsworth (in the chair) •' KLdlum, Mcllonald, Wade, Mackay, ■Htnkhouse, Faull and Morton. B —Architect's Report bis report the architect said he Bstimated tho cost of putting in a ce-il-BW> aV the Countenoy St.\-et school Bjt £35. The work was required in BTtier to improve the acoustic proBwtics of the building. The old drains Bnuld require to be taken up and reBlid. Amended plans for the addiBlßs to West End school were preas owing to the rapid inin attendance it has been BBfe necessary to make larger ,alBBwms than at lirst contemplated. report was adopted. —Chairman's Report.— chairman's report was adopted BBftttg with the agreement between and the Carnival CommitBJB- regarding the use of the Central in connection with the exhiBWtion An msuran«e policy had been Buksn out with the Alliance AssurBbSST "Company, for £3IOO on the and £4OO on the furniture. BBter consulting tho inspector, he to tho conclusion that the BBlest of the Uruti school commit1 e-arrangement of holidays not be granted. Owing to the BBBVbakau school being just reBBBW after being closed for several BtEolras/hc had granted thecommit-

■ tee's request to continue through B/thft holidays and extend the .winter Broccss by four weeks. B/ Tho report was adopted. Bi—Manual and Technical Report.— H; The chief inspector reported that he Hbad consulted Mi- B. C. Isapc,; InspecKtor of Technical Schools, on various ■matters referred to him by the DeB*ortment As regards the fence at ■the Stratford technical school, it was Btogrced to recommend a picket fence ■at a cost of £BO. The septic tanks BWcro approved. The amounts for and grants should come to Bjhand shortly. Mr Isaac recommends ■Sti&'the Board should procure from BJhpme * parson competent to teach BFwoodwork, some branches of drawand, if possible, carpentry and Baabinet making. Ho believed one ■l&uld be procured for £3.75 per anHpttn. Mr Isaac also recommends ■Shot Mr ClarE visit Auckland for a BwontaJght during Fettroary to -see how Hihe woodwork classes are working BJlfiwev This* the idgpfector considered B would be very beneficial, and if it B could be agreed to, he suggested the H&acher lie allowed his return fare BJjpSh-Stnvtford and 10s a day travcl■ptig allowance, the time of his visit Hlto he arranged between Mr Clark Hf«tid the inspector. Mr Isaac bad exBsftft&scd satisfaction at the start Bjptade at the Stratford technical BR§Chool. Fees amounting to £ll 4s Bjpiavo come to hand from the technicommittee and 19s for school Bjppparatus from the Department. H Th: report was adopted, consideraBfotion ot the proposal regarding the BgSastructor from England being deBjferrc.'d for a future meeting. H><i further report stated the work BkOt all classes—continuation and tech■jnlcal—closes at the end of the present BmrMSi. - He recommended that plans Bjlfee drawn and application made for a Bfixoom for instruction in cookery and BW|ressmaking at Stratford technical BjpchaoJ Cookery classes could be cs■pt&lhjtiai in connection mth the DisHigh' School,' and would, he BVwas sure, attract also a considerable Btemiuiber of the general public. A small Bj&ajwexe to the dairy room was re■flljfjrpd, with a boiler for supplying BbJtoNS 'Water for demonstrations and Brother requirements. During his reBMcent visit to Stratford the technical Bjfeommiltec laid before the inspector a which he considered in every excellent. After inquiry the BWppmuuttcc found that lectures on Bffi-agricultui al and veterinary work B}, would be well attended by farmers, B]fprovaded the Agricultural DepartBfcttjeiit would allow one of its officers tho instruction. Mr Gilrulfc Bk&foniised. to give the scheme all the B&jujsistance in hist power. The inspecbelieved that the department BoijrQUld provide an instructor to give Bfpt course of lectures to those employBjgijM n 'da* l ? factories. The Fcienne rooms- could be utilised for of demonstration and B| cxpei iment The farmers, said the ■..report, will value highly, and will ■c' B > elcomc °nd heartily support the ■ classes In order that a further re■rport mav be furnished, the inspector ■j'*sked for permission to take the ■T preliminary steps at once. ■ Mi Wadj, in moving the adoption ■ or the icport, said the clauses refcr■tarig to the Dairy School shouldi meet BJ the upprovdl of every member, as ■ hithei to they had not done so much ■ I{V this direction as they should have ■ Si. —Examination Reports.— examination reports were con■j'sidefed in committee. ■;. A vote of thanks was passed to BVtbe ladies who examined the sewing Bj ,1a the various classes. BV —Finance Committee Report.— Bh The finance committee's report re■,CQmmcnded several minor repairs to ■ the Huiroa, Norfolk" Road, and Lin- ■* T Coln Road Schools, and to the ■ Stratford i residence. Immediate should be made of the BWfds accrued to December 31st, K4i903, in terms of the division prerecommended by Messrs MacBj'Jiay and Kennedy, oqjual payment of H and Messrs Tj-ror and Boyle, and in Bt? u , ture tne funds accrued to DecemBr 1^1 " 31st m each year be divided on ■OTareli 31slt following. ThccommitBf toe.asked that it be allowed to make ■-& recommendation at next meeting ■Viegarding' proportions of future divi■ftsions. The report recommended the u]> of a ceiling at the CourSchool, as proposed in ■Jthe architect's report. Regarding ■J. tne Central School drainage the com■proittee could not recommend that the ■Jboard contribute towards the cost of the Central School with ■•'the borough sewerage system, but H/ffas of opinion that the| school ■jcommtttee should be consulted on ■ the matter that it may be given an ■■opportunity 0 f assisting towards the ■ cost of connecting the school, as the ■ saving to the committee by reason of ■Jsuch connection would be considpr■JaW-' The drains are alreadv laid Bj to thc Slt o of tho proposed technical ■J school. Several other minor mat■j tors were dealt with. consequence of some remarks by ■%* McDonald, calling attention to B^t e delay in- dealing with business, it B^ as rwolMßd that in future all letBfJF rs relating to matters coming nnBM° r tflo Jurisdiction of thc finance ■namnrittee be at once referred to the Bugßunnan of uhat committee, so that Bj&'oy """.V !> e dealt with and reported ■rat the first meeting of the 'board; afBtr Chairman,'s Expenses.— BJ The sum of £25 was voted to Mr as reimbursement for exBJpenses incurred on account of his Bfifrip to Wcllingiton. All the members Bwro) in appreciative terms to the ■pKanner in which Mr Allsworth had ■jcarried out his arduous duties. BW—jßtervicw with the Minister.— BfeSTio Chairman then gave an ac■count of his interview with' the Min■ttßter. for Education while in WellingBffipn- He said he had obtained a BVroinisc that half the amount of the ■grant should be forwarded by the end Bpf the year. As regards the Uruti Bnphool Are, the department informed Bjjtfui that on no account must the Bsnount of the grants voted be exB&eded Mr Scddon, however, proto piovide the sum required. Hlk delay in forwarding thc money ■of 'the re-erection of the Central Bpcliool hail arisen through no plan BW the new building having been sent ■*l the department. This had been ■ttrangjetl T nc department was not ■hute sa/tisfied that the Waitara Bfeool required the addition propoSßM to the board ; enough money BsQTild proliably bo granted for the BVoction of another room. . Fitzroy Bj|hool was a very weak" case. The BVnistcr thought the board was askBn? too much, but he would lay the ■natter Jrefoio the CaffVmet. He, how--BVcr,, yfould not promise the .full BjPiount The board should have Bjftde a claim on tho road board for

the damage caused by the raising of the road. On the question of titles to school lands, Mr Seddon said the whole question or school reserves would be gone into shortly, and many changes were probable. Mr Allsworth said lie was unable to see Sir Joseph Ward, but he had .spoken to Mr Seddon, who had promised to do his best in the direction of providing more suitable railway accommodation for scholars at-

tending high schools. That portion ' of the interview regarding the appli- I cation for a school at Maktvhu was of a somewhat unsatisfactory nature, the Premier saying that when he gave thc promise in the train he was not aware that in other parts of the cofoiiy the department insisted on a'report' being Furnished by the boai-d's inspector. Mr Seddon afterwards promised to pay £4 towards the expenses of the inspector. Mr Allsworth told him that the money question was a minor consideration, the principle of governmental interference with i the functions ,of the inspectors being the principal issue at stake. Referring to tho position of the Government on the application for additions to certain schools , Mr Allsworth said he had discovered that the otlicials wore under the impression that their schools had much greater space per pupil than those of any other board owing to thc fact that in the Taranaki returns the total space, including cloak rooms, - etc., was given, whereas the other boards gave only the area of the classrooms. The position as regards capitation was very unsatisfactory. After reciting the details of his interview with Mr Seddon, the chairman said it remained for the board to re-arrange their capitation. The Minister said the extra ninepence asked lor could only be granted by Parliament. The department declined to entertain the claim for several articles lost at the Central School fire.

• Mr Mackay moved that the 0014181 thanks; of t?te board be accorded to the chairman for hisweport on the result of his interview with the Minister for Education, and that Mr Allsworth be asked to furnish a precis of his report for the future use of the hoard. Mr Wade seconded, and tho motion carried. —Makahu School.—

Mr Monkhouse moved that the chief inspector he instructed to report on the application for a school site at Makahu.

Mr Mackay seconded, saying it was no use to kick against thc pricks.

Mr Faull said ; it was ridiculous that men in the employ of-, the board should be sent to tell them what to do.

Messrs Wade and Morton supported the resolution.

Mr McDonald opposed the motion, and Mr Adlum said he would vote for it if only for the sake of the children.

Mr Allsworth was sorry to have to vote against the motion, but the Government was placing the board in a false position. The responsibility should bo placed on the department as the board had done its best. Had it not bpen for the fact of his leaving the board, and he did not wr.nt to cause friction between the department and the board, he would have strenuously opposed the motion. Mr Monkhouse said Mr Adlum had struck the right note. The motion was carried.

i —General.— The next meeting of the board was fixed for Thursday, January 19th. The offices' will be closed from December 26th to January 19th. An application from the Stratford school committee for the erection of a room for the high school classes was referred to the finance committee. An application from Mrs Lisle for appointment as instructress to the sewing class at the technical school was referred' to the inspector. In accordance with a request from Pohokura district it was decided to re-establish a State-aided school there. A considerable amount of departmental correspondence was read. Accounts as scheduled were passed for payment. The plans submitted by Mr Sanderson for additions to the West End school were referred to the finance committee with power to act. It was resolved to take steps towards securing a school site of at least 'iwo acres on the Kino Road.

Mr Wade was deputed to carry out i the duties of chairman during', the absence of Mr Allsworth. The resignation of Miss F. Thompson as assistant at I'Jihama was accepted. j —Ylogcllown Petition.— The petition presented by Mr | Browne at the last meeting praying for the establishment of a school a't Vogeltowri was briefly discussed, and on the motion of Mr Mackay, seconded by Mr Morton, it was decided to reply that the board does not sec the necessity for such a school at present.