Taranaki Education Board.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7899, 15 August 1905, Page 2

Taranaki Education Board.

Special Meeting. A' special moqting of,the Education Board was held on Monday. Present, Mr Wade (Chairman)' Messrs Fault, JHacko.v, Jijnkhouse, Maunder, Morton, Adlnm, McDonald. —School l'ctiiions.— Mr Monkhouse presented a report regarding tho W:npnganiouiona and

YVhitangi petitions The cost of removal from the present sitb to Kokuratoi'ili would !be about £IOO. Assuming the school to bo permanently established the Kohuratahi would be the most central iposit ion for the Upper school. The present school was very conveniently situated but, left s, group of children from Whitiangi Uoad at n distance of from four tc five and a half miles away, with a ve.y bad road in wifrter. There wero considerable changes in the occupancy of land in the Whangamomona district, and the migration of two or three families might entirely alter the position at aSry time. An undoubted hardship was endured by the W-h'iUianj; settlers, and it wokilfl bo pref Table to consider the question of providing for these children a,means of conveyance to the school, rathdr than mpve the present school under exinting circumstances.

Mr Monkhouse added that in the summer thero would be no difficulty! in obtaining a conveyance for the children, but in winter tihe road' was psactically impassable. He suggested that .probably the establishment-of two half time schools at Whitianga and Kohuratahi would be tho easiest means of meeting the case, lull the children in the district would the>n(be within three miles of a school,where as at prostent somo children had to travel over five miles. After the inspector had illustrated on the black board tho position of the proposed hnlf time schools, it wus decided that the report be received, and that steps be tjiken to ascertain tho possibility of establishing half time schools at Kohuratahi and on tho Whitiangi Kotid, on the site of Mr Harre's late school. —Stratford School.—

Tho Chairman explain the posS. tion with regard to tho fire which occurred nt the; Stratford High School. Alternative plans had been prepared, and these wore laid before tho Premier by Mr Muckay. The first plan provided for the re-instate.ment and the building of a teachers' room, and the other was more elaborate, providing for tho conversion of ono of the, class robins into two teachcrs'_ rooms, and the erection of a new class room, so as to give more, accommodation. The difference in th.t total cost of the plans was about £IOO. Mr Mrc' ay gave a dctaihd report of his interview with the Premier, when submitting the two sets of pltuis. Mr Siddon stated he would go int.) tho matter, on the Hoard laying it officially before him.

After sonic discussion it ,was resolved,on Mr Mackay's' motion, that the Hoard a|t once place full particulars in regard to the fire, before Mr Sed don, as Minister for Education, witl the re ucst that, as soon as possihh

tho Hoard be informed as to tb action he intends to'take.

Mr Mackay was thanked for his labours and voted expenses. For his prompt action in arranging acC|rJiii.ni<.luVi('\ :, ojv for tho cVsrMs disturbed by the fin 1 , Mr Monkhouse was thanked ami his action confirmed. —York Road.— Mr Mackay: report.d that he had also brought befoio the Preiiiier and the Hon.. Hall-Jones the petition by the York Koad settlers for a school, nnl the Denbigh Road settlers for a track. He had advocated a track, as there was no justitica-tion for building a school so close to the Denbigh Itoad school. Mr Hall-Jones had promised 'to go into the matter when !he Hoard forwarded full particulars. It was resolved that the Hoard submit to the Minister for Education,: and the : Minister.for Public Works the petitions in Ipiestion, with the recommendation that steps be taken to give effect to the report of Messrs Mackay and OrbelU engineers, regarding the construction ,of n track from York Rkiad to Denbigh Road. —Next Meeting.— The next meeting of the Hoard was fixed for Wednesday, Aug. 130. —Kini Road. — . The ChieMiispector i (-MV W. E. Spencer) reported on tho application for a school at Kini Road. He consid. ered that circumstances did not warrant the erection of 'a school. Even .Omuld the settlers put up the building and thus start a small school, fie considered' tJ'ierc\woiild be'thc greatest difficulty in procuring*!! .teacher, assuming one could be procured nt all. The road was metalled to the pointtravelled by tho most remote settlor, and the inspector recommended that two parents bo allowed the regulation amount for tho carriage of their children t.o Oaonui. Tho report -was adopted. —Kaima-ta Additions.—

The Kaimata committee, wrote urging on the Board the need for additions, to) tho school at a cost ta! about £IOO.

Tho;matter was referred to' uflc chiefinspector for his report, which will be submitted to a' finance,committee. —Election.—

The secretary, as returning officer, reported the re-election of Messrs G., A. Adlam, W. Monkhousc and J. Wade as members of the Board.

Mr Mackay spoke a few words of congratulation to the members. Mr Kaull thought th/p rerelpction by, such majorities indicated that there was no feeling against the Board's administration. The election of Chairman 1 was deferred. —Resignation.— The following resignations wcrtv handed in and accepted :—Mr R. E. Thomas, headmaster, Omata ; Mr Joseph. Thomas, assistant, Stratford ;• Mr All. Gray, assistant, Central School ; Mrs Harrison, sole teacher, Koru ; Mr Cooper, sole teacher, Eltham Road, In reply to a letter from MrdMorgan, teacher at Waihi, the Board declined to agree to his withdrawal of resignation. r-GoYcrnment Grant.—

The Education Department notified a grant of £loo'for additions and furniture at the Salisbury Road School. The application for a grant for a teacher's residence at Mahoe would receive attention later. The Education Department notified that the Government storekeeper had •been asked to send the Board, for distribution in its district, eighty copies of the pamphlet, "Fifty Years' Progress in New Zealand." —Miscellaneous.— Permission was given for the lease ot the Awatuna residence during Miss Powell's appointment, on the usual conditions.

The Fitzroy School Committee wrote statins that consequent upon alterations the midwinter holidays had l»cn curtailed to one week, and asking 'the Board to sanction a week's holiday after the examination.

After discussion,it was decided to request the committee to (adhere' to tj»p regulations. Under these regulations, it was pointed out, a day oi two's holidays could be granted flty the committee and inspector. On the recommendation of the Reserves Committee it was decided to lease to the Mldhlrst Dairy Association for ten years at 3s M per acre, a site at the corner of Ackland and Stanley Roads, in the Huiroa Survey District.