BACKBLOCKS EDUCATION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8165, 26 July 1906, Page 4

BACKBLOCKS EDUCATION.

—__♦ IMPASSABLE SEAS OP MUD. Folk who have lived in town all their lives, and whose children patter along asphalt paths to school each morning, can have little con ception of the trials and troubles m the backblocks and the dimcuiticexperienced in having way-backs children taught their a.b.c. A letter received from Mr W. L. Weiss. teacher at Mangaiu.i, thrown some light on the cunui'ioiis obtain.n,; there. Some few moiiMia ago .\i; Weiss accepted the post oi -u!< teacher at Mangaroa, a', a -'.,:■■ . salary of ,£i>o per annum. iio, n ~: tcr taking up his duties a period heavy ram set in, and the roads i;. the neighbourhood, none of '.unci are metalled, became masses o' deep mud, difficult of transit, foi adults, and, in places, absolute!) dangerous for children. As a result of these conditions, the attendance fell off, the parents refusing to send the children to school. The following is a sample of the letters received by the teacher from a parent: "On account of the roads being in such a terrible state, it ireally impossible to send my child ren to school, for the road is ju-t .- sea of mud. It Is not fit for a chile riding a horse, much less walking, so. . . I will teach them as uci as I can till the weather gi-ts b>" ter." Mr Weiss' salary suffered, hi- /., diminishing as the attendance !■! off, until in April. May, and Jiin. last he was paid at the rate of .„,|. £(/) per annum. He now r<q'e--'-that the Board should make up \h< amount to £(y>. as advcrii-ed. Tie teacher mentions that at Mangar<v the cost of living is greater than ar way line or served by a mttallcc; places cither adjai cnt •<, the rnij road. The rib lo;,f 0 d; b n , «ene is 15s a rasp, flour i.'.s fid pi; Cwt, and other good- in propsr'ion

A ropy of Mr Weis,' tetter rill f. forwarded to the Education Dtpar' ment, with a recommendation iron the Board that an allowance bf mad. |o bim.