WAITOMO COUNTY SCHOOLS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81880, 3 November 1906, Page 2

WAITOMO COUNTY SCHOOLS.

A BATTLE FOR CONTROL. The Auck'and Education Board is opposing the proposad inclusion of the Waitomo county in the Taranaki Education District, for the reasons stated below. (i) The effect of the proposal would be io transfer to the administration of the Taranaki Board e'ght existing schools, all of which can be more conveniently visited from Auckland than from New Plymouth, viz., Puketarala, Otorohonga, Orahiri, Te Rau-o-moa, Hangaflki 'fa Kuiti, Maoroa, and Pacmako. (2) A though some of those schools may be nearer to New Plymouth than to Auckland, most of them are situated on the Main Trunk railwav. (3) For a similar reason the Auckland Board now undertakes "the administration of three schools which aie on the Main Trunk line, situated with n the Taranaki Education District viz. Ongarue, Mangapehi and 1 uoa. All of these schools are more remote from Auckland than any of those mentioned in paragraph one. (4) Until the completion of the Ongarue-Stratford railway, it appears to be unwisu to interfere with the present administration of the abovenamed schools.

(5) In the future development of settlement in the Waitomo County the Main flunk railway will ho the point from which the roads will naturally d -verge.

(6) The present divisional boundary of the two districts is ihe Mokau River. That river (is the natural boundary between the two districts. It is doubtful whether a satisfactory solution of the question can be effected without a division of the Waitomo County north and south of the Mokau River.

(7) The Auckland Board "does not wish either to add to the territory of tho Auckland district, or to oppose any extension of the Taranaki district which can bo shown to be for the public interest. (8) The County of Awakino could conveniently be administered by tho Taranaki Education Board, whose inspectors have for some years past undertaken (by request of the Auckland Board) tho inspection of the Mokau school in that county. In a conversation with the Taranaki Chief Inspector, a News representative learned that the Auck:and Board had only put one side of the case. It had not mentioned, for instance, that the inclusion of the Waitomo County in the Auckland district meant that Auckland would take eight Taranaki schools; five of these arc in actual operation, viz., Ongarue, Mangapehi, Tii'oa, Mangaroa and Matiere, one in course of erection at Mangapapa, and three proposed schools at Tatu, Aria and Kaeaca, these latter places to bo visited by the Inspector almost immediately. The Auckland Board also seemed to cteiiook that it had received all the Uepaninental grants for the Ongaitic, Muiigapehi and Tiroa schools, administered by that Board in return for the Taranaki's administration of the Mokau school:

but without obtaining any grant or compensation for its outlay, although the arrangement was made at the request of the Auckland Board. As, however, the arrangement was but a tentative one, until the three schools

were more accessible from Now Plymouth, and as they are now easily acccs.ble, and part of a chain of schools conveniently reached from

this end, the administration by the Auckland Board is now hardly necessaiy. Mr Spencer said that Hie Stratford-Ongarue railway wouid not affect the position at all, for the visits to the schools could not be made by rail, lie had suggested that as the Waitomo County was likely to bo subd'-vided in the near future by the formation of a new Whangamoniona' county, the desires of both Boards might, in the meantime, be met if the whole of the Waitomo County were included under the administration of one Board; but by a mutual understanding between the two Boards each couid administer the schools at pre em belonging to it, one Board transfemng to the other all Departmental grants. Taking into consideration the extent of country embraced by the Auckland Board, and the comparatively small Taranaki education district, it is thought that the hardship would be greater if the '( aranaki d.strict were curtailed to throw the Waitomo County into the Auckland district. The latter Board has decided '.o

fit-fund to the T'aranaki Board the expenses incurred jin obtaining in-|siVi;toi-V report on the three proposed schools, should they be transteired to the northern district.