TARANAKI EDUCATION BOARD

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 3, 28 January 1909, Page 4

TARANAKI EDUCATION BOARD

The Education Board resumed iis meeting yesterday, when all the uiew•>ci's were present. ' VKOPOSKD OPUXAKE HIGH SCHOOL. 'I he Chief Inspector reported, as diluted, upon the application of the Opuuakc school committee for the eslab-..-iimoiit of a district high school at "i'lmake. An analysis of the position revealed, mtcr alia, the following facts: Ibat araod.ng t 0 the list forwarded by the comm.-iter, the number of pupils likely to illt end the school if established was .sixteen, made up of eleven children who had game Standard VI. proficiency 'certificates and ~,e folding standard VI .certificates oi competency. Those lioldtng the proficiency certificate would •be entitled to free tuition, while those with the competency certificate would •be admitted only on payment of a fee. 'There was no railway communication 'with Stratford and New Plymouth, distant 30 and 40 miles respectively, and it 'would be impracticable for children liv■mg in the Opunakc district to attend the j 'high schools in either of the "centres referred to. It .would thus be seen that 'the district was comparatively isolated "as far as the. advantages of secondary 'education were concerned, and the pro'posed school would in no way interfere 'with existing high schools. There was a fair number of primary schools iu the. Upunuke district that would serve as 'feeders to the proposed high school. The ■above facts would go iu show that the Vlpuiiake district certainly suffered from a want of facilities for secondary eduen'tion, but it was very questionable if the i'circumstances were such as would jusItify one iu anticipating a reasonable' •hope of permanency in the event of the 'school being established. I Subsequent to writing the report he 'had received a letter front the Departtoent, which stated that the Minister 'required to be satisfied that there was 'a fair assurance of an average of at 'least twenty holders of certificates of 'proficiency in the proposed secondary 'department before-, the matter could b. 'favorably considered. '. 'Mr. Morion moved, Mr. Trimble see . Ymded, and it was decided—That after 'making full enquiries and also obtaining 'information from the Department in re %ard to the establishment of district 4igh schools, the Opunakc school com- ] 'jnittee be informed that the Board doei-1 'nob consider the prospects warrant an application to the Department for establishing a district high school at OpuInake, and that a copy of the Inspecting 'report and of the letter from the De(partment he forwarded to the commit-, 'tee for their information, i HILLSBOROUGH. Miss Stephen, head teacher at Hillsborough, wrote that she wished to use: 'the residence, but deemed it inadvisable (to do so until the inside at least was Ipainted. It was very necessary, too, (that an outside office be provided, and (the cottage fenced off from the school ttjie architect said he had been in the •building recently. He did not consider 'the painting requisite, though the build'ing would certainly be the better for it.' 'As for the offensive drain mentioned b) *the chairman of the committee, it was evident that the drain was being used ■for purposes other than for carrying oil 'storm-water. The architect was in'structed to have the inside of the Hills] (borough school residence painted, tin j 'drainage extended, and an out-office] erected. 1

TECHNICAL, DAY CLASSES. The Inspector - General of Schools ■wrote, in answer to the Inspector, that •the Department was unable to entcrtaii. 'the proposals lor the establishment ol 'technical day schools in conjunction di'rectly or indirectly with district high schools. The Department fully appreciated the end the Board had in view, 'namely, the provision at Stratford uf a 'full course of agricultural instruction •and had under consideration the advisa•bility of devising means whereby thi ' 'desired object might be obtained 'in an 'other way. ' The report was adopted. BIRD SCHOOL TROUBLE. ' A letter having been received from a 'settler to the effect that no meetinp 'of the Bird- road committee had beer. 'held for three months, the sccretan: ■wrote to Mr. Seabright, the chairman.] •for information. He replied that tin "committee met on September 2Sth, November 2nd, and on January 21st.' At' •the last meeting a resolution 'was carried ■expressing its regret and disapproval .■)' I 'tltef 'Board's action in regard to Mr. letter, thereby causing incoii•venience to Board and committee; and 'that the Board be requested to forward ttimlication for head teacher and assist•ant teacher. Mr. E. W. Aiseh had been 'elected to the committee in place of Mr •Ashton.

' It was decided, upon the motion'el 'Messrs. Morton and Morison, that Mr 'Seabright be requested to forward tc 'tlie. Board the minute-book of the Bird school committee for inspection bv the 'Hoard, and that the secretary write U vach member of the committee asking •them whether .they have been notified 'of all meetings lwing held since 31st 'August, 1008. the minutes of which arc Entered in the minute-bonk.

RESIGNATIONS. Resignations were accepted:—Mr. A •R. Gatland, Stratford; Miss J. Sinclair. 'lnglewood; Miss M. 1. Taylor, Rowan; •Miss L. A. Hart, Norfolk; Miss Papps. •Dnrham; Mr. J. H. Rice, Bell Block The usual steps will be taken to till tin Vacancies.

; MISCELLANEOUS. Mr. G. F. Dewhiist, secretary of the •Egniont Village committee, wrote thai 'it had been decided not to reopen the for a fortnight, owing to an outbreak of scarlatina in the district 'Action confirmed. Mr. A. J. Arms, secretary of the Mid■hirst committee, reiterated a request 'for the appointment of a second assist'ant of the school. The matter of the Tahora school site and building was left in the hands ol '.Mr. Kennedy, with power to make arrangements.

Mr. Norman Day (Central) was grant ] ed leave of absence till the end of Janu-1 ary, on account of illness. | l The cliairmaii and Messrs. Morton./ (Kennedy, and Trimble were appointed 'to revise the Board's regulations 'report to the Board. ' Upon .the motion of Messrs, 'i! or ton land Trimble, it was decided to ~Vace the 'accident risk over the Board's aU( j •committees' employees wif a t u c . , Sottll British office. < Mr. Faull complained xil tlie eharwf of piCs6dfo,-tl l ,c r U (ai „ the l.ruti school lie considered a aycould have been effected by having kbt work done loeally.-Tl.e chairim .n he was sorry that therie w.as 'a vindictive spirit amongst the rpeoplc tout there, due, he believed, to the fact that a local builder had been ai, , m su ctessful tenderer for the crectio n 0 £ the 'school The setters forgot lj lat thuv •had been exceptionally well t Je ated l.'v the Board and the Departmc fl t He did hot consider the charge e * o rbitnnl.~ phe architect said that . tbJa trouble tould be avoided by inc-lu,' tiw Jn the building: contract ~jT Mr . A dlam Commented on the pei-ve tfsit j- of schoo | •on.m.ttees. If they » . re authorised In ••rectagale they took „ ~„„,, of ve ., vs ,'" ' ° V,' 6 WOrk - " It* Bmrd did the work, the eoininitt w , {rOVIM at -u,,. ! J' ost - i v i l . Ml '-,no7" , ''; y , W - «*aw w.te that in 'the 1807 scholar.^, examinations his son Hugh was v^ ilvl , , ] loell . ( [' s j lm i„ r Scholarship, r jn , t f( , f (1)( , t y(l : ir ~,. JU-nded the, VP' nlll ni< j, S( ,i m „,. He was now contf . m ,,i at iiig sending him to Neb-ou C'ollcf ;P) ' anil ,„. . lsk ,,;| tIK , ™"! nl 4 " ( ' xtf '"<' the scholarship accordingly.—flrnntod

The Chief. Ib S p,.cti>i's recommendation Hint the apr , o j n tmeut of Miss Agnes lawrtnec as probationer at the. Stratford s' , K)0 1/ be confirmed was adopted. '.lie Ch'jf if Inspector recommended, in "answer '» the application of the Toko eommittei.', that cupboards be fitted np in the ift» fant room and in the porch of 'the head master's room, and that hypoplate 0 ilaekboarding) he. placed along the frw.it wall of the infant room anil 'also ai ong .the front wall of the headmaster's room.—Adopted..

The applications for positions as proTjatioj lers on the teaching staff wore not 'definitely dealt with, pending the an'noun cement of the results of the recent lexanhinations. D.v. Frengley. of the Health Departiner.t, recommended the installation of jta. sewage system at the Fitzroy school. v_"i'he Board could not finance such ft eeheme.