REPAIRS TO SCHOOL BUILDINGS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 27, 25 February 1909, Page 4

REPAIRS TO SCHOOL BUILDINGS

A WORKING OVERSEER WANTED. I At the Education Board meeting yesterday, ilr. Jturison moved, in pursuance o'f notice, that the Board appoint a working overseer, at a salary of £2OO a year, the. overseer to provide his own horse and conveyance; that II committee comprising .Messrs. .Morton, Trimble, and the mover draw up a schedule of the dutie-; and tiliat applications for the position close at next meeting of the. hoard. .Mr. Morisou said there was little need 'for him to explain the motion. They were all aware of the trouble experienced by the Board in having small repairs effected to school buildings and residences, and of the extraordinary expense entailed. One instance had just come under the notice of the .Board, the erection of a tankstand at Tataraimaka costing £3 14s instead of about half that amount. He believed the repairs would be executed at half tie cost under the proposed system, and the work would be mora expeditiously done. He had been in doubt as to whether the overseer should be placed under thCi architect, or work under the direct control of the Board, but after much consideration he had come to the conclusion that it would be better for the oflicer to report direct to the Board. Mr. Kennedy seconded. He was fully in sympathy with the proposal, but lie doubted whether a suitable man could be .obtained. The chairman said the proposal was not a new one. It Wad frequently been discussed, and at one, time the scheme had had a short trial, with indifferent results. The trouble was to get a suitable man. The overseer would be to a graat extent his own master, and ;t would be. easy for the Board to pay for time when the man was not doing Jiis work, or to pay for 200 ft of timber on a job when only 100 ft was used. He regretted that since the earlier days in TaranakS opinion had changed consider, ably in regard to the amount of work a. mam should do in a day. He favored the proposal. ilr. Trimble was 'favorable to giving the system a fair trial, but thought that unless the overseer were made answerable to the architect, the Board would be in difficulties on account of friction between the two. Mr. Morton also spoke, in favor of the idea, "but considered there would be great difficulty in obtaining a man who would be a.ble to do all that would be required. To undertake, the Board's repairs lie overseer would need to be a "Jack of VII trades and master of all.'' H« must be a good carpenter, bricklayer, plumber, and painter, and that sort of man was not evolved under present la'bor conditions. Of course, the new appointment was going to give ample room for friction. If the Board authorised the overseer to do certain small repairs, and shortly afterwards the architect were employed in regard to extensive alterations, the overseer's work might be pulled to pieces. Mr. Kennedy: He does that with his own work now. Mr. Morton added that the salary suggested. was inadequate, for the horse and trap were going to cost 12s a week to keep. If Mr. Morison's scheme could be put into operation, a great saving to the Board would be effected. Mr. -Adlam liked the idea, provided a good man was obtainable. But, no matter hoV good a man they got, they would not keep him long if he were placed under the control of the architect; and if he were not so appointed, there would still be difficulty. As a general experience he had found builders and carpenters anything but keen to carry outjobs under the Board's architect. ; Mr. Morton: We all know that, of course. Mr. Morison consented to delete the salary, and to refer t'hc fixing of this to tie committee. The motion was also altered so that the committee should summit dTaft conditions to the next meeting of the Board for adoption, and in this form the motion was carried without dissent.