TEACHERS' RESIDENCES

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 46, 3 June 1910, Page 3

TEACHERS' RESIDENCES

THE NEED FOR IMPROVEMENT. DEPARTMENTAL INTEREST AROUSED. The Department of Education evidently proposes to assist Education Boards ill improving school-teachers' residences. The Taranaki Board has received a circular from the Department which states tlmt the Minister has had under consideration the question of making some provision for this important. !na necessarilv costlv. work. From returns obtained from the Boards it appeal's that there are about 1100 of these .buildings, of which 484 are without bathroom or washhouse. Of the 454 residences without bathroom or washhouse there are lour with one room. 7o with two rooms, 4(i with three rooms. 140 with four rooms. Ill) with live rooms (being 388 with five rooms >r less), 81 with six rooms. 12 with seven rooms, and three with eight rooms. In providing for the erection of new residences during the lust veai oi tw<i the Department has had to restrict tht! accommodation to live rooms, with, in ad.lition, a bathroom and a washhouse. Maintaining for the present purpose this standard, the position is further shown bv the following tables giving particulars of 604 residences of five rooms or less:—

A further table shows that of these 6(i4 residences 85 have bathroom and washhouse, 8 with 'bathroom only, 1/0 with washhouse only, and 401 with neither. Of these 272 are schools fifteen years old or over. Generally, says the circular, it would seem of doubtful expediency to make any substantial expenditure on residences more than twenty years old, for the reason that the original buildings would be worn out before the additions. Tt would be equally inexpedient, igeneralIv speaking, to spend money on additions to "one-roomed or two-roomed hmw?: th«v 'are n-uallv leans-to, and often ?'l:."ht msrructure. There -,ue m I tho dominion 1015 five-roomed houses and HR Ihri-n-fooTned houses, total 2(10. riore than twenty years old. Of the five-roomed houses 06 have 'bathami- waslihouses, so that, acce.ptim, the foresting premies, there are 2flo houses of three to five rooms that need improvement. To bring these 200 lesidences up to the standard would cost, sav. £IS,OOO>. e.sr., 100 bathrooms at £25, £4000; 125 washhouses at £25, £3125; 122 one-room each at £SO, £(5100; 38 two rooms each, at £IOO, £3800; total, £17.925. In manv cases, however, say one-thinl of the number, there are single teachers to Whom the residence is of no advantage, and it is therefore estimated that an expenditure of about £l2 - (l0 ° would probably suffice to meet all the cases in which it is expedient to '-'PeiHi money at once on improvements. The Board is asked to send in a list of re sictences defective in any of the particulars named, dealing especially with those not more than twenty years old, and placing the eases in order of uigency The Minister will be glad to consider it, with the view of providing at 1 least an instalment of the requisite ■funds.

A< r cs of 664 residences of 5 rooms or less. 5 4 3 2 1 Over 30 years ol> 48 3 3 0 25 to 30 "1 52 !) 0 0 •20 to 25 3!) 30 4 !) 1 0 15 to 20 36 33 13 16 10 to 15 22 3ft 0 21 ' 1 5 to 10 23 34 11 21 2 Under 5 years 25 25 4 6 1 —- —- ■ 272 252 53 82 5