EDUCATION BOARD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 4, 29 June 1911, Page 4

EDUCATION BOARD.

OKDINA'RY MEETING. The ordinary monthly meeting of the Taranaki Education Board waa held at the Board's offices last night, when there were present: Messrs. Jas. Wade (chairman), G. A. Adlam, J. Young \V C. Curgill, H. Trimble, Geo. Rodgers W L. Kennedy, and A. Morton. FINANCE COMMITTEE'S REPORT.

Tho Finance Committee recommends the Board to deal as follows with a mass of correspondence received since last meeting:-That a stove be supplied for the Tongaporutu school, the matter of blinds to be left to the inspector; that the Bell Block committee's letter re over-crowding of the school .be referred to the inspector for enquiry and report; that the Board will consider the matter of painting the Pihaina school at the proper time, that the committee be informed that the Board docs not supply water-troughs for horse pa.ldocks, that the question of leaks in the school building be referred to the foreman to be attended to, that one hundred escalonia plants be provided for hedge, and that the Board subsidise £ for £ up to £2 for gravelling; that the Bird committee be supplied with the hedge plants; that the usual subsidy he granted for a shelter shed at Wliangamoinona school; that the Board pay the account for gorse-grufbbing at Koru school; that the necessary material be granted for asphalting at Tarurutangi; that Mr. Taylor, Radnor road, be informed that the Board has no-funds for expending on the. Derby road; that a subsidy up to £4 10s be granted for improvement of the Awatuna grounds; that the Upper Mangorei committee be subsidised ■£ for £ up to £3 10s for asphalting floor of shelter shed; that the letter'from the headmaster of the Stratford District High School re flooring of the dairying room be referred to the inspector for a report; that the accounts received from the Tariki committee for drain pipes, labor, and fencing be paid; that the Midhirst committee be informed that the Board is not in favor of partition fences, and they must he maintained by the committee; that the Central school committee be referred to the Board's letter of March last in reference to asphalting; that the matter of repairs to the Stratford District High School residence and infant room lie referred to the chairman, with power to act: that the Rowan committee be supplied with hedge plants; that the letter from the Norfolk committee in reference to improvements at the residence be referred to the chairman, with power to act; that the matter of supplying a tank to the Opua school be left in the hands of Mr. Young; that the sum of five shillings a month l,e granted to the Inglewood Technical School towards the cost of cleaning; that the Ilurford committee be supplied with a gate; that the Stratford committee be requested to- furnish further particulars with reference to number of books, different standards, and prices of books required; that the foreman report with reference to certain improvements at West End school; that the Kina committee be informed that the Board will give .€ for £ subsidy up to £5 towards the erection of a porch, but cannot assist in improving the grounds, as they were not the Board's property: that the letter of the Mangorei committee complaining of the ineffectiveness of the grate be referred to the chairman: that the Board allow Mr. Schmidt £4 Ids for the unexpired term of his lease of section 8, block 11, Mimi; that the York committee be granted a subsidy of £ for £ up to £5 towards cleaning grounds and fencing school gardens;' that the Waitara committee lie informed that the Board will supply grates asked, for and the material for fencing, and that other matters be referred to the ..'fiainnnn; that the Ngaere school be supplied with drain pipes, the committee to do the work; that pump and pipes he smmlied to the Oaonui committee and £1 towards cost of underground drain; that matter of blinds at Raupnha be referred to the inspector, that hedge plants be provided, and wire supplied on application to Mr. Kennedy; that gate and concrete posts be supplied at Urenui. TEACHERS' APPOINTMENTS.

.Ihc chairman reported (hat the following appointments had lieen made: Tnglcwood. assistant, Miss H. BlackOaknra, teacher, Mrs. P. Cameron; and the following temporary teachers: Waitni, Miss A. Smith: Tlowin, Miss'l Martelli; Makahn. Miss M. Fowler. TECHNICAL KDI.TATTOX. ' Mr. F. J. Heatley, technical orsnniser reported: ' ' Stratford.—Tn connection with Stratford Technical school the classes are'-Book-keeping is students, drawing 7 dressmaking 10. dnirv work (Midhirst)' 1(>, (Mgaere) 14. arithmetic 7, English 7. Latin 7, mathematics 7. Toko wool class ~ Te Were 10; total 109. In connection with the two latter classes it is to he regretted th.it all who promised and on the strength of whos» nromise the class was started, have not attended. i Tteited. the. *a&

Kolmratahi districts, and had a mealing of those interested in wool classing, wittt the result that a class of over 20 signed

Inglewood.—At Inglewood the classes are: Hook-keeping llj, dressmaking 16. The fees due for this venr amount to £l9 17s fid, of which £1!) 2s fi.l has been paid in. New Plymouth.—The number of students in attendance at classes is as follows: Arithmetic 18, dressmaking, afternoon 7 and evening 14, Latin <J, English, junior 2. senior 4, eommc:cial 5, mathematics (i, physics 3, chemistry 2, engineering .">. shorthand Hi.'hook-keeping IG, elocution 2, woodwork 11, mechanical drawing 7, freehand and mode! drawing 10, machine construction 2, building construction 5, drawing from nature and design 10. Rural course: English 12, arithmetic 12, dairy work 12, farm woodwork 12, farm metal work 12; total 247.

During the month Major Young visited the college, and gave an address on "The Horse" to the boys of the rural class, and hoys of the High School rural division. I hope to he able to arrange another visit later. The boys continue to evince great interest in their work, and there is hope for a very good class next year.

As I mentioned in a previous report, the number of free pupils seems small for the size of the town, and on taking the number of proficiency certificate* granted to pupils of the three town schools it is found that a proportion of the holders are- not availing themselves of the privileges of free places either at the High School or Technical College. There were 22 certificates granted to pupils at the Central school last year, the holders being distributed as follows: Fourteen per cent, on Technical College roll, (18 per cent, on High School roll, and 18 per cent, unaccounted for or left the district. To pupils at West End~N 28 certificates of proficiency were granted, no holders being on the Technical College roll, 04 per cent, on the High Schol roll, and 36 per cent, unaccounted for or left the district. To pupils at the Convent 9 certificates were granted, one holder being on the High School roll, 0 continuing at the Convent, and the others not accounted for or left the district. To pupils at Fitzroy, four certificates were granted, three holders being on the High School roll, and one on the Technical College roll. It would seem that the leakage is sufficient to warrant committees moving in the matter of enforcing the compulsory clauses of the new Act.

There is a possibility of a plumbing elans being formed this next session, and further increase in ; the engineering class. During the month I addressed meetings (it Kohuratahi and Woitara, and visited for instructional purposes the schools at Leppcrton, Lincoln, Tikorangi, Marco and Urenui, holding also weekly classes at Ngaere and Midhirst.