EDUCATION BOARD

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 106, 25 October 1911, Page 7

EDUCATION BOARD

MONTHLY MEETING. The ordinary monthly meeting of tlie . Taranaki Education Hoard was held last night. Present: Messrs. 11. Trimble | (chairman), G. A. Adlam, J. Young, G. \V. Rogers, W. L. Kennedy, A. H. Halconibe, A. Morton, Rev. .T. McArthur. CHAIRMAN'S REPORT. The chairman gave his monthly reI port as follows: I Oeo. —Mr. Stewart, of Manaia, has I been requested to make a survey of the | two acres given by Mr. Hikaka for a I school site at the junction of the Oeo | and South roads.

Rahotu.—On receipt of the committee's resignation, Mr. Young was requested to make inquiries with a view to the appointment of commissioners. Waiongongoro.—The Board's solicitors have been instructed to make the necessary search into the title of the section of land given to the Board for a school site, and on hearing from them that everything is in order 1 will instruct Mr. Robinson to make the survey.

Jhaia Road.—The settlers having been notified that the Board had decided to open a school on their road and pay the rent of a building provided a suitable one was erected, they have now notified the Board that if the timber is provided by the Board the settlers will erect the building. Inglewood.—l very deeply regret to have to report the death of the first assistant master in the Inglewood school (Mr. Alexander Gow), which occurred on the 2nd inst., after a short illness. Mt. Mcssengi r.—Mr. D. Eraser having written to sav the building was completed, arrangements are being made to open the school on the Ist November. The following temporary appointments have been made: —Rahotu, head teacher, Miss Martell; Waitara, assistant, Miss Smith; Dudley, teacher, Mrs. Brereton; Wliangamomona, assistant, Miss Price; Inglewood, assistant, Miss B. Black. | The report was adopted. j REBUILDING STRATFORD SCHOOL. |

Messrs. Sanderson and Griffiths, architects, reported on the rebuilding of the Stratford school. The above work has been visited, and considering the weather fair progress has been made. All the boxing for the concrete work is in position, the trenches are all excavated, and a considerable portion of concrete has been placed in position. A large portion of the timber is on the ground and stacked, and a large quantity ol bricks and shingles is delivered. The contractor expects to have all the concrete work completed in a day or two and the brickwork commenced this week, when an extra gang of men will be put on, and the work pushed on. Members considered that the progress to date was too slow, and Mr. Sanderson said that more speed would be shown now. The question of the appointment of a clerk of works was discussed, but no action was taken. TRUANCY. Mr. Archie Hooker, truant inspector, reported that for the quarter ending 30th September he had issued 40 final notices for non-attendance of children at school. He had also prosecuted 29 parents, in which he got 20 convictions. One case was withdrawn on account of bad roads, one on account of sickness, and one for failure to report the child as sick until after the summons was issued. Fines amounting to £2 18s were inflicted. Mr. Hooker drew attention to the fact that within the last year or so fines amounting to about £:, ]r,< had been inflicted on parents in the Stratford S.M. Court. The Board was entitled to this money but none hn-d so fur been paid over to the Board. He bad 22 Mimnionses on issue for Stratford. The matter of obtaining monies from the Stratford S.M. Court was referred to the chairman. TECHNICAL CLASSES.

[ Mr. F. J. ITeatley technical organiser, reported: At New Plymouth the second term hrtd closed, the number enrolled in the I various classes showing ar. improvement on the first term. Commercial arithmetic 14. book-keeping 12, shorthand ],), English (junior lfi, senior 4, commercial -■>); Latin S. mathematics 3. electricity 4, education 5. dressmaking (afternoon 8, evening in), cookery 4. carpentry 10, poultry class 22, arithmetic (mensuration) 12, English 12, dairywork 12. agriculture 12, farm woodwork 12, farm mntal work 12, mechanical' drawing (junior) fl, building and machine construction 8, plane and solid geometry 10, freehand and model 10, drawing from nature 14, painting 7; total 250. Dressmaking, and art are. being supported for a. third term. Tnglewood —No second term was held here, the number of students enrolled during the session being: Hook-keeping 11, dressmaking 10, woodwork 4. cookery (i; total 37. During the month Mr. F. E. Gordon delivered an interesting address on "Poultry Rearing." with the idea of forming a class next session. Stratford.—The second term lias closed with the exception of a dressmaking class at Tariki. Book-keeping 0, dressmakin" (Stratford 11. Tariki 8), drawing 0. The total students oirolled during the year were 141. ' Schools.—The weather this month has been rather unfavorable for much outside work in the garden. During the month I have visited the followin" schools:—Ok:Uo. Bell Block. Lcpperttui', Tikorangi, Urenui, Central, Tariki. Stratford High School. Rowan and Cardiff. Most of the grounds are neatly laid off and the work for the season well in hand. The report was adopted. The director, Mr. Ballanlvne. recommended that a bonus of .t'2 10- be paid to Miss K. Tiphidy, trainee at the cook- 1 cry classes, for assistance in connection with the Tnglewood classes. NEW SCHOOL WANTED. With reference to the application of the settlers at Mimi for the erection of a -clmol. the inspector reported as follows: That (here were 22 children of school age residing in the district, a number of whom, owing to the distance, had never attended any school. Others bad to travel as much as six miles in order to receive an education. The land was eminently suited for dairying and. should some of the larger holdings he cot up. the di-triet was bound to steadily increase. About a mile awav there was a dairy faciorv. ami. in bis opinion, everything pointed to permanency of settlement in the district. Re recommended that the request of the seillers be acceded to and that application be made to the Department for a school. Mr. Rillantyne added (hat at the junction of the Pukearuhe and Mokau roads there was a piece of native land which, if acquired, would make a fine building site. Tf the school were placed there it would suit all parties.--Referred to Mr. Halcombc for inquiry and report. Regarding the application for a school at Radnor road referred to him to inquire into, the Chief Inspector reported that he had gone carefully into the question and found that the majority of (he children concerned were within' reasonI able distance of the Midhirst school, and ' had a good metalled to.hl to traverse, j The seillers living at the upper end of i the road were certainly deserving of I some consideration, as they lived a conI siderable distance from the nearest ; school. He thought, however, that the ease coulu he met if arrangements were

made with some settler to convey the children to the Midhirst school. Should i this be found to .be impracticable, he would suggest that the Department be approached and it be pointed out that the cost of the erection of a new school would be saved if a sum of, sav, £10(1 were expended in making a good track along the Derby road to enable the children on the Radnor road to attend .the Denbigh school. If this road were made no child would have to travel a greater distance than three miles" to the Denbigh school. The report was received, and the chairman was requested to try and make arrangements for the carriage of the children to the Midhirst school, and, failing this, to apply to the Department to use its iK-st endeavors to have a track opened along the Derby road. WHAXGAMOMONA. Mr. Kennedy reported, as the result of his inspection, that the shelter shed at the Wliangamomona school had been erected satisfactorily. He recommended that the present lessees of school sites be offered renewals of their leases. He added that it was absolutely necessary that immediate provision he made for accommodation of the large lumber (about 71) of children now attending the Wliangamomona School, and recommended that the Board urge the Department to make a suitable grant forthwith. The report was adopted, the chairman remarking that it had bee» suggested that an addition to the school building should be erected in such a fashion as to enable it to be dismantled and reected in sections, if necessary, at some other school whose attendance may be swelled as the railway Workers move '.' -ther inland.

The Chief Inspector reported, re adi' ions to the Kird School referred to V ;i for report, Unit lie found the roll lumber of the school at the end of the last quarter was 46, being, three less than in October, 1900, and he was of opinion that there was not likely to be a further increase in the attendance, although the seating accommodation was somewhat taxed. He did not think the case was one that warranted an application to the Department for additions. Eeport adopted. Mr. Halcombc reported upon the Mt. Messenger School site lately occupied byMr. D. Frnser. The fences* were still in a very bad state, but a start had been made with the work of improvement. Mr. Halcombe recommended that the Board's section on the Okau road be leased to Mr. Anderson.