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Taranaki Daily News, 22 September 1915, Page 4

THE HIGH SCHOOLS, The report of the recent meeting or tlie Board of Governors of the New Plymouth High Schools cannot fail to evoke the utmost sympathy for the Board and the strongest condemnation of the Government. It is extremely hard that the work of the Board should be so arbitrarily curtailed by a distinct breach of faith on the part of the Government, and yet such is the case. Animated by the highest motives on behalf of the girls and boys of district, the Board and the heads of the two High Schools have labored to such good purpose that the limited and temporary accommodation has for some time been woefully insufficient, so that the work in both the girls' and the hoys' school has been carried on under very disadvantageous circumstances. All the buildings used for the girls' education i'ml boarding are merely makeshifts—the best that could be" got, but still makeshifts that fall considerably below requirements; and, as a consequence, pupils have had to lie refused admission, The boys have an excellent school, but here, again, the boarding accommodation is deficient. For the additions to the boys' buildings the Board has had to borrow on mortgage £9OOO, and for the projected s.hool and boarding house for the girls, the Government had promised £4OOO, then reduced the amount to £2OOO, ami finally slated that no money at all was available. Tims, the Board lias only the £OOOO to rely on for the whole 'of its building programme, and the question is, which portion of the work is to be done, and whh-h left undone? Urgency for the whole is beyond dispute. It is nothing loss than a scandal that the Board should have been placed in such a position. The Government having promised (In- money arc moral!v bound to redeem their promise. Admitting they may not be able to borrow the I'.niount, there should be no necessity to do so. There \< plenty of money that the Government can secure, and when their honor is involved and the work of higher education held''up, they should make the necessary effort, for where there's a will, there's a way. The utmost pressure should be exerted on the Government to fulfil their obligation.