TARANAKI EDUCATION BOARD.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 November 1915, Page 2

TARANAKI EDUCATION BOARD.

MONTHLY MEETING. The usual monthly meeting of the Board was held yesterday. Present: Messrs H. Trimble (chairman), G. A. Adlani, R. Masters, P. Mackay, E. Marfell, A. Mortun, A. H. Halcombe and Kev. A. B. Chappell.

TEMPORARY APPOINTMENTS. The chairman reported having made the following temporary appointments: Bell Block, Mrs, E. Geddes, head teacher; Koru, Miss R. Eason, sole charge; Waitara, Mrs. Lampiough, assistant: Vogeltown, Miss E. Drake, assistant; Kiore, Miss B. Eason, sole charge; West End, Mrs. Firth, assistant,—Adopted.

EDUCATION DISTRICT BOUNDARIES. The committee appointed to take charge of the above matter reported that at a meeting held in October it was decided to recommend to the Council of Education that the Taranaki education district should include the counties of Wa'ttomo, Kawhia, Awakino, Ohura, Clifton, Whangamomona, Stratford, Taranaki, Egmont, Eltham, Waimate West and Hawcra, and a sub-committeo was appointed to draw up reasons for the recommendation., with slight alteration, was adopted. Subsequently Messrs Masters and Trimble went to Wellington for the purpose of laying the Board's views before some of the representatives of the boards on the Council of Education. The result of the Council's deliberations have now been made public, and have resulted in the Taranaki district being constituted as asked for, .except that the counties of Waitomo and Kawhia have been retained in the Auckland district.

In moving the adoption of the report, the chairman said that the Board might well be satisfied with the new district. He hoped that the southern portion of the district would have no occasion to regret its being' attached to the Taranaki Board. The motion was seconded by Mr. Adlam, who expressed appreciation of the work done by the committee. The motion was carried.

Mr. Chappell moved—That the thanks of the Board be extended to the chairman and Mr. Masters for their services in Wellington in connection with their efforts (which he warmly eulogised) to have the Taranaki Board retained and its districts enlarged. 'Mr. Morton, in seconding the motion, considered it should be enlarged to cover the valuable services rendered by members of the committee outside the Board. He congratulated the Board and district on the new boundaries, and was confident that those in the extended area would find that their interests would be just as thoroughly considered by the Taranaki Board as by the boards under which they had been heretofore administered.

The motion as enlarged was carried. Rev. Chappell then brought up the matter of dividing the new district into wards. He said that the Minister was looking to the boards for guidance in this matter, and he moved that a conv mittee, consisting of the chairman, Messrs Masters, Morton and the mover, be set up to make recommendations to the Board in the matter of ward divisions in the enlarged Taranaki education district; such committee to be empowered to invite the co-operation of the chairman of the Taranaki School Committees' Association, the president of the Taranaki branch of the Education Institute, the president of the N«w Plymouth Chamber of Commerce, and Messrs E. Dixon and P. O'Dea (members of the Wanganui Education Board resident in Hawera). ' Mr. Masters doubted whether the teachers should be represented on the committee.

Mr. Morton said he went further than Mr. Masters, for he considered that there was no necessity for anyone to be on the committee outside members of education boards, as the Act provided for the division of wards being carried out by the boards. It was a purely mechanical operation, based on the number of children, the wards being constituted so as to provide as nearly as possible an equal number of children in average yearly attendance. It would, he considered, be most advantageous to have v thc services of Messrs Dixon and O'Dea, as their knowledge of the southern part of the district would be oi great assistance, but he could see no good reason for any others outside the Board. I'e therefore moved to delete the other outside representatives. Mr. Maekay seconded the amendment, which was carried.

CARRINCTOX A'XID FRANKLEY SCHOOL DISTRICTS. Messrs Trimble and Bradbury reported:—We have further examined into the question of the boundaries between these districts, and the objections raised by the Frankley Committee to the boundaries suggested in our former report, and have now to recommend that the following sections in the Frankley district be transferred to the Carrington district: Sections 85, 87 and 88, block 1, Egmont; sections part 70, 83 and 84, block S, Paritutu; the southern parts of section 77'8, block 9, Paritutu; being the parts fronting the Hurworth road. We recommend that the following be transferred from the Hurford school district to the Carrington school district: Sections 80. 91, 0-1. part 05, block 1, Egmont. The sections which we- formerly recommended should be transferred from Frankley school district, and whii-h we now think should remain in that district, are: Section 54, block 8, Paritutu; seclions 780, 781, 782 and 782 a, and the northern part of section 778, block i), Paritutu. In our former report certain sections stated to be in block 1, Paritutu, should have been block 1, Egmont. Our thanks are due to Mr. Ellis, county clerk, and Mr. Sturtevant, Registrar of Deeds, for information with reference to the ocoupiers of certain sections, and as to the position of the Hurworth road. The report was adopted, a copy to.be forwarded to the committees interested.

R'KOGAHU .SCHOOL SITE. Messrs Marfell and Ballantyne reported having visited the Pukengahu district fur the purpose of interviewing the settlors with regard to a suitable site for a school. At the request of the settlers they visited tliree sites on the Wnihapa road, and discussed the suitability of each. After considering the matter in all its aspects they were of opinion that of the three sites the one at the corner of the Wingrove and Waihapa roads would best meet the needs of the district. They therefore recommended that application be made to the Department for the erection of a school on the site chosen. They added that Mr. N. A. Brown had generously offered to present the Board with an acre of land, and the settler* had guaranteed to find the money for the purchase of an additional "on.

Mr. Ballantyne stated that the site mentioned in the report was the same as that recommended by him two months ago. Messrs (Phillips and Christoffel waited Qh the Board in support of a requisition favoring the erection of a school at the corner of the Waihapa and Wingrove roads. The absence of a school was being greatly felt, and it was strongly urged that it should be provided as soon' as possible. It was stated by the deputation that the settlers would provida two acre of cleared ground for the school site, free of cost except for transfer fees. Mr. Masters said the site was a beautiful one for a school. On the motion of Mr. Marfell, the report was adopted.