EDUCATION BOARD.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 January 1916, Page 3

EDUCATION BOARD.

THE CHANGE OF DISTRICT. NEW WARDS ARRANGED, BOARD OF SIX MEMBER* The Taranaki Education Board met yesterday. Present: Messrs H. Trimble (chairman), A. Morton, E. Marfell, F. J. Mackay, J. Young, R. Masters, W. Adlam, and the Rev. A. B. Chappell. Leave of absence was granted to Mr. A. H. Halcombe.

The Wards' Committee reported that it met at the Board's olh'ee on Wednesday, January 19, and with the assistance of Messrs Patrick O'Dea and Edwin Dixon, members of the Wanganui Education Board, decided to make the following recommendations:— (1) That the wards he known as the North, Central and South.

(2) ' That the schools in the present Taranaki education district and those schools now in the Auckland and Wanganui education districts which will come into the Taranaki Education district in August next be divided so as to provide 2854 children in the Central ward, 2663 in the South ward, and 2830 in the North ward. The report also gave a detailed list of the schools in the different wards, showing 50 schools in the Central ward, 50 in the North, and 38 in the South. The North ward embraced the area along the coast from Warea to Awakino, the Central ward extended from Inglewood to Stratford, and took in the Ohura county, and the South ward covered from 6outh of Warea the remainder of the Taranaki district taken in from the Wanganui education- district. The report was adopted.

With .reference to the division of the newly-constituted Taranaki education district into wards in connection with the forthcoming board election, the Director of Education wrote pointing out that it appeared doubtful whether the borough of New Plymouth was an urban area. The estimated population of New Plymouth on December 31, 1913, was given as 7953, and the population must now ■be considerably more than 8000, but unless it could be shown that the borough had a population of over 8000 at the time the last census was taken (April 2, 1911), the borough would have to be considered as in the rural area, and the schools in New Plymouth would have to be placed in one of the wards when the rural area was divided into three wards. If no census was taken this year the whole of the new district would have to be divided into three wards, and the new Board would consist of six members only.

It was decided to send the Department a copy of the Ward Committee's report. OVERSEER'S REPORT. The overseer reported: Koru.—The general repairs and painting both inside and out have been completed. New entrance gates were also erected and new desks installed in the school. Technical College.—Several repairs have received attention. ■Hillsborough.—Several repairs were attended to. Bell Block. —The painting and general renovating of the residence were attended to. New desks have also been placed in the school. The residence is verv much infested with the borer, and within a few years it will be necessary to replace it 'or do away with it altogether. Tikorangi.—The folding partition and removal of platforms have also been completed, and four new pivot windows were placed in the back wall. The residence was also painted outside. New desks were installed in the school. Kaimata.—The new additions and general repairs arc well on. Erankley.—As instructed, I have gone into the matter re boarding in the verandah at the old school building so as to form a shelter shed. After careful consideration, I do noi think it wise to carry this out. I would respeetfu/ly suggest that the committee be met at the school and the matter be gone into. Proposed new school between Marco and Tahora.—Although there is nothing in writing from the Public Works Department about this school, they have agreed to rail all material free from Whangamomona and find the piles. The people interested will clear the site and help us in other ways. The report was adopted.

TEMPORARY APPOINTMENTS. The chairman reported that during the interim he had made the following temporary appointments: Stratford ■District High School, Miss M.' Terry, fifth assistant; York, Miss W. Peach, assistant; Bell Block, Miss K. Eustace, assistant; Central, Miss Belle Allen, eighth assistant; Awatuna, Miss C. McGregor, assistant; Toko; Miss L. Spcnce, second assistant; Carrington, Miss D. fiilliver, assistant; Kaimata, Miss D. Robinson, assistant GENERAL. Miss G. Thompson, assistant at the Kaimata School, was granted two months' leave of absence on account of illness. The following resignations were accepted:—Miss E. Sinclair (Ihaia). Mrs. White (Kahui), Mr. N. Taylor (Opunake), Miss -Una Rice (Awatuna), Miss M. Kirton (Toko), Mrs. Somervillc (Bell Block), Miss C. A. Robinson (York), Miss V. Corney (Stratford) and Miss Gordon (Stratford). The Stratford School Committee wrote recommending the ■purchase of a block of land for a site for a high school. The Board recommended that the property should be acquired, and it was decided to forward a copy of the letter to the Minister of Education. It was decided to ask the Frankley Road School Committee to contribute half the cost of erecting n shelter shed. The Rev. A. B. Chappell brought forward the following notice of motion: "That the Board's decision of October 2S, 1914, adopting the report of the inspectors concerning reading books, and directing the Alexandra Readers to be brought intt use in IMC, and also the Board's resolution of November 2), 1015, deferring the adoption of these readers fqf a year, be rescinded, and that a committeee of the Board be set up to confer immediately ivitli the inspectors and the Taranaki branches of the New Zealand Educational Institute with a view to a satisfactory choice." The chairman and Messrs Chappell and Mas-' ters were appointed a committee to go into the matter.