SCHOOL FACILITIES.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 April 1917, Page 4

SCHOOL FACILITIES.

Th« growth of New Plymouth is necessitating further school accommodation, and the Education Board is acting wisely in providing for the future, and not. only for the" present. New Plymouth, us Mr. Wilkinson pointed out at Tuesday's meeting of the Bfard, is going to be a big place. It has only to maintain its growth of the last two or three years and its population will be doubled in ten years. That means school accommodation will have to be provided accordingly. The Board proposes to amalgamate the West End and Westown districts and erect a school on tho Cutfleld road on a very central site of ton acres belonging to the borough, it Government and Borough sanction can be obtained. WestoVra is at present without Bchool facilities, whilst West End is in urgent need of extensions and additional ground, and the solution seems to be in the direction suggested by the Board. As pointed out by the chairman, a school situated on Cutlield road would also overcome the necessity of 'increasing the size of Frankley road. A school site need .not be on a main street; indeed, that is a disadvantage. It should be as centra Sly situated as possible, and have any amount of air space surrounding it. This none of the town schools have. Ten acres"- would provide an ideal site V l ' a school, and it is to be hoped tho Minister for Education will see his way to authorise the necessary grant for the building. No doubt if the legal formalities are overcome there will be little difficulty in obtaining the. sanction of the Borough to an exchange of the reserve for :\n educational reserve of equal value elsewhere-. We arc pleased the Education Board is looking to the future, and its policy \vill, we are sure, meet with the approval of all interested in the future development of the town and the : welfare ?g jfta children,