NEW VOGELTOWN SCHOOL.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 May 1919, Page 7

NEW VOGELTOWN SCHOOL.

OFFICIAL OPENED®, The official opening of tlie newlyerected school at Vogeltown took place yesterday afternoon, in the presence of a large gathering of residents, which, no doubt, would have been considerably larger but for the disagreeable condition of the weather. Prior to the ceremonies the children were entertained with sports and games. WELCOME TO VISITORS. Mr. V. H. S. Griffiths, chairman of the committee, apologised for the absence of the Mayor of New Plymouth (MrC. 11. Burgess), Mr. P. J. White, a member of the Education 'Board, and Mr. W. W. Thomson, chairman of the West End School Committee. He then, welcomed the board members present, and also expressed pleasure at the large gathering on such an inclement afternoon, which, he thought, was an indication that the interest of the community was behind the school. He hoped that interest would also take the very practical course of sending the children to the school. He referred to the agitation for a school, which had been carried on for 9 or 10 years, and now that the school was built he hoped the boys and girls would realise that it was their school. He wanted them to remember the opening day, and hoped that in the years to come they would look back to the occasion with pleasure. In the school there would be laid the foundation of lives destined to be the pride of the nation in the next generation. In regard to the grounds surrounding the building he said they were at present very rugged, but he hoped the residents would stand behind the committee in their efforts to make them what it was hoped they would be. He then referred with appreciation to the efforts of the board to get the school erected, and recognised that the delays had not been the fault of the board, as although a grant had been made for the purpose just prior to the war, the department had asked that expenditure on new buildings should be suspended' when the war broke out. Mr. Griffiths also Bpoke with appreciation of the work of the board's overseer (Mr. C. H. Moore), who had designed ,the school, and under Whose supervision the board's staff had erected tliQ building. He hoped [the committee would make a success of I the' school, and that it would be brought into line with the best schools in Taranaki, and with the cooperation of teachers and scholars that could be done. (Applause.) He then invited the chairman of the board (Mr. R. Masters) to address the gathering.

CHAIRMAN'S SPEECH. Mr. Masters said the opening of new schools was one of the very pleasant duties that fell to the lot of the chairman of the board. He referred to the history of the school, and said that the agitation for a grant for the erection of a school had been commenced as far back as May, 191-2, when the board made application for a grant of £B4B for the erection of a school in brick The application was renewed in t.lie following vear, and again in June, 1914, though bv that time the estimated cost of the building had increased to £385. On July 18, 1914, the department made a grant of £OIO, but as the war brake out soon after, all grants for new buildings were withdrawn. Several applications for permission to erect the school were made, and in July of last year the board applied for a grant of £1754 for ft tworoomed building, porches, lavatories, .septic tank, etc.,. and on September 12 the department asked for plans of a sixroomed building, showing how the rooms were to be added from time to time. This was done, and in October a grant of £1(557 ww authorised, and from that the present; school had been erected. Continuing, the,chairman said the best barometer of th« progress of a district was the , kind of school buildings that we#e biding .put /up. In Taranftki the boßjd -ilas continually making applications for new schools and for additions to present buildings. It was a matter for congratulation that parliament in its wisdom- had decided last session to increase tlie amount, authorised for school buildings by £300,000. All the boards in the country were asking for money for that purpose. Some people said that the country could - not afford to spend so much on education, but his opinion was that the country could not afford not to spend more ou education than it was i doing to-day. President Wilson had said they had gone into the war to make the world safe for democracy, and if j democracy "was to be safe for the world lit must be a well-educated democracy. If the future was to be a future of peace and power the world must offer every facility for education. More money was therefore required for present education, and education required to be extended. He instanced the need for better medical inspection, and while appreciating what was being done he thought it did not go far enough. Each child should be medically examined directly it entered a school, so that any defects might be remedied at once- Attention to the teeth of children was also a ma.tter of urgency.. The teeth of the- children of New Zealand were l>ad indeed, and he was sufficiently socialistic to believe that the cqst <j£ the care of children's teeth should be borne by the State. He be-, lieved that in the" future dental ambulances. would travel over the country; and people would be compelled to have . their> : teeth properly attended to. Another, matter on which he held emphatic view's was ; the question of free books for school children. He recognised the heavy handiop the , pi«sei»t system was on men tfitH largo iainiljles, and he believed time, was not far distant when men aitdrlrtere without families would have to contribute towards the cost of providing (free; school books. He £ also urged the necessity for hostels in |'connection with secondary and technical f Jschoflts,? so- -;t;hatj (the. children of the 1 Country mighi-be-given the same! advan- : , children, an<J unde* i -proper conditions o| control. Mf. Mas!ijjipjjra then appealed to the boys aijd girls, s!s4 ; whom they |oo%£d as the future citizensof the country. What was wanted wfys'taat they should grow up to be good men and women. He urged them to cultivate habit 3 of industry, truthfulness and perseverance. He concluded with a word of congratulation to the overseer and the staff for the excellent work done in connection with the building, which, I he said, was so designed as to be cap- ' able of extension to six rooms without any alterations to the present structure. i BOARD MEMBERS' ADDRESSES.

Mr. H. Trimble, a member of the Education Board, congratulated the community on possessing such a fine school. He recalled that over five years ago he had met the Minister of Education in New Plymouth, and'when asked by him as to the most urgent work to be then undertaken by the board he had replied that, the erection of a school at Vogeltown was the most pressing need. But

for the war he was sure the school would have been built over four yearn ago. He urged the people to help the committee make the grounds pleasant for the children, and was certain tliat the suburb would develop, and that the school would therefore become a large and important institution in the locality. In introducing Mr. &. G. Smith, M.P„ the chairman ol the committee paid a warm tribute to the consistent agitation carried- on by Mr. fcsmith f.or the erection of a school for the Vogeltown suburb. (Applause.) Mr. Smith congratulated the district on the realisation of long-cherished hopes, find incidentally congratulated the chairman of the board on the progressive policy he had foreshadowed. His earliest recollection of an agitation for a school at Vogeltown was of a meeting held in 1907, at which it was decided to ask the board to provide a school. While congratulating tlie people of to-day he also reminded the gathering of those who in the earliest days had urged that a school should be built at Vogeltown. A great deal of credit was due to his predecessor, the late Mr. H. J. Okey. He brought congratulations from the committee of the parent school (the Central), who sent good wishes for the success of the new School. While he hoped they might turn out good scholars, the most important thing was the making of good citizens. He was sure the school would be the envy of all the other suburbs. He saw grqat possibilities in the grounds of the school, which he hoped would ba made us beautiful as the building. If the people backed up the committee it might be that the beautiful park across the stream would be included m the school grounds. He urged the boys and girls to remember the occasion by the fact that their new school was opened in neace year. The military war was over, but in the economic war that would follow education would play an important part, and he hoped the facilities at Vogeltown would increase as the populatior increased. He urged the residents to have a strong belief in their own Buburb(Applause.) Mr. C. TL Moore, under whose supervision the school was erected, in handing to the chairman of the board the key with which to open the door, said they had had to contend with many difficulties in the erection of the building. In regard to facilities he thought the school was as well equipped as any in ihe Dominion. He stated that the board had in hand applications for work amounting to about £BOOO. and with the prospect of two jnore district high schools to be built the figure would reach £20,000, and he did not know where to look for men for the various works. He then handed the key of the main doors to Mr. Masters.

THE DOORS OPENETV. In opening the building Mr. Masters again expressed the pleasure he had in doing so, and reiterated the hope that above everything else the school would turn out good citizens. He said the teachers in Taranaki were doing good work in that direction, and he believed they would at Vogeltown. As the doors were opened cheers were given by the boyß of the school. The guests were then entertained to afternoon tea provided by the ladies of the district, which was greatly atedTHE BUILDINGS. The school as it stands at present will aePOinmad/i.ti! iflO children,. It is built of concrete and finished in rough-cast on the exterior, the interior walls being plastered. The two rooms are lofty and airv and lie nicely to the sun. The main porch is a largo vestibule, and will serve the purpose of an extra class-room on occasions. The chief features of the bnilding are in the lighting and ventilating arrangements, which have been carefully planned and faithfully executed. The windows are so arranged that tbev can be opened without direct draughts blowing on the children, and an ample supply of fresh air can always circulate through the building . Unique stoves have been installed for heating purposes. In the room facing the north double sliding doors have been put in the front wall, and on fine days these can be opened right out, giving an effect almost equal to an open-air class room. All the work, with the exception of the plastering, was done by the board's staff, including the joinery and the interior fittings and fixtures and school appliances, and the work reflects the greatest credit indeed on those responsible for it. Two Shelter sheds have leen erected and | also the requisite sanitary buildings.