TARANAKI EDUCATION BOARD.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 January 1921, Page 6

TARANAKI EDUCATION BOARD.

MONTHLY MEETING. The Taranaki Education Board met yesterday. Present: Messrs P J. White (chairman), H. Trimble, R. J. Deare, S. G. Smith, M.P., F. Hoskin, R. Masters, M.P., A. Lees, and H. J. Eaves. TEACHERS’ APPOINTMENTS, ETC. Thirty-twp applications from pupil teachers and probationers were received, and on the recommendation of the acting senior inspector, Mr. W. A. Ballantyne, the following appointments were made: Pupil teachers.—Stratford, Miss R. Smith; Hawera, Miss M. D. Clement; Frankley, Miss C. R. Moverley; Okaiawa, Miss R. L. Moore; Manaia, Miss B. Anderson; Waitara, Miss E. McMillan; West End, Miss E. M. Campbelfc West End, Miss D. Hodge; Tawhiti, Miss E. C. Vooght. Probationers. —'Bell Block, Miss F. I. Laurent; Central, Miss E. A. Griffin, Miss N. Peach, Mr. Colman; Inglewood, Miss G. Leech, Miss P. Thompson; Ngaere, Mr. A. Gilliver; Stratford, Miss M. Leitch, Miss I. Pratt; West End, Miss I. W. Thomas; Waitara, Miss L. Ovenden; Manaia, Miss E. McCartie; Eltham, Mr. H. Hunt, Miss L. Harrison; Normanby, Miss I. Johnston; Tariki, Miss A. Bullot; Opunake, Miss McLean; Fitzroy, Miss G. I. Godfrey; Vogeltown, Miss A. Frethey; Lepperton, Miss E. M. Ellis.

The following appointments, recommended by the Teachers’ Selection Committee, were confirmed:—Kina, sole teacher, Miss M. Fleming; Tokirima, sole teacher, Mr. R. D. Macßae: Tariki, assistant, Miss E. R. White; Pihama, assistant, Miss 0. Thicker; Huirangi, assistant, Miss M. E. Joyce; Waitara, third assistant, Miss M. I. Robertson; Central, third assistant, Miss* E. M. Pearce; Mr. Adlam to be transferred from Stratford to that of fourth assistant at the Central; Central, ninth assistant, Mr. W. J. Catanach; Hawera, seventh assistant, Miss A. George; Stratford Secondary Department, sixth assistant, Miss W. Knight. Leace of absence.—Miss A. McEwan, assistant, Manaia, six months. The following resignations were ac-cepted:--Miss E. Jeffries, assistant, Okaiawa; Miss G. Rawlinson, assistant, Waitara; Mis L. Treadwell, sole teacher, Moeroa: Mr. A. Huse, sole teacher, Tarurutangi; Miss E. P. Laird, head teacher, Matapu; Miss L. Laurent, sole teacher, Marokopa; Mr. G. 11. Pope, head teacher, Urenui; Miss M. E. Hodder, assistant, Westown; Miss J. Gibson, assistant, Egrnont Village: Miss T. Simpon, sole teacher, Tututawa: Miss C. Mander, assistant, Hawera; Miss L. Seerup, sole teacher, Niho Niho; Miss N. McAloon, assistant, Rawhitiroa; Miss H. Dryden, sole teacher, Mali Irakau; Miss C. Robertson, assistant, Hawera: Miss E. Sutton, sole teacher. Hapuma; R. D. Kirkpatrick, engineering instructor, New Plymouth Technical College. ARCHITECT’S REPORT. The architect (Mr. C. H. Moore) reported:— The whole of the works on hand have been progressing slowly owing to the holidays. Hawera Boys’ Hostel.—This place should be ready for occupation within a fortnight. Hawera Technical High School.— Work has been continued with reduced staff more or less during the holidays. The work lis progressing satisfactorily, i Manaia New School. —We are far enough advanced to warrant putting/on a larger gang of men, and conditionally on plenty of cement cominy to hand, good progress should be made. Infants’ Room, Ngaere.—This work is well on and will be completed within a few days. Toko Additions and Remodelling.—lt will be about a week before this'work can be started. This will probably mean at least a week longer before the school can be opened. I propose to concentrate all the men we can spare on this work to push it along. Albert School. —The altered conditions attendance at this school require further consideration. Acting on Mr. Trimble’s suggestion I have prepared a plan showing how the present school could be improved by remodelling and adding new porches. Evidently the prospects are not sufficient to warrant a 1 new school. Montessori Apparatus.—l have gone into this matter as well as possible. The principal items are two sets of diminishing blocks s|in. to lin. cubes, and a block with spindles and holes; these can be made in our own workshop. I would recommend making application for a grant of £l5 to cover the whole set, mats, special tables, and chairs, of course, would be a special item. General.—We have received advice of the early arrival of Oregon timber ordered direct. We are making preparations to deal with it. Applications have been made for the cost of remodelling the Ngaere infants’ room, part cost of of the Ahititi School and material for a school at Moeroa.

THE WAITARA SCHOOL. Referring to the Board’s application for a grant of £5,459, for three new rooms at Waitara, the erection of which involved the abandonment of two of the existing rooms, the Director of Education replied that the department’s architect inspected the building in October, and he had reported that the abandonment of the two rooms was quite unwarranted, and that the present dilapidated appearance of the building was due entirely to lack of systematic maintenance, and not to decay. He was further of opinion that the building was worth remodelling. The Minister therefore could not approve of the Board’s proposals. Mr. Smith objected to the tone of the letter, and the charges of neglect contained therein. He pointed out that the matter had been kept in abeyance since 1914. If the department had accepted the board’s first proposals the work could have been done for £2136, but the latest proposals, as amended by the Department, wouid cost £6920. They often heard much about the necessity for keeping a strong 'hold over boards, hut here was a clear case, and it was not isolated, of departmental delay causing a heavy extra expenditure. Mr. Hoskin supported 1 the previous speaker, and regarding the maintenance of the school, pointed out that part of the building was fifty years old. The Board carried a resolution expressing the opinion that the suggestions of the department that the board had neglected the maintenance of the school were as unfair as they were untrue, and that the hoard was opposed to the alterations suggested by the department and would not accept the plan on the lines set out, as they felt that original recommendation wm

correct one, and. had it been accepted by the department, a school would have been provided for many hundreds of pounds less than the work suggested in the department’s amended plan. GENERAL. With regard to requests for increased accommodation at Mokau, Mokoia, and Ackland schools, the acting senior inspector reported having made inspections and in each case said that in the meantime he had no recommendations to make. Concerning the application of the settlers for a school on the Glen Road, the Inspector stated:—As all the families concerned in the application live on the Glen Road, and the roads in this district are particularly good, I am of. opinion that the board should endeavor ; to arrange for the conveyance of the . children to one of the established schools before considering the establishment of a new one. The acting senior inspector reported having inspected the locality of the Ahititi School, in connection with the suggestin' that the building should be removed to another site owing to the proximity to the Tongapomtu river. He, expressed the opinion that the school i should be shifted at the earliest opportunity. Messrs. White and Deare reported having decided on a site for a new school at Koru. The committee was undertaking the preparation of the site and carrying out improvements to the grounds. The manual and technical committee recommended that the terms of the Technical Colleges be as follows:—Feb. 8 to May 6, 13 weeks; May 9 to May 28, 3 weeks; May 31 to Aug. 26, 13 weeks;' Aug. 29 to Sept. 16, 3 weeks; Sept. 20 to Dec. 16, 13 weeks.—Total, 39 school weeks.

The truant officer (Mr. G. Pascoe) reported that he had sent out 3J notices to parents on account of their children’s irregular attendance. Fifty-two chools had failed to forward returns for the month of December. One parent had been fined on a second offence for the irregular attendance of his children. Application is to be made to the department for a grant for rebuilding the Albert School, in vie,w of the fact that the present building is old and obsolete, or, as an alternative, a grant-be applied for to re-model and renovate the school. A committee, copsisting of Messrs. Eaves, Lees, and Trimble, was set up to confer with the Hawera Technical Advisory Board to define the powers of that body, with regard to the school and hostel. The Tuna school committee was granted permission to place a roll of honor in the schoolroom. The following appointments on school committees were confirmed:—Burford: Messrs. R. D. Spence and P. A. Bad.land, in place of Messrs. G. Spence and H. Ward, resigned. Albert: Mr. J. V. Hall in place of Mr. J. Adams. York Road: Mr. J. Potroz (chairman) and Mr. J. Symonds. Arawfaata: Mr. A. Williams, resigned. Durham: Mr. J. V. Shiel, resigned. Tututawa: Mr. W. J. Simpson, resigned, Mr. E. Hodder appointed chairman. It was decided that a letter, signed by the chairman and secretary of the board, be forwarded to Norman Ford and Hazel Johnstone, pupils of the Waitara School, expressing appreciation of their consistent attendance record during the past six years. The chairman, secretary, and architect were appointed to attend a conference called by the Minister of Education, and to be held on the 25th inst. at Wellington. The matter of taking fftrther action in regard to the West End site was left to the chairman and Messrs. Smith and Deare. The question or re-organisation of manual work in the board’s district will be discussed at the next meeting.