TARANAKI EDUCATION BOARD.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 March 1921, Page 2

TARANAKI EDUCATION BOARD.

MONTHLY MEETING. The Taranaki Education Board met yesterday. Present: Messrs. P. J. White (chairman), H. Trimble, H. J. Eaves, K. J. Deare, A. Lees, F. Hoskin and S. G. Smith, M.P. TEACHERS’ APPOINTMENTS, ETC. The chairman reported that during the interim he had made the following temporary and relieving appointments: Radnor, Miss M. K. Spence, sole teacher; Ongarue, Miss P. Devereux, assistant; Stratford, Mr. Stanton, woodwork instructor; Stratford, Miss I. Boon, assistant; Kaponga, Miss E. D. Leech, head teacher; Opatu, Mr. J. H. Morgan, sole teacher; Tatu, Mr. C. V. Smith, sole teacher; Rawhitiroa, Miss M. Parli, assistant; Hillsborough, Miss D. E. Simpson, head teacher; Matau Mr. S. Fee, sole teacher; Eltham, Miss R. Were, assistant; Tarurutangi, Miss L. Laurent, sole teacher; Plko, Miss M. Maher, sole teacher; Pohokura, Miss M. Hodder, sole teacher; Denbigh, Miss I. Guppy, sole teacher; Urenui 9 Miss L. M. Parrott, head teacher; Central, Miss I. Mountford, assistant; Waitara, Miss D. Walker, assistant. On the recommendation of the teachers’ selection committee the following were made: Radnor, sole, Miss M. E. Leech; Hillsborough, head teacher, Miss F. O'Brien (West End); Tariki, head teacher, Mrs. J. I. Harrison (Rahotu); Otakeho, Miss M. E. Thomson to be appointed from second to first assistant; West End, 7tb assistant, Miss J. C. Wilson (Otago) ; Hawera, Miss E. Q. Foy to be appointed from 12th to Bth assistant; Rawhitiroa, assistant, Miss K. A. Carroll; Hawera, Miss R. F. McCartle (pupil teacher). In. the case of Denbigh, as the school was now in Grade 0, the committee reported that no appointment could be made at the meeting. The position of sole teacher at Tarurutangi is to be re-advertised. •The following resignations were received: Miss M. Goy, assistant. New Plymouth Technical G. Ruscoe, probationer, Eltham; Mr. H. Short, sole teacher, Matau; Miss E. Heal, instructress. New Plymouth Technical; Miss V. McKenzie, instructress, Hawera Technical; Mr. O. Watkins, sole teacher, Puniwhakau; Miss G. Coleman, head teacher, Pukengahu; Miss A. Mackay, head teacher, Pungarehu. Leave of absence was as follows: Miss B. Earl (Hawera Technical), one week; Miss M. Freer (Mangajhume), 4 days; Mr. G. Lyall (Kaponga), 2 weeks; Miss M. Blair (Pohokura), 1 month; Miss Aitken (Rowan), 6 months; Mrs. H. Howarth (Mangahume), 9 days; Mrs. J. E. Marshall (Otakeho), 1 month; Miss M. G. Davies (Waitara), 2 weeks; Miss E. M. Murphy (Ohangai) 5 days.

MANUAL AND TECHNICAL COMMITTEE. The manual and technical committee’s recommendations as follows were adopted:— That the secretary be instructed to point out to the department the unsatisfactory nature of Mr. Skelton's appointment as senior engineering. Instructor at thd New Plymouth Technical College, and that the department be asked to make the appointment permanent. That application be made to tfce department for 20 single desks for the New Plymouth Technical College. That application be made to the department for permission to appoint an additional agricultural instructor. That a grant of £lOO be made to the Hawera technical High School Advisory Committee to be used in payment for incidentals of upkeep and replacement of furniture and crockery, wages to house staff, and tradesmen’s current accounts for foodstuffs, fuel, lighting, and that the expenditure of this money be operated on by the chairman of the committee and Mr. A. Lees, and further that ail imoney received from boarders shall be payable to the secretary of the board who will apply such moneys to the payment of the current expenses of the hostel. That the department be informed that the board established a commercial class at Stratford District High School, and appointed Miss Mclntosh as teacher to meet a want of the district which cannot be catered for in any othfer way; that capitation earned by the rural classes enabled the board to pay the salary of £3OO per annum, and that the manual and Technical Regulations apparently do not provide any means by which the payment of salary can be continued, and that the department be asked to make provision for the payment of the teacher's salary, as if it cannot be paid the board will be reluctantly compelled to dismiss the tetcher, and close the class, which will be a great detriment to a large number of. children.

ARCHITECT’S REPORT. The architect (Mr. C. H. Moore) submitted the following report:— Stratford Technical High School.—This work is making good progress. The steel windows are being placed in position and work on the walls will now make good headway. Hawera Technical High School.—The- walls of the top storey are now completed up to rhe plate. The roof will soon be ready for the tiles (unfortunately these are held up In Wellington). The plasterers have made a start, and good progress is being made. This branch of the work is being done bj' day labor also, owing to the unreasonable nrlce asked by contract.

Mana lit New School.—Tills work is also well on. The concrete root’s over the porches and cloak rooms are completed, and the main walls will soon be up to the top plate. We are forming concrete spouting in all these concrete jobs, and it is proving very satisfactory. Toko New Additions and Remodelling.—This work is well on towards completion. The class rooms are completed and now occupied again. A considerable amount of general repairs was necessary, including a new shelter shed for the girls, and extra entrance gate to the residence. REPAIR WORK. As instructed I have given this matter careful consideration, and as already reported I had hoped to have this branch of the work on a permanent footing, but unfortunately the man selected as foreman for this work is leaving to build a house for himself, and also another one under arrangement with the Work-i ers’ Homes Department. As there is a lot of general and painting repairs that should be attended to, I propose now to make sure of a permanent repair staff as instructed by the board, and after we have completed Huiroa and Raupuha, attend to the Inglewood and Lincoln Schools, and then go through the Ta rata district, except for a small break I think necessary to carry out some work at Pungarehu and Oaonul. The question of starting the Mangorei new school will then depend on getting a suitable man to take charge of the work. On furthe considering the repair work, I wohld suggest the committees try and get small repairs attended to, and especially renewals of glass in class rooms. This is their liability, and even now we have continual applications to have broken glass replaced. In many cases, the broken panes are left for months. GENERAL. The following appointments on school committees were confirmed: Ratapiko, Mr. Wells (vice Mr. Egarr, resigned) ; Ararata, Mr. J. Grant, chairman (vice, Mr. Ogle, resigned). It was resolved to ask the senior inspector to report on the state of accommodation at the Mokau School. The Manaia. School Committee' - 'is to be informed that the board cannot entertain the proposal to subsidise a motor bus for the carriage of children to school. The architect was instructed to report on the department’s suggestion for remodelling the Waitara School, and to prepare plans for an additional room, to be the nucleus of a new school. ' It was decided to write to Dr. Doris Gordon (Stratford) expressing appreciation of her services in addressing the senior girls on hygienic subjects last year at the Stratford School. Permission was granted to the Ackland Committee <o place a roll of honor in the school. The architect was instructed to prepare plans for a residence at Carrington, and application is to be made to the department for a grant for the building. On the recommendation of the senior inspector it was decided that a sum be expended for providing supplementary readers for classes up to standard 6 in the various Thoels.

The senior inspector was delegated to report on the question of accommodation at Fitzroy, and it was also decided that, subject to a favorable report, the architect be instructed to prepare plans for additions, either by a separate infant school or by increasing the accommodation in the present building. In order to meet the difficulties of providing accommodation for assistant teachers at Okaiawa, ,the householders in that district recently decided to erect a cottage hostel, and the board received an application for permission to put the proposed building in the school grounds. The scheme was to be financed by the householders signing a guarantee to the bank. After the position had been fully explained by Mr. Lees it was decided that the board accede to the request, if “possible, members of tho board expressing commendation of the action taken by Okaiawa residents and their readiness to meet the problem.

The following matters were referred to the architect: —Huirangi, repairs to residence; York Road, repairs to residence and school; Ngaere; pegs for hats and bags; Okato, 'locks for doors; Carrington, painting and ventilation; Urenui, painting and repairs to residece; Waitara, lining roam and supply of heaters; Otakeho, water tank; Kina, new desks; Egmont Village, additional tank; West End, partition in gymnasium. The director of Technical Education forwarded a copy of a letter received from the Board of Managers of the Christchurch Technical College urging that a deputation representing the managers and directors of technical schools in New Zealand bring before the Minister at an early date matters In the regulations which affected the welfare of technical education generally. The principal points were inequality in the grading of teachers, action of the department in making technical teachers' hours 28 per week, as against 25 in other branches, insufficient payment to full time teachers for overtime worked, and insufficient payment to directors for £eavy duties in control of day and evening classes. The board expressed the opinion that a conference was desirable but that a more opportune occasion for the meeting would be during the next session of Parliament.

The senior inspector reported having visited Moeroa School in company with the architect. It was at present conducted in a badly-lighted and ill-ventilated room in a corrugated iron hut. There are nine,pupils on the roll, most of whom attended every day, but there could be a roll number of 15 if all the children attended that were in the district. The settlers •were self-reliant and willing to help in the’ erection of a school by carting the material from Omona to Moeroa, and were prepared to erect the’building at their own cost. A site for a school had. been inspected, and he recommended that the Land Board be asked to set aside an area of 3% acres, as a school reserve. /