WEST END SCHOOL SITE.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 December 1921, Page 6

WEST END SCHOOL SITE.

A FURTHER PROPOSAL. DISCUSSED BY THE BOARD. Matters in connection with the securing of a suitable site for a school to serve the western portion of New Plymouth, including the suburbs of Westown and Dartmoor, were again before, the Education Board yesterday, when a report was received from, a committee of the board, comprising Messrs, H. Trimble (chairman), P. J. H. White and.R. J. Deare, which had been set up to report on the matter. This committee reported as follows: —“We considered the aspect suggested by the Department. i.e., that a vacant piece of land on Wallace Place, opposite to Reserve T. and containing three-quarters of an acre, should be acquired by the board for a site, and that the reserve should be used as a playing area. This/ is now out of the question, as the greater part of the land has been sold, leaving only a quarter of an acre available for a school site, not nearly a sufficient area for so large a school. We understand that an area of about 16 acres, having a frontage to Belt Road, part of Standish's estate, is still available for purchase, and this would be an excellent site in many ways, though its distance from the South Road is a great disadvantage. Were a school to be erected here, and another at Mot 11roa, it would still be necessary to .provide another in the vicinity of tlie South Road to which the, younger children could be sent. The site offered by Mr. Greig is not now available, a portion of it having been sold in small allotments. We recommend that the position be again placed before the department.”

Mr. Trimble, in moving that the report be adopted, said that it was to be regretted that the department had not secured a site for the erection of a school, even if the erection of the school itself had been deferred. A site in a suitable position had been offered by Mr. Greig, but the department would not secure it. Since then a portion of the land had been sold by. Mr. Greig at a higher price than that at which it had been offered to the department, and the balance was of no use for a school site. He did not know of any site within measurable distance of the present West End school that would be so suitable. He understood that when Mr. Spencer was here, some time ago, he had suggested that a piece of Education reserve at Wallace Place, of about three-quarters of an acre, should be used as a school site, and that Reserve T, near by, should be used as a playground. That, the speaker considered, was not altogether satisfactory, as these public reserves might not be available to the children at all times. Indeed, if a tennis co apt or bowling green were put' down at any time, that portion would not be open to the children indiscriminately, They had had the offer of an area on the Belt Road, and though this might not be so central nor convenient for the younger

children attending the present West End school, it would be suitable for the children of a large and growing district, and would also be suitable for the older pupils for the lower portion of the town. It would be necessary to establish a side school ,for infants in the vicinity of the present sqhool. if not <?n th e*actual site. There was no possibility of obtaining a site within reasonable distance for the provision of a school of 560 pupils, except that on the Belt Road,, and if the department delayed too long they might find that gone, too. The department, he considered, were to blame in not acquiring a site. The building of the school was not so necessary as .the acquisition of a site. Mr. R. J. Dcv-i-e, in seconding, saia that he agreed with . the previous speaker. The department certainly were 'to blame in not making provision for a site. The report was adopted. The secretary of the Westown Progressive Association also forwarded a resolution passed by the association to the effect that the Education Department be urged to purchase, school purposes, an area of the Maratahi estate, comprising sixteen acres, more or less, for the sum of £2OOO (approximately), it being understood that the vendor is prepared,to accept the purchase money in Government bonds, and that this association undertakes to provide not less than ten per cent, of the purchase monay.” During the course of a brief discussion it was stated that, while the site not be suitable for the whole of the area served by the present \\ est End school, it would become a large school as the Westown district became more closely settled. It was also considered that if the West End committee were prepared to find part of the money the department might possibly be induced to secure the site. The board accordingly appointed a committee, comprising the chairman, Messrs. C. G. Smith, M.P., and R. J Deare, to confer with the West End committee on the matter.