ADVANCE OF EDUCATION.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 January 1922, Page 6

ADVANCE OF EDUCATION.

TARANAKI BOARD’S WORK. PAST YEAR’S OPERATIONS. During the past twelve or fifteen months the Taranaki Education Board has spent £60,000 on the erection of new schools and teachers’ residences and the extension and remodelling of existing buildings. The work done includes the building of six new schools, the principal being the Hawera Technical High School an 1 the Stratford Technical High School. These two buildings have accounted for the major portion of the expenditure At Hawera a hostel has also been provided as part of the establishment of the Technical High School. The other new buildings include schools at Koru, Manaia, Upper Mangorei, and Moeroa, and residences at Ngaere and Okato, and two moveable residences, while the Toko School has been remodelled and had additions made to it and some additions have been made at Fitzroy. Further than this new out-offic6s have been provided at Hawera Mam Schdol and r-.t Tokaora, and improvements in the direction of providing wash-house conveniences have been made to a number of teachers’ reside'nees. A residence for the teacher at Ohura was acquired during the year. This work has provided employment for quite a number of men, the building staff at one time employed by the board numbering about 40. It is at present, however, reduced to abdut 14. The only contract- let by the board was for the erection of z the Stratford Technical High School.

The board has also in hand at the present time the enlargement of its own offices, a very necessary undertaking in view of the inconvenient and inadequate arrangement of the accommodation in the old building, and the increasing amount of work falling upon the cle/ical stall. The improvement is being effected by carrying the front portion of the building up another storey, which will provide five additional rooms. The original scheme provided for carrying the whole building up the two stories in order to make better provision for a general office and board room accommodation, but this part has been deferred for the time being.

One gratifying feature about the board’s building operations is the splendid service rendered through its -wellequipped and efficiently staffed joinery workshop. All the joinery required for the building work undertaken by the board is turned out in the workshop, and much of the furniture with which the schools in the district are equipped is also the product of the workshop staff.