MEETING OF HOUSEHOLDERS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1570, 19 April 1887, Page 3

MEETING OF HOUSEHOLDERS.

Ameetirt? cf i coons interested in obtiin* irg p. pnbli'* wl for the Rhubarb fc . dutucii #m iitli '' !l the house of Me Rn/be. i Hammond, Rhubarb Fiat, yesterday, at 2 p.m. Th. re was a fair attendance. The Bsv. Geo. Barclay was voted to the chair, and briefly explained the object of the meeting, namely, to enquire ae to whether it would be poseible to get a school lor that district. Be then explained the conditions under which a school would be granted. An average attendance of 25 would be snffi oient to release the' parents from any expense connected with it. Should the attendance not average that the Committee or parents would have to make up the deficiency. If there were no sehoolnouie provided the Board would allow vent tor a sohoolhouie if any buildingcould be had In the meantime, and if no residence were ereoted the Board would allow £lO per year for rent. Should the school average 25 the Board would be responsible for the whole of the ezpeniee and would allow a sum of 10s per head per annum for incidental ezpeniei. It would depend a good deal- as to how the children were situated where the eohool would be placed. Mr Bios asked bow far it was necessary to have the schools apart. The Chairman said there wae no fixed law upon the subject, but in the country die* triots the • Board' would like to have (he sohoolslabont four or five miles apart. Mr Alexander Macdonald proposed and Mr J. Rice seconded— 11 That the Hon. L. Walker be petitioned to giant a eohool site between the two branches of the river Hae-hae-te-moana near Mr MnlTahilTs, it being a fit and proper place to have the school to suit the Rhubarb Elat and Fairfield districts.” .v < Mr Bice said thst bstwesn 40 and 50 children could be got within a mile or a mile and a* half of this iite. ; The proposition was carried.! A rough sketch was laid upon the table ■hewing the respeotire positions of the pro* posed site, and the houses in the district that would be benefited by the school. The. Chairman asked how. many of these children were attending aohool at present. It wae stated that only a few of that number were doing Vo, and then oaly.in the summer, as the creeks and watercourses to be crossed, added to the distance, in some oases about five miles, made it impoeeible for them to go in (he winter. Mr Hews stated that three of his family had to go on horseback.

Mr Hunmond prbpossd that in the event of their not being able to obtain a grant of land from Mr Walker they endeavor to obtain one at the waits lande reserve near Mr Howden’e, at present occupied by Ur Mulvahill. • It was decided to doso. The Chairman said that after eeeing the plan and the number pf scholars likely to attend be would advise that an'application be made to the Board of Education in the ordinary manner, setting forth the names of the applicants, the number of children likely to attend, eto., and also stating that the parents would be willing to pay as per Board's scale, if the attendance did not average 25. As far as' he could see ha did not think they would be called, upon to pay anything, He did not know, however, that the Board would be in a position to erect the school at present as there was another application before them.. lu the event of the Board not being in that position oonld a house be got for a school P . Mr J. Bice said if the Board' were not in position to erect the school, he had a four* roomed house which ,at present was unoccupied, and he would be only two willing to allow it to be used for a school, free of charge, Mr Bice received the thanks of the meeting for bis liberal offer. After some further . conversation it was unanimously resolved'to petition the Board according to the Chairman’s advice, and further to point out that if only the school could be erected the msster’s]house could be found. Mr Bice then propoled a hearty vote of thanks to the Bev. Mr Barclay for attend* ing the meeting, and taking such an interest in it. Mr Mulvahill seconded the proposition, which was heartily carried. The Chairman said he had pleasure in being there. He believed in giving children the chances of education while they were young, as in the country districts, at any rate, they were often drafted into the field and on to the farm at X2 and 13 years of age, and then their Qhanee of an education was gone* This being all the business the meeting terminated.