PUBLIC MEETING.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 687, 8 February 1881, Page 2

PUBLIC MEETING.

> . SCHOOL SITE QGESTIOK; ; A public meeting was held-in the-,Town Hall'laßt eyeniiip, nndwaawejl-attended, His Wo.rship the Mayor havjng talsen the Chair as" Chairman of the .Town. Lands Trust. "... .

: -Mc'.Woodtoofe asEed jjpr.a deliy'"6f-l5 >..= - "?.■<,;».-V s **;' jvji; .the fr6(-h" , 'pff .his " B Psphs and-all" Wffiijd-b'e weil-kndivn jU'dt-tlid, presen t r p&bliq* a'cKool • .W op.fit for 'iiie.teaofiers.birHfte-chiWren.' To remedy - tills; eyil an •apj)l{cation'iw|ay made to the a t -new * school.'- 'l"n. application wa| also made;: for' ; a iiew; school, for , Kutipuniv,- The'sY propositions Jiadled iip'.to tha.proposal; ; [iow before themeetijlg| : .aiidrby-'whtbfi" one building might be able tfre tpwoV As far as lie could understand; the';' Board had, no funds building a second Bchoolat Kuripuni, iiiid the'proposal for;'orie good- school came frotn the Board.,-' The Education Board could not afford a teaching staff for Kuripuni., It was not; the rule in the London school to; grant a second school till 600 children were' in the firstj one, andthe Board desii'ed to follow this', rule. Referring to the proposed exchange, lie stated that the Trust would-be'able to praise the £4OO required, He next referred' to Mr Wood-' roofe's arguments against: the.proposal,, which he said went up the side, and down the; middle,-aiid ail round it. (Laughter.) ,He hoped the meeting would not loolf.tua much at the commercial aide ofilie-tjues-tion- If the Board' Were to -do so, 1 lie would ask it who gave the present .acre on which the school stands. ' He ciaijne(l that in carrying' out,such' would;b&'-ijarrjr u)g .outthß'",\vJahe& oEtiioKe. who established it. By-anothlr-ict of ' 1877, they already'had power to; grant'arr' .acre of land tliey could' :; "g , iVe to. tl)e:::BdM' ie lf'lhey. thought proper as an. alternate , tion. He \vas : afraid that'.if:a .central<sitW were not agreed.to, Kuripuni'would have to shift for itself, which "lie would;b'esorry to see. It' had been' objected to the proposal that Hie site, was not sufficiently near the Upper Plain road. -If a- 1 site were approved-there he Would make theexchangeoii his own part,'as lie hadland there, instead of on behalf of the Town Trustees. (Applause.) It was...in his opinion the,better site, but he.left the matter entirely to tb.e meet.ing, -He also pointed out that at the present time. the Education Board had funds iiv hand which were at once available. He.concluded by stating that the Trustees proposed tq take a poll on Wednesday next, and anyone not on. the.roll could put his name on. in the interval. The Trustees would, however, take a vote, whatever resolution'might be come to.that evening, •;■ Mr J. Russell was in hopes of hearing, some of the opposition speak, before he; spoke, but as Kuripuni was called upon he would address the meeting, He believed that, the present proposal emabated frbm Mr McCardle, and he gave him credit for.the idea. He related the his-' lory..of .the Kuripuni school moyetaeptj! and supported t.he. ; nr.qposil '&' to meet the.View's of lijs : end'of the'town? I He did'not.j]iiiik 'tho L '6ite offered by: Hit : _Renall was' equally,- eligible, Referring 'to the last election of the'.School Ooin* mittee,. lie,-.alluded'; to a leader in the Daily. He-often' found, in the Dnit things that were not'readable,' (A voice :■ '" Your own.egeeches, asserted tkti' • Mr- Eajftonj "'as Well as'himself, had .re.Ceived'a block vote, "'

. Mr McCardlo thought it was - desirable* tb'niove a resolution, to test the feeling of those-present, lie claimed, that the opposition had made an effort to crowd the m.eting, but the promoters of it were contented to wait till 'Wednesday. ..He denounced the present building as a disgrace to Masterton, It was originally built for about 80 children, and had been patched from time to time till it held, within 100 of the present attendance. Without taking "into popsidpratiop the claims of Kuripi}i)i thp Board was not willing to erect a new school, and'it wits for this reason that the present proposal had been • made. The Town Lands Trust had mado the Offer which came from it on the application of the School Committee. Subsequently the Education' Board, thr.oqgh tl)e Reputation which had been sent, up, had ..approved, of the (arrangement, It was oplythp saving of the expense of building the -school at Kuripuni and maintaining a'secopd staff of tgac!)era i}t it tljat would, induce "the ■Board tfl gjpp Mastprton a lujf bujldjng. He pleaded eloquently fqi- Juatipg bf)|l)g done to Masterton by' a good school being Greeted, His own. family - would liavo to walk an extra half-mile ta'the,new. site, but tlie advantages more than compensated for tho extra distance 'to be travelled, He mentioned other, instances of a similar: character. He showed the fallacy- of somo other objections, which had' been raised against it. If the opinion of the children themselves were" asked theysay that they preferred walking a little further to sitting all day in an uncomfort-' able school, fle concluded by proposing —That in the opinion of that meeting a new school ba built' on the more ppptrol site approvea of ' by the Board, Mr J. Russell, as a'K'u'ripuni settler, seconded the resolution.

Mr Woodroofe was informed that he would not be allowed to speak—(a voice: i)o i])orp you will)', He truated t|iat a fair hearing would ,be given tojiim—(Hear, hear). The Chairman in his'allusions to him'.had not been exactly fair, fie believed that theorigjn of the movement was a desire for a high 'school, wjiioh was :cprtain • fco f)on failure, sdleinuly believedi'tyyouldbeafailurq.' 'Only two niarriagfii'had tak'eij plafi'e Suring the iast twelvemonths, and if the school was moved there would not lie any mow. Mr •Payton Jiajl bpen'ujiji|st to hiqi in the' . pappf. He put in what Jie terj. ge'.'.4jpßsed 'Sir by a regard for friendsof his who'.'ljved.nest door to.'the-Bohbol, and who were Inconrentended -by the nojse : .which tlie ohitdren- made.- Two more of the Committee have properties-opposite, •and.the school artnoy'edjlhjm;:fhb re'iinoVrf was, unjust. . He-had 'stepped the lar4 .opposite the .Catholic ; Ohurjcli, and 'fohhd'-tliat it'did liot; pptitEiib the We'agurentpnt it.was <rm stated to possess. -He was informed 60 persons left'-Maaterton last . week;, and 7 lie Jtnew'a fainjly' that"was, 'going to leave it,'and therefore h&ihought that the present building was big enough. ;A memoijal. had alheady been signed by many as a protest against'the exchange. He proposed as aii amendment—That this meeting'was of t]ie ppinjon that present school should' no£ be removed'to any other site, and that a second school aliould bebuiltatKuripuni.' • The Chairman thought the amendment was out of order, as it only negatived the resolution. '

Mr Gapper wished to seqond the aiiiendment pro forma.- From the arguments braueljt that-night, it was evident that'their only chance of obtaining ft firscclhbb sohool'lay in the proposal made. The' question was whether ..they were to remain as they were, or have the finest school in the district, and he must give Mr AVciodroofe to understand that he should vote for the new site. ' With-, such an unanimity on the {tort of the Board, the Trust,• •and the School Committee, it was useless 'forgone or.two to hold out against (Applause).-' . Mr.Grundy ross ,at the,suggestionof: Bpyeral present to .'make a fey remark,. ; As jHead-masterj he topld say that tlje

preseutkoliool.was; totally inadequate for the children:. The playgrounds werovery bad;' the,buildings;,ana furniture were any thing,Wtgood.- In Australia he had been in ; places one-fifth the bizb of Mas* terton : withlirifinitely superior schools, He had never taught in so inferior a building as the one at Masterton, or:in,one : «o injurious to the health of the childun and the effort's of the teachers.. (Applause).

The Rev J. McKeei said that it was fefr- ■ wbrlrin out that one first-class school with a (firstclass staff was infinitely preferable, to'twd second-class schools with inferior staffs. '" The Chairman informed the'ineeting that Mr.Turnbull had been instructed: to prepare plans for : the 'nW.sbhbSJf: and when the Hon. Mr Dick returrted the-■ Board desired to lay the matter before •" him, as -his, assistance was necfcssary to the exchange of sites.*-/,;,; . • Mr Woodroofe again spoke, amid interruptions; and-hisses, ,in, fa,vprj jOf his 'amendment being' put.' .He argued that • .educated men .were more..ignorant of questions of utility than vulgar ineri. Mr .Ockendon seconded the asjsndraent. ' ipT.! '

Mr Gapper understood that the.'B6ard •would not builda second school. ~. .;. Mr James Russell said the' Kuripuni Settlers - preferred - the site jopposite the' Roman Catliolio Church to a new school. •The Chairman then ; put the .amendment, and declared.it lost on the voices. '' Mr Woodroofe, asked for a' show of hands. The result was, in l a'meeting of ove; a hundred nine hands .were -held up •for it.

The original motion,was then put. and carried all but unanimously. . The Chairman gave instructions res- - pectjpg the poll, and stated laoies could yiite if they had resided six months in the ■district. . !'

of thanks to the Chair concluded ji-vety orderly meeting. ;■