Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 1909.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXIX, Issue 7823, 16 June 1909, Page 2

Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 1909.

■' ■-.■■"' As Ashburton. now has Navy League'" a sub-branch of the Prizes! Canterbury branch of :. that '•'•-(jspsfc patriotic and energetic body-the TNfavy League, local interest m the Lea-gue.s objects and doings should now be more vivid, direct and general than-it has been m the past. A pro-Navy spirit is now m more or less active operation everywhere throughout the .Empire, and this activity the Navy Leagues branches and sub-brancho:; must help m directing it into intelligently practical issues. Ashburton's sub-branch has just been established, but. it promises well; indeed, with a secretary like Mr T. M. Morrissey, with his heart and head m the business, it should m due course become honourably noteworthy for its intelligent activity. This will, of course, depend to some extent on the initiative of the Canterbury branch m supplying or suggesting opportunities for co-operation m the Leagues main purpose —the promotion of an educated and a. real live interest m everything likely to promote and maintain the sufficiency and efficiency of the fleets ..of the Empire. Just now the League is letting it be known that it is prepared to offer on Trafalgar Day (the 21st of October) this year prizes to the • boys ■ and girls—under sixteen and over sixteen— m attendance at the District High Schools and Secondary Schools of the provincial district of Canterbury. A good .many teachers and' a good many boys and girls m the county of Ashburton should be interested m this statement. The prizes are to be given for an essay, which may be written at any time m the course of the school year, but it must reach the Secretary of the Navy League not later than a month before Trafalgar Day.; Two' prizes will be given to competitors over sixteen, and two to competitors under sixteen: m the first group, the first prize will consist of books to the value of two guineas, the second of.a guinea; m the second group, books to the value of one guinea for the first prize, arid, for the second prize fifteen shillings. ; The subject for the first group's essay will be,: "How can the British Empire outside the ;.• United "Kingdom co-operate most effectually with the British .■ Navy ?" and for the second, group: "The expansion of the British Empire m the reign of Queen "Victoria, with special reference to the part played by the British Navy." Each essay has to_be written during school time, m a period of not more than on© hour, under the supervision of a teacher, and without the aid of any notes or books at the time of;writing; and, lastly, the school authorities have to selecjb the two best essays m each group frbm their particular school, and forward them to the Secretary of the Navy League for final adjudication. These are the conditions under which the prizes have to be competed for; and no doubt teachers and pupils of eligible schools m this part of Canterbury will look into the whole subject with a great deal of very real interest.