MANURING OF COOKSFOOT.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume LVI, Issue 5991, 3 May 1935, Page 1

MANURING OF COOKSFOOT.

In the la'hsence of Mr iMeGiMivray, •'Mr iW. IH'. Moore exhibited an l in,teres'tmg' chart, -ilik&t rating 'the difference in re'tuMis on manured areas lagsii'nst unmanurecl. The: ispeaker explained <that manure used) was aanmomated-saiper; that an area topdressed ana year 1 would! give increased returns for over, four years. IA. 'table o'f costs- and! .returns proved the .adivamtiag© 'Otf manuring. This conctodled .the day's programme. The thanfks of 'the Union arei due ito the committee who took charge of ittoe vanions isectioms and l to tho'sei 'who lent sto.clc for demon<btiia'tion 1 purposes and to members in DuvaucheWe who air,ranged for luncvheonj ,toot water, collection a>nd pending of sitoefk. etc.

welcome to the Minister on behal'f of , t'dwn' and 'district and said he hoped ( he 'appreciated Akaroa'S' cl'aiims as a j touri'st resort. They had ,been par- , tiiculiariy aurxiiouis thiat he should see 1 the distract in order that: he might .understand their: difficulties in regard to providing secondary education for the whole district. The 1 Aikaroa 'High School Board had received' certain endowments from the Government 'and they were anxious that these should <be applied for the purpose for which 'they had' been set aside, fvi'z,: to. make: secondary education avar.'llalble for the whole district. The l Mayor also mentioned that Akaroa would 1 celebrate its ■centenary in August, 19'40, .five years hence, and! they hoped to make this an important functions..

Mr C. iB. Tlhacker, Akaroa County Chairman, welcoming- the Minister and Mr !E. Hay stated he hoped the Minister Would alfter hils tour of the district, appreciate hojw iit'was' split up into small communities and how | difficult it was 1 of access. As a memiber of the County ClounciT he 'urged' the Minister to favourably consider the erection of a new seconds ary school.

! HUGH SICHiOIOjL BOARD'S VIIEIWS. I Mr W. E'. BVF. Jaicobs'on, chiai:rman of the High) -School Board 1 , said 1 that it wasi felti that oriy a personal visitco.uld! enafble the Minister to understand the d'iffibultiesi involved in making secondary education, available to the whole of the Pemilnisulai He s ; aiid 'thait the High School: Board was established ini '1881, andi conducted a school', unitiii 1000'. ,Ini ILQ'OS 1 the District High School was established, and' the funds' oif the old board were used to -obtaini ,a teacher off higher grade thani would! have been oibtainv jaible in ■ circumstances, and-in •providing hostel: and hoarding allohvances to pupil® friomi the outlying bays.

, 1n 1 19129 the Hi'gh (School! Board and

•the Schooll Commilttee approached the E'ducatiion! Department regarding a site for a new school, for the present, secondary department of the District High (School! had no pl'aying area. The .saim of £11600 was found! toy the High (School) Board towards the purchase oif the site ait the corner of Jolie street and Bruce tenrace. The department, agreed to the payment of .£6O a year for maintenance and! improvement. In, 19811-SB ■ the sum oif ©324 was spent on levelling and other 1 ' Work done 1 by relieff labour.

J The Highi School Board! had! an accumulated fundi of £400 and are income. oSf £11:70 yearly,. The High (School Board had! .beeni asked 'to pay li'ts fund's .over 'to the Canterbury Ediueaiticmi Board, but it was felt that 'before doing so it -shoiuvd bring before the department the lack of ; facilities, for 'S'ecooidlary education, for children oan the Peninsula 1 . It had 'been suggested! that this money 1 should' (be contributed 1 to the erection j-of a: properly- equipped' secondary sc'h'o'oi orn the' sit© provided, to the , maimtenanice: of the ground l , and, if possible, toward assisting children! in the o-utlying 'bays to ait tend the school'. There was no railway or bus service, and 1 it was impossible to nun a service to .bring in these pupils to <tih© school! daily. I 'BEiNiBNS'ULiAJ SICHIOfOL .QO/MMIiTTEiEB'. j Mr A. 'M, Helps' spoke on, behalf of the Aikaroa and OPeninisiulia. School Committees, these schools having an ' attendance of from 350 'to 400 children, anot .inoltud'iing Little l Stiver. He said! there had l 'long been a, need for a properly equipped school with adequate room for sports and game®, 'which 'were so important a factor in ■building -character. Without it the 'Peninsula m-ust -lag behind in the general progress and' prosperity of j'the coun'try. In 10!l2 the secondary jpupils of 'the district high school • had 'been forced! into the old techmiiJ cal school buildiing, iwhiich had been condemned! iby inspectors as unfit for teaching. There was no area for games' or d'rill, and -both had to Sbe carriedl ©cut on the streets. There I could ,be' mo doubt that this was de- ; trimenital to l the welfare of the pupils., and it wais certainly no' encouragement, to childi-en from the 1 j outlying districts to attend 1 the ' school.. ■FAIR/MIEIRB' UINiION SUPPORT. Mr J. iO. iC. Keynish apologised for the, absence of the' President of the Peninsula 'Farmers' Union, Mr F. G. Armstrong and urged the establishment of a new school., ' IMiNIISTEIR'O REPLY. | In. reply, the Minister, who apologised for the absence, on account of ill-health, of /Mrs E'. R l . McGoiwbs, M.P., said! that lie, had been delighted' with the dlriive along the Summit road and ■afcng the haribour. He described it 1 ' as l "one of the most beaiutulfo-iU drives 1 iini New Zelalland/' and he assured his hearers that when discussion ot tourist routes came up

in the future Aikaroa would 1 find in him on© of its warmest supporters. Those who were closely connected' wiith local ibody 'administration would kno'w that he had no power to permit the high schooll board; to retaiin the l fifurp'l'us' moneys in the endowment account. Iff they refused to hand over 'the fund to the Education. -Board the Audit Depiartment would, as required by law, take Akaroa was> no worse off than many other districts in Neiw Zealand, andl be assured! the dteputation that- they would! not jeapard'iise their position :by handling >over the money as required by the .act. "I have nioiw seen the conditions here myisellf, and I aim going to make things 'better for ycur children," said the Minister. (He said it was not .in hits power to say "yes" to their request 'fan ai new school, but if the Canterbury Education Board would make a new application he 'would : be plteased) to submit: ilt to

i Cabinet with bis favourable remm- . mend'atrani atl the earliest possible momeiiit. The Minister remarked . lihsait in hfe 2'5 years 1 experience be • had l never .seen a school in which the . pupilts had! only the. street in. which to drill aind play. He -would be .pleased to remedy the position afs . quickly as. possible., I Dealing with the problem of 'secondary ediucaltrcj]) for children ini the outlying bays, the •'Minister said I that there were numerous other districts m New Zeaillandl where small settlements were -separated by ridges ' and bills, yet- ail converging on the J one point. The granting of special facilities for 'boarding or conveyance allowances wouldl open up difficulties ifor him all 1 over New Zealand'. He wished to be practical in his adfministration -of the department and ■would mot make 1 promises which he could not .fulfil. He could not agree 'to give anything beyond l the l-ordin-ary capitation allowance.