OUR NAVAL HEROES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 69, 20 March 1908, Page 2

OUR NAVAL HEROES.

I A PRIZE COMPETITION FOX CIHLDRBX.

A circular emanating from, the Kducation Department has been distributed amongst the Education Boards throughout the Dominion which contains the proposals that have been made by the Uritiah and Foreign Sailors" Society of London with the view oi fostering in the mittd.s of young people respect and admiration for the deeds of Britain's uaval heroe.? which made the Kmpire what it is. The idea is tlrat this object may best be achieved by offering prizes lo =chool children for the Ix-st of their essays on the question, "What does The nation owe to Nelson and to her sailOT; y The circular runs as follows: — Education Department, Wellington. March 5, 1908. The British and Foreign Sailors' Society of Ixindon, established for prorioting ihe welfare of at home and ahroad. offers to give annually, for somo to a boy and jjirl under It) years

• i age. being member-* of schools in the Dominion, an artistic copper pjaque suitably inscribed, and bearing the. King's initial-, for tin , be,-t essay upon a subject relating t" maritime affair-.

Tlu , *oi-icly some years received from th , - Lords of the Admiralty a <ritt 01" :ill the oak and popper removed from J [.M.s. Victory in the process of repairing .laniap-s can-cd by hor collision with ihr rilil battleship Neptune. Tin- .-ocirrv al-n .-ecu red about the same time all thy copper remaining from Nelson's uld tlagfhiji Koudroyant. which had tlien boon lirokcll up. and from tin- material obtained from llii'-i- two source:- the

plaques ami some other Xelsou memen ;r«~ issued [iy the society are manufac -uri-.1.

I'pon this ocea-ion the -übject of the o—.ay i.-. "Wliii does tiy nation owe to Nelson and her sailorsV and the Min-is-tf-r for Education, to whom the offer has been made, lias prescribed the following conditions lor the competition: — 1. Competitor* must lie under ]fi years of age (in May .'il next. 2. The p**ays. which must not exceed one thousand winds, must be forwarded to the Education Boanl of the district on or before May 31 next. The envelope ir- to bear the words •\\el-.-..n Essay." 2- 1 lie cwavs must be written in -chonl without notes, text-books, or a-s-sj-.;. iince from the teacßer.

4. The number of pssays from the boys of any one school or from the yirls . of. the same school, i> limited to two. or at the most three. $. On the last page of each essay must be shown the full name uf the writer, ■._ his or her age. the name of the i school, and a certification by the i hea-d teacher that the conditions [ herein imposed have been fully complied with.

As the essays have to be sent to London, it is not expected that the results will be known before October.