THE HOLIDAY FEVER

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 149, 24 June 1908, Page 5

THE HOLIDAY FEVER

* j;. BURXIXG;.QUESTION." . . '£ ■ EDUCATION BOARD bISCUSSION: U ::The. question. o£ holidays" was'refeiieet >r to at this .'inonung!s meeting of the Auckland Education.Hoard,; wJien: ie. J- .Garland moved that the, visit of the d American, fleet; to Auckland '\rci.tersi: is should be;ma<do the occasion of anvextra h week's holidaj-,: instead of the- \ ;e mas holidays being done away with,, as j d was originally proposed. In spesaking! .c to thisf; motion, 3b.fr ■ G;arhind. said that the period from August 17 until the inid■6 summer vacation was .felt;.to be, too'long! >- without a holiday". ■■ . /,; = i c Tlie Chairman (Mr L. J. : Bagn-all) said I that he was opposed to the motion, oa i : '1 ground that there were too riiany a ! holidays. It would mean: that they would i l " have an additional week. Ten. wecks'l ® holiday in the'year wa3* quite enough.] £ That meant that one-fifth of the year j ?; was given lip in holidays. The school i Q. year-was reduced to', 42 weeks,' or 210 I c days out of 313 wbrking days in the! ! " year. The average worked "by pupils I 1 and teachers was four? days in the week. a The holiday question, added the chairn man, was becoming - a burning oho, in c this .country, and before long wpnld hive ® ja serious effect, .and•-- the productive 1 power of the country would suffer. Moree over, he .questioWd* the honesty of tto * proposal. If the teachers" knew , : they ' were going to: lose a week's pay, ; they' would' hot he so" anjjous for ah extra j ! " week's holiday. -•-.'■;. \. ~ I [ * Mr Garland:. I t-ake objection to your-1 •* remark, >Ir-Chairmaiii Do. you question! c my honesty? . ■'. .-.".■".:;.•■■. ,■.•:•■.; ■-"■ . i * . The Chairman:,No,,l question the hon-J" " ! esty ;of the proposal, but lam willing to I ' n '. withdraw,.and instead will question the I ' r wisdom.of the. proposal, v-, :'' ■ jj s ' Under th? proposal,, the Chairman ad-1 : 1 ded, it was suggested that the teachers '• should be a w.eak's pay for. nothing. • i {This. he did not think Would te a. wise,' Tthing to do. He felt that-they-were not I ' I justified in, paying away £4900 to teach- M ers in .this district alone. . Xo .private J ..institution would carry .oa business in: - s safth -a, way, :knocking off ;work 'for.' a ' ,whole ;w«ek. because.of: a visit from the 1 ''Aruericswi fleet...-.,. :-,\: .. ; . ;' ; . ... ' Mr ...Greenslade; , : 31;P., ;.pointed out ;' that Avhile the question of additional;hol-:: idays; was one requiring careful consid- : eration,it wae nevertheless a pr-oba;bility tha.t even if ; the schools were kept:open j they would be empty; :pe thbiight it bet ter to.try, andarra-nge a distribution of i the ■■-:: iJ ■'.'■','.'V^ '•■'■'}'■.. '>-.Vv { Mr Parr,said he agreed that there was ' too much scope for the. ■ holiday fever; and he moved as an. amendment that it be left to the discretion of the respective school ..committees: to -add the Michaehnas holidays on -to the/midwinter- holidays, and thus d P away .with the need for alt extra, week On occasion of the fleet's visit: .- '■■;.- -. • ■ ■ ■ "\ :' ■ Mr Staiiwoxthy, M.i,; said he wishel' to take, exception to the cJairman's statement, with regard to. the "number of holidays being likely to be conducive to idleness. This, he thought, was over-

drawn. In the present inatance, he was desirous of the extra" week's holidaye i being given, since, whether there was a : . holiday or, not, the schools would .be emp- ( ty, and in tlie latter case the falling off c in. the attendance niigh ; fc aiffect the.'»rer- ; age, and its, bearing, on the. ,teacbers.'. i\ salary.' , ■" ■'"■-■■'■■ ■:■•>■'..■■_...■.! =. The amendment in fayoiir of tie li&cr ICi haelmias being, oiaerred; in .fleet A ' week was carried. . ,-r. ■. ■•...■>■,....■ ■:. I'- 1