NAVY LEAGUE.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17061, 4 February 1921, Page 8

NAVY LEAGUE.

GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETS. A meeting of the General Committee of the Canterbury branch of the Navy League was held last night. Present— Mr fl. J. Marriner (chairman), Mrs W. Wilson, Mrs Blunt, Mrs Orbell, .Miss Macbeth, and Messrs C. E. Hevan-Brown, Maxwell, W. Walton, Ferguson, H. 11. Smith, A. S. Clarkson, Hoyle, Foster, and the Rev. lioberts. The financial statement showed that receipts, including a balance at the Bank of New Zealand on December Ist, 1 920, of £396 lis 6d, to be £458 13s Gd, and the expenditure £2lO 3s 2d, leaving a balance of £248 10s 4d. This, with the Sea Training Fund interest of £o9 14s Bd, and the general fund of £951- 8s 9d, brought the credit to £1259 13s 9d. The resignation of Mr B. Seth-Smith was received with regret. The. question of presenting pictures of naval interest to the schools in Canterbury was discussed. The question bf expense was raised by several members, but the chairman remarked that the presentation would probably be t made only to the larger schools to. commence with. It was decided to present two pic-' tures to each school in which there was a junior branch of the Navv League. The committee was authorised to spend up to £SO on the pictures. The chairman said that the proposed training-school at. Sumner for boys would, probably cos£ £IOOO per year. The .school would be one in which boys could be trained for the Navy. He had discussed the matter with the Minister' of Defence, who had been sympathetic. It was hoped to get a Government, subsidy to enable the League to carry on the hornet In answer to a question from Mr Bevan-Brown, the secretary said: that the scheme was to give boys a taste for the Navy. The syllabus would be laid down by the Government's naval adviser. It would be." the only school of the kind in New Zealand.. The chairman said the scheme had been inaugurated by Professor- Blunt, but had been laid aside on 'account of 1 the war. ■ The boys would have to sign on to go .right' through the. training. The age of tile boys would be from thirteen to sixteen years. The secretary said that matters would be more; definite whefi the Government scheme of the New Zfeal&nd Unit was published.