W.E.A.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 19482, 1 December 1928, Page 5

W.E.A.

—♦ CANTERBURY DISTRICT COUNCIL. \ ANNUAL MEETING. The animal meeting of the Canterbury District Council of the W.E.A. was held on Thursday night, Mr H. D. Acland presiding over a good attendance of delegates. The secretary (Mr Geo. Manning) submitted the annual report, which set out that the growth of the W.E.A. movement in Canterbury is revealed .by the fact that last session there were organised 36 classes with 1441 enrolled students, being an increase of three classes and 394 students on the figures for the previous year. The classes are scattered fairly evenly throughout the province, in fact, the majority of the classes are in the country districts, there being only, eight in the- City of Christchurch. The box ' scheme inaugurated three years ago has made possible this extension of the work into the rural areas. The only classes that are now in charge of tutors are those in the larger towns such as Timaru, Ashburton, and in the townships adjacent to Christchurch. The District Council was very fortunate in securing the services of Miss G. Ferguson, 8.A., as tutor. . The finances of the Council have been maintained up., to the . of former years. The total income has even increased from £624 13s 7d last year to £646 I6s 4d, being-an increase of £22 2s 9d. The trade unions, local bodies, private firms, and honorary members are maintaining their in-/ terest in the movement as revealed by tljeir : several, grants. The Government also gives a sum of £SOO which is divided between the four districts. During the last session of Parliament a clause was inserted 'in the Municipal Corporations Bill making it possible for local bodies to contribute to the W.E.A. out of authorised expenditure. Thiß will result, no doubt, in increased grants from the local bodies in future. Owing to the increase in classes each year it -is ■ becoming practically impossible to the growing expense for tutors." The .position has been met by the introduction _of the •box scheme, but now the work entailed in this is such that very another tutor must be appointed to do' this work. The position is therefore that if the movement is to be implanted in every village and hamlet in this province, Government must take on a greater financial sponsibility in reference to adult education. Grown up men and women need • the guidnace and leadership of tutors who have made a study of the subjects taught and who can conduct successfully adult classes. The extension of the principles of democracy and the development of a complex social system make it imperative, that the citizens should be mentally equipped to apply such principles and to adapt themselves as quickly as possible to the ever-changing social forces. The W.E.A. being the main adult educational institution in this country, has undertaken the responsibility for that mental equipment, but it can adequately perform its task only when the Government and the universities realise the real- need that exists for extending the advantages of higher educaiton to the rural workers in this community, _ and come to the assistance of this Association. After discussion the report was adopted. A number of remits for the Dominion conference of the W.E.A., to be held in Dunedin on January 23rd, were discussed. The election of officers was postponed till the 13th inst., to which date the meeting was adjourned.