READY TO HELP IN WAR WORK

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 2, 27 September 1939, Page 7

READY TO HELP IN WAR WORK

College Staff And Pupils

“I am anxious that the board should know that the principal, staff, and girls of the school are eager to take any responsibility that may come on them,” said Miss E. M. North, principal of Wellington Girls’ College, referring to the outbreak of war, in a report read at yesterday’s meeting of the .Wellington Colleges Board. Miss North said that she had attended the mayoress’s meeting of women’s organizations in the Town Hall and the girls would take their part in any scheme for camp comforts as soon as it was organized. “There is already a tendency on the part of parents to take their girls away from school to secure positions,” added Miss North. *T consider it important that parents and the public should understand that the war will make no difficulties for girls in positions. The positions will, however, be temporary only and it is essential that girls should be well qualified to earn their own living when conditions return to normal.” The school roll stood at 420. A roll number of 617 was reported by Mr. W. A. Armour, headmaster of Wellington College. A return included in the report showed the following ffuetuations in the September roll-num-bers from 1928-39 : 625, 683, 626, 663, 661, 691, 723, 727, 710, 640, 626, 617. “It will be seen,” added Mr. Armour, “that our school has a lower roll than at any time since the establishment of Rongotai College. The fall in roll numbers is particularly noticeable since 1934. It will be quite evident to the board that the school can accommodate from 150 to 200 more pupils than are in attendance today. The main reasons for the decline in roll numbers are: (a) Limitation of boundaries; (b) decline in primary school population, which is 25,313 less than it was in 1927; (c) removal of residential population from urban areas; (d) economic factors demanding earlier entry into various occupations under altered legislation."

Mr. F. Martyn Renner, headmaster of Rongotai College, reported a roll of 524 at the college at the beginning of the third term. The provision of two portable classrooms made possible, for the first time in the history of the school, the establishment of a proper library for lending, reference, and for use as an essential part of the school curriculum. The roll number was at present -101, stated Miss N. G. Isaac, principal of Wellington East Girls’ College. From Miss Batham had been received a bandsome oak refectory table, to act as a second platform table.