SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES

Evening Post, Volume CII, Issue 35, 10 August 1921, Page 9

SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES

PRAISE FOR THE WELLINGTON SCHEME.

In its annual report to the Minister of Education, the Wellington; Education Board again commends the Wellington Civic Library scheme. The'work of the past year embraces 29 schools, to which 99 separate collections were sent, comprising 8401 volumes. From these, 103,508 individual' loans were! made (number for preceding year 70,419). An analysis of the subjects shows that, while healthy fiction forms nearly half, biography, history and travel, literature, useful arts, natural science, and general literature found over £000 readers; over 2000 volumoe of fine arts were taken out, < and quite a considerable number vol-f umes on philosophy, theology, sociology, and philology were issued. Several schools outside the city area participated in the benefit by payment.* The board was also pleased to note the establishment of a general library scheme embracing a, number of schools ;in South Wairarapa. The board had, found the necessary book-cases, the community had recognised tho vajue of the scheme by substantial contributions, and the teachers, with a highly creditable enthusiasm, had undertaken the distribution and exchange from headquarters at Featherston. The sum.' of over £200 received, with a pound-for-pound subsidy, had enabled the purchase of .over 2000 books to be made. '

The a\erage attendances for the year 1920 at the district high schools, in the district were: Carterton, 42; Eketahuna, 40; Greytown, 10; Hutt, 31; Levin, 38; Masterton, 109 j Pahiatua, 26; Petone, 53; total 439. At Martinborough, iwhioh is about twelve miles from the railway, the educational needs have, iustified the establishment of a district high, school, opening in February, 1921. The board heartily approves of the recent acquirement of sites at Lower Hutt and Masterton for secondary schools to be erected in the immediate future, and the decision to establish a second Girls' High School in Wellington, as being on the lines of immediate need '

It was very satisfactory to note, adds the report, that, notwithstanding the admitted difficulties of the past year, resulting largely, from varied epidemics, the efficiency of the work of the district as a whole wae shown to have been well maintained, and that with few. exceptions the least satisfactory work was to be found in the very smallest schools, the staffing of which presented endless difficulty. The effect of the higher ideals and the more efficient practice .which had their origin in the Training College were year by year becoming' more apparent, as the number of former students engaged in the profession increased.