LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 106, 6 May 1924, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

To-day is the fourteenth anniversary of the accession of His Majesty King George V. to the Throne. The ships.of the Special Service Squadron "and H.ALS. Chatham were dressed with flags to-day in- His Majesty's honour. The need for more parking places for city cars Was stressed by Mr. F. Goldberg at yesterday afternoon's meeting of the Automobile Club, and he suggested that as the areas set apart' were already inadequate, and as the position would steadily become more acute, a new decision should be come to on the part of-the City Council, that cars should be parked anywhere in the city except in, certain exempted streets and places where standing cars would mean street dangers. The lack of assistance . given to the teaching of swimming in theschools was deplored in resolutions passed at the annual householders' meetings at Lyall ■Bay, Island Bay, and Eastbourne last evening. The meetings passed motions to the effect that, in view, of the valuable national work being carried on by the New Zealand Swimming Association" among the school children of the Dominion, they regretted that work:was left to individuals and to private institutions They urged that the-Government be asked to increase\the financial assistance granted to the association. '■■' x. /'^ neil human nature ceases to be what it is, and what it has been since the dawn of history, nations may be justified in-abolishing, navies as we know tliem, Out from our observations ainoii" many peoples in many lands we think that such abolition would be followed by methods of offence and defence of far greater destructiveness and effectiveness. Bi'iinkly, we do not believe that the gracious ideal of international brotherhood is possible on earth. The closest we will get to it on this grand old planet is in death." This quotation was included in the annual report to the householders or Mount Cook school last even- " A complaint was received at vesterday.s meeting of the Wellington' Automobile Club from the secretary of the iNewtown Congregational Church of the nuisance caused to worshippers, by the , over-enthusiastic tooting of motor horns as cycles or cars passed by churches, particularly churches standing "at street intersections. The chairman, .Mr. S G ?«; ,"' remarked thaf.it would be a difficult matter to differentiate between the sounding "of a horn for safety uurposes and an undue sounding, 'to * the first of which the writer of/the letter did not of course object;'however,, some good would probably be done wore a copy of the letter., sent to each member ol the club. A. motion of deep sympathy with the widow and relatives of the late Mr. W. Cross, a member of the Traffic Department of the City Corporation who succumbed as a result of injuries sustained by him'while'on duty, on the Hutt road on the evening of 26th April, was -yes-terday-afternoon passed by the, Wellington Automobile Club on'the motion of the chairman, Mr". S.-.G. Nathan, members standing in silence.' Several members spoke of the tact and efficient manner in/-which Mr. Cross had carried but his duties, and described; him as a very good friend of motorists. ; The club has already' opened its subscription list in connection with the benefit fund for Mrs. Cross, a sum of over .£IOO being promised up to the time of the meeting. 7 ■ , During a discussion on: bylaws am j motor regulations generally at the; meeting of the Wellington Automobile Club, yesterday afternoon, Mr. C.vM. Banks 'called attention to a suggestion made by the Chief Traffic Inspector of the Auckland City Council that'there should be an agreement between registering - bodies that a motorist who for any reason had been refused a license to drive or who had had his license cancelled should not be permitted, to take out a license in another district. A questionnaire had been seat out to a number of local bodies, but there was "a lack of agreement. The obvious thing for registering -.bodies to do in the interests of general safety; said Mr. Banks, was', to agree, to the principle that an incompetent or, reckless driver should be barred from getting a license in any district. On his motion the matter was referred on to tho Automobilo Union., :.•' Vcryievero fault-.was found with the" City Council by members of the Automobily Club for its: failure to put the upper end of Ghuznee: street into~-ii". more reasonable state, and opinions were expressed that unless' something were done to .make the road safer accidents were bound to "happen. "Tho lower lengths of the street- were in excellent order, but that certainly could not be said of its upper end. An inquiry is also to be addressed the council as 'to its intention in regard to the opening-1 of the Pqint Halswell road, which for the past four years has been.closed to traffic, apparently on account of knotty points which had cropped up between "the council.ahd the Defence Department, the council requesting the . Department' to do something :to wards, putting the road in order and' the. Department refusing since tho road"was no longer' of- service to it. ; .;..; : ■=:.■; ■ ; Asphalt playgrounds, 'subsidies, and the shortcomings of the Education Board were .thoroughly discussed at Eastbourne at last evening's meeting of householders. "When •we get a letterfrom the AVellington Education Board saying that they are going to do something or other immediately," said a prominent member of the 'committee, "we know that they do not intend-to do anything at all." This: line of .thought was still apparent when the swimming subsidy was being discussed. • Eastbourna last year received £5 18s 6d for this purpose, but notification was given that there is to be no subsidy for this purpose this year. The headmaster (Mr. E. King) said that the board's reply to the Teachers' Institute in regard to'the matter was "that swimming will bo taught by a, master who. desires to impart his knowledge, whether a subsjdy is paid" or not, so why spend money'in this direction?" The idea was further advanced when the question of the purchase of more land'to enlarge the school playgrounds., was being ■■ discussed. It was stated that a special committee of the board had visited Eastbourne to view the "landscape" surrounding the, school. "These gentlemen had made a few inquiries," said a householder, "had looked at the school buildings intently, and had returned to town, when we have heard nothing." "Masterly inactivity," interjected a voice from the back of the room. The board wss not, however, without its defenders. Mr. Jenkinson, an ex-chairman of the committee, .declared that the board had done a great deal for the local committee," and any shortcomings had resulted from the failure of the committee to give the board a lead. "It is very doubtful," he concluded, "if Muritai has not had preferential treatment." ■

The sale of poppies .at ' Upper Hutt on Pojppy Day amounted to £12, of which £8 was the result of sales by Mrs.' E. Hislop. The Postal authorities have received cable advice that the mails which left ■Wellington on Ist April, via San. Francisco, arrived in London on' the 3rd May. . : . ' ' ■ The interference of the Minister of Education by way of regulation with the control of schools by headmasters was deplored in ,a resolution passed at the annual meeting of householder's in connection with the, Petone High School last evening. ■ "We are in a pretty bad way, and we can do with all the assistance we can get," remarked Mr. T. A. Fletcher, pre- . sident of the Wellington Rugby Eeferees' Association,. in noting at last evening's meeting that several new applications 'or membership were received. ! Was religion in public schools receiving enough support'! was the quest : tion raised by the headmaster of." the Boseneath School at the annual meet- ; ing, of householders last evening. He stated that an opportunity was given for Scriptural study two years ago, but at the end of last year only one officer I from the Salvation Army was being sent along, and. so he had to revert, to the ordinary school work. He considered this apathy astonishing. ' • "We have 226 children on the roll," said the headmaster of Seatoun School last evening, "and we. have the same number of teachers as if we had but,; 161. When you handle a class of 50 or i 60 children (he-added) you can instruct them ;• but you'eannot 'educate' them:" He thought the most a teacher. should handle in a class should be-20.' That could be".done, and cost the country: no | more. This was both 'desirable and essential. • In the Snpreme Court. at Auckland yesterday, Mr. Justice Stringer gave judgment for the City Council in a case against the Crown, claiming the sum of £21 8s 7d as the; charge for collectins and removing refuse from the post office in the city. His.Honour, states a Press Association message, said the contention that the Crown" was not bound by tha provisions of the Municipal Corporations. Act .was correct. The case must be decided apart from the provisions of the.! Act. The Crown, having availed itself of the * facilities offered was under an." obligation to pay for them at a reasonable rate. .-; . % "I have tak'en a toll of what our children .spend at the lolly-shcp opposite, and they spend hundred of pounds per annum," remarked Mr. Darrock (headmaster) at Mount Cook: householders'^ meeting last evening, when a.- householder suggested that the boys who represent the school should be supplied with football boots. The'iheadmastei said they did not want ithe boys to expect everything to be provided for their sports. They would- have much better boys if they made them self-reliant, and the boys at Mount Cook were : the' sort of-boys one could expect to Jielp themselves.. ,■. .\ ;. • ' '■■■', 7: ....'! "Small children have not the'same ■gumption as larger children-.in the mat-"! ter. of keeping dry," said the headmaster of, Te-Aro,. school, Mr. A. M'Keiizie, 1 •while discussing 'the .new 400. half-day stipulation of the Education Department, "and personally I think it 'would be a, very wrong thing to force; these little ones back, to," school oh very wet days." Mr. P. 1-Vaser,. M.P., put his views on-this question: "I dou't think-there could be anything more . foolish than ; this" regulation. . ;It is absolutely opposed to common-sense." . Mr. Eraser found very serious fault with several of the new regulations, and expressed tho opinion; that,-in hedging .teachersv about by cast-iron regulations^ the Department was on wrong ; lines' altogether. There might bo drones in the teaching profession, though he had: not met,them, but even if there were the Department was quite wrong in framing its. general i-e----gulations in cast-iron form to deal with the ■ very worst class of teacher. \ , : "Some comment upon the'closing of the dental clinic in Welinston was-made in! the annual report of the. Berhampore School Committee at the householders' meeting last night; Expressing regret at the fact that the, clinic had been closed six months ago/the committee, stated that it appear to, bo a very unwise step. While recognising the necessity for 'permitting the country districts ..;,to.: participate ili the advantages of the scheme,, the committee expressed the opinion that the need of. the "clinic iii Welling, ton was so great that it should be'open during the whole of the year. Mention had been-made in the last report of this branch of the Department's work, and the committee reiterated the opinion expressed therein—that in.order to carry the scheme to a successful issue the State must provide free medical atteiw tion for .'every child requiring \ same. Then again, the report stated, it was doubtful whether the: work of inspection was followed, up in a manner likely to bring about the best results from the system... . -..--. : , . A vexed question \vith Kilbirnie and Hataitai. residents is that of school boundaries between the school districts. This has been a hardy annual at householders' meetings for .some years past, and it cropped up. again last evening- both at Kilbirnie and Hataitai. -The Kilbirnie resolution last year was one of-strong opposition to any change in the school boundary. .A householder last evening , moved that the committee do not concedei a;single; inch of their district. The motion was seconded and carried unanimously. At the meeting of householders at Hataitai, Mr. E.. A. Batt moved; seconded by Mr. .J. L. Arcus: "That this; meeting of householders endorses the action of the committee in declining re-nomination for. a further term of office under existing boundary conditions ; that the. Wellington Education Board be called upon to .adjust the boundaries in accordance with representations made, and that, pending same, none of the householders present will accept nomination." The motion was carried unanimously, and the next move is awaited with, considerable interest. A protest'was entered by the retiring chairman of the Te Aro School Committee (Mr. L. Hennessey) at the house"holders' meeting last evening; at the ''cheese-paring" action of the Educa-"I tion Department in cutting down handwork supplies to such an extent that it was practically impossible to teach those subjects. There was, however, on the-' staff of the Te Aro School a lady assistant who did not like the idea of being dependent upon anyone, either board or committee, in the particular circumstances, and' who accordingly arranged a very successful concerCwhich brought in a sum of £30, and that, plus the Government subsidy, Would enable an ample supply of handwork material to be purchased for the time being. The headmaster (Mr. A. M'Kenzie) said that he was afraid handwork difficulties would increase. In the case of brushwork supplies, notice had been: given that the school would be supplied with material sufficient for the largest class in the school, other classes to use the same material. That would mean a rearrangement of the whole school timetable, and he feared that even if the scheme • was not impossible it would prove unmanageable. The householders at Lyall Bay resolved " That the handwork supplies are inadequate, and in some cases unsuitable, as, for instance, galvanised iron plates for plasticine work, these being actually dangerous in the hanj|3 pi childraa,." "' _,

A motor-car, driven by ;an employee ofMessrs. Tumbull. and Tories, collided with a standing motor-bus outside the King ■ George- Theatre, Lower Hutt, on Saturday evening. The motor-car .was badly" damaged, and one of the occupants had to receive medical attention for cuts on his face, caused by a broken wind screen: The 'bus was slightly damaged; Mr. P. H.. Graham, F.RJ.B.A., architect, of Wellington, has returned from Australia-,, where he designed a lay-out for a garden suburb for. a Melbourne : company. The scheme includes 4CO ;r'esP dential sites, central- shopping or business -area, a 19-hole golf- course, ,play areas tor children and other featuies. _Overcrowded conditions in the Kilbirme bchool were the subject of a: strong statement by a householder last eventing, to the effect' that the children had j t i 10° c"bic feet o£ail' sPace- -tn default of an immediate remedy the committee, had at least the ri°-ht to demand proper school furniture. He knew of one ca/e of a girl suffering from slight curvature of the spine through sittiii""' at an unsuitable desk. The motion wal adopted - unanimously;: and is to be forwarded to the Education Board, , ■; ..." .. The following motion,'moved by" Miv J- Hurley, was passed by" 6Q votes -to'1 20 at a meeting ;of householders" in Mount Cook area ;: "That,-in view of' tno lact that'denominational schools have been established;in this country, resulting in" a tendency to and having as itsobject the undermining of- the presant: system of free and secular education:'' this meeting, calls upon the Government to amend the Act governing the election ot school committees so as: to render not available, for ■•membership; of committee*; parents or guardians who have childre/' attending such - denomination^ Schco-" and that as such.they .shall not vote at elections of committees. "■ '.' .■"'■■■ , The feelings of the householders of'the ' Eastern Hutt district in. regard to tbe proviswn of secondary education facilities in.the Valley were expressed in the following resolution, . carried •• at the annual meeting.last evening :_■'Seeing ' wat irV.y?lll^. Pe°Ple resident in the itutt VaUey have been deprivyed of the rignt of entrance to a fully-equipped secondary school,'* is the earnest wish of the householders here met together that the proposed Hutt Valley. High School . be. erected, as soon as possible, so that tlie educational opportunities of the re-; sidents of the Hutt Valley be once again' made^the equal of those in the surround- ' .ing, districts." - A resolution was car- - fvf W^^e ?etone.meeting, calling upon-' the Education..Department to make an' immediate start with the erection of . the High School for the Hutt Valley and calling upon. tiw". Government -"to'-'placo" - or°P9^1 llnai c? f0r t .this year t^'sum ot i.^5,000 forihis school; '