HIGH SCHOOLS’ BOARD

Evening Star, Issue 19409, 18 November 1926, Page 15

HIGH SCHOOLS’ BOARD

MONTHLY MEETING The monthly meeting of the Otago High Schools’ Board was held yesterday afternoon, there being present the chairman (Dr Thompson), Mrs S. MPark. Messrs T. K. Sidey, M.P., JM. Galloway, and W. R. Brugh. LADY PRINCIPAL’S REPORT. The Lady Principal (Miss M. H. M. King) reported that the roll number at tile Girls’ High School was 449. made up of 137 senior free place pupils, 304 junior free place pupils, and eight paying pupils. The annual athletic sports were held on Friday, November 6, The tabloid competition resulted as follows Form VI.l 1, Form V.ai 2, Form V.b 3. The winners of the Mallard Cups for the relay race were Form lil.s and Form VI.l. RECTOR’S REPORT. The Rector of the Boys’ High School (Mr W. J. Morrell) reported that the total number of boys npw upon the school roll was 613, including 193 seniors, 400 juniors, and 20 paying pupils. The corresponding totals for November 1921-25 were, respectively:— 505, 541,* 531, 656, and 603. The annual athletic sports were held atCarisbrook, on Wednesday, October 27, the whole day again being devoted to the meeting. Despite heavy rain, the sports went off well. They had never so large a number of entries nor so many close finishes. Three school records were broken, the Sinclair Challenge Cup (senior) falling to V. H. Trochon, with W. A. Priest a good second. The Junior Cup went to M. H. Manning.The Mallard Challenge Cup for the relay fell to V.a Form, and the Stuart Hawthorne Shield for the junior relay race to IV.c. The form championship for the greatest number of points gained in proportion to numbers was won by Modern V.a, Upper V.a coming second. The thanks of the school were due to the ladies who so kindly gave their services in the tea room, to the senior pupils of the Girls’ High School for their assistance, and to many friends for gifts of material for afternoon tea. He also wished _to thank Old Boys who helped by acting as judges and donors of prizes. At the secondary schools athletic meeting last Saturday the school team won the Senior Shield by 66 points to 10J. N. H. North gained the gold medal for the senior competition, obtaining most points, L. E. Macassey coming third. It was decided to congratulate the school on its success at the secondary schools athletic championship meeting. GENERAL. Miss M. N. Gellatley, M.A., _ was granted sick leave for the remainder of the term. A letter from the Rector of the Boys’ High School stated that while the school had had a number of generous donations for special prizes, more particularly in connection with the outside life of the school, the general prize fund would benefit greatly by some additional support from those interested in the school. The calls on the fund had increased considerably owing to the growth in the numbers of the school. ‘ ACCOMMODATION AT BOYS’ SCHOOL. Reporting on the number of boys that could be accommodated in the present school and when that number was likely to be the Rector of the school said that with the present buildings provision could be made for a maximum of _ twenty-five classes. Under the regulations this meant a maximum of 719 pupils. He thought that only a small rise in the roll was probable next year, and he had estimated the total at 694. It was obvious that they might rise to 725 or 730 in 1928, and that the absolute limit of 750 might be reached in 1929 or 1930. The number of boys which the school could really accommodate with comfort was not over 725 or 730. The building of a new wing of four classrooms, as originally proposed, for the Fulton building in place_ of the two temporary classrooms which the board and the department were under engagement to remove would inpan an addition of, say, sixty. This would intensify the difficulty that had been experienced for several years past as to playing areas. He was strongly of opinion that the school should not at the outside ho allowed to go beyond 750. It was decided to send a copy of the Rector’s letter to the Minister of Education, with a covering letter from the secretary. FINANCE COMMITTEE. The Finance Committee report was as follows: The committee has considered the department’s circular memorandum of October 6 last, in which it was intimated that' the Government had reconsidered the question of providing for secondary school buildings from loans raised on the security of endowment incolne, and that, it having been found that boards were paying much higher rates of interest than the Government paid for its loans, it had decided to amend the Education Act, and to inform boards that it could not approve of further loans, the interest and principal of which are payable from endowment income. The Secretary submitted a statement shelving that since 1919 the erection of buildings and the purchase of sites to the value of £18,258 16s 9d have been financed by this board in the manner referred to in the department’s circular, and that the rate of interest paid to toe bank, reckoned on the average debit balance in the new buildings and sites account, averaged only 4.28 per cent. This is due mainly to the favorable balances in the board’s other accounts, which have acted as a “setoff against the debit in the new buildings and sites account, and have thus operated to reduce substantially the amount on which interest was charged by the bank. The committee has forwarded a copy of the secretary’s statement to the department, and, as it seems clear that this board has financed its works cheaper than the Government itself could have done out of its loan moneys, has asked that the decision to amend the Act be reconsidered, and that instead the department treat each case on its merits and sanction loans only where the board can show that it is able to raise them apeast as cheaply as' the Government itself is able to do. The report was received.