SCHOLARS’ THRIFT

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 June 1930, Page 8

SCHOLARS’ THRIFT

COBDEN SCHEME’S SUCCESS.

Mr Barrett, Headmaster of the Cobden School, presented the following report for the first term, this year, to the .Cobden School Commit- • “Late in 1929, I found that only about ten per cent, of the children or this school were making any provision for tho future by having accounts in the P. 0.5.8. Considering this a serious state of affairs and with a view to improving matters, on February 11, we started a scheme which so far has proved an unqualified success When the scheme was placed before the children, they entered wholeheartedly into the idea, ant the great, majority of the parents have assisted by giving the necessary encouragement. The senior scholais were asked to make a “target to) the year and considered that a>lOJ was a fair figure for the school. They based their calculations on 10/- per head of the roll number, omitting the lower infants. The scheme is essentially a penny scheme. A supply of penny-stamp forms was obtained from the local post office and the children were en- ' couraged to bring their pennies to school. The Headmaster had a’ supply of penny stamps and these were sold tn the children who affixed them to their forms. When a child’s form was filled (12 penny stamps) an account in the child’s own name was opened at the local Post Office and another blank form issued. 'Many and varied were the ways in which the children obtained money for “their bank.” Some gathered and sold empty bottles; others gathered scrap metal; another group picked and sold blackberries in season, while many placed a fixed portion of their weekly ‘wages’ to their credit. The net result for the first term was that instead of 23 depositors we now have 179, who have saved in that time over £5O, or over one half of our target. An important feature in the scheme is its simplicity. It certainly took a little school time for the first fortnight, but since then the whole of the work has been done by two girls one from F.l. and the other from F.2. The teachers all entered enthusiastically into the matter and their main duty now is to supervise in a general way, giving a little encouragement and help where necessary.”