NEWS OF THE DAY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21385, 21 April 1944, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY

Explosion of Chemicals When some chemicals with which he' had been experimenting at his home exploded in his face, Colin George Ashbridge, aged 17, son of Mrs J. Ashbridge, of Musick Point, Auckland, suffered severe burns to both eyes. Classmates in Dispatches The Kaiti School has a war record of some interest, in that two classmates ox former years have been mentioned in dispatches for gallantry while serving with the New Zealand Forces overseas. They are Captain Jim Forster, son of Mr. and Mrs. H. F. Forster, formerly of Gisborne and how of Napier; and Private Grenville O’Neil, a son of Mr. Jas. O’Neil and the late Mrs. O’Neil, Stout street. Tax on Children’s Garments Sales tax anomalies, particularly in connection with children’s hats and caps, infants’ bonnets arid diapers in the piece, were discussed at a recent council meeting of the New Zealand Retailers’ Federation in Wellington. Sale stax at present charged on these articles is 20 per cent, against 10 per cent for other articles of clothing. It was decided again to approach the Minister of Customs asking him toreeonsider his previous unfavourable decision. The meeting pointed out that the reduction of sales tax to 10 per cent would reduce the cost of these essential articles to the consumer. Teaching- of English The opinion that insufficient emphasis has been placed on English in the new teaching plans recommended by the Post-primary Education Committee was expressed in a report by a special committee of the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce. “The whole subject of the post-primary curriculum is of interest to us, because members of the chamber are, collectively large employers of labour, specially of the labour released on to the market by the post-primary schools,” states the report. “We should desire as a minimum for our staff a developed intelligence, evidence of initiative legible writing, correct spelling, adequate knowledge of grammar ■ and punctuation; ability to speak and pronounce words correctly, some ability in arithmetic, including accuracy in all fundamentals, and some measures of general knowledge. On past experience, however, we are not certain that these will be attained.”