HAWERA TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 18 June 1924, Page 6

HAWERA TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL.

t ORDINARY MEETING. At the usual monthly meeting of the Board of Governors Mr. R. S. Sage (chairman) presided, and. there were also "present: Mrs. Gilbert, Messrs J. B. Murdoch, T. C Hobbs, J. Entwistle, A. Lees. H. A. Lennon. J. W. Harding, and the headmaster (Mr. A. Gray). After the confirmation of the minutes of the last meeting the headmaster read his monthly report, which was 1 as follows:

At present the roll number is as follows, figures for last month appearing in parentheses: Commercial, senior 13 (17), intermediate 19 (22), junior 19 (20); literary, senior 25 (27), intermediate 20 (22), junior A 23 (27), junior B 10 (13); engineering, senior 14 (14), junior 19 (23); agriculture, 5 (5); home science, 12 (14)—total, 179 (204). One or two families have left the district, while other pupils have had to go to work. As Mr H. A. Lennon was the only one nominated to fill the vacancy caused by Mr. Coleman’s retirement, he is duly elected a member of the board. In the two positions advertised on the staff there are four applications for the science and agriculture position and five for the general work. A complete supply of scientific material has come to hand during the interval. During the month the City and Guilds of London examinations were held in the school under the supervision of Rev. W. J. Oxbrow. A matter that will shortly require attention is the perishing of the ceiling in one of the rooms —apparently caused by an overflow from the hot water system. I should like to keep before the board the necessity for improvement to the front of the school grounds, and of the entrance to the boarding-house. .With reference to the latter, Mr. Murdoch has kindly offered to provide any shrubs required There are also questions of a school museum and a school library. During the term considerable attention has been paid to debates among the pupils, a number of whom promise to develop into first-class speakers. The most interesting were: ‘ls the time opportune for the erection of a town hall in Hawera?” (between two sections of Form IV literary division); “Which is the more important for the defence of a country—an air force or a naval force ?” (between two sections of Form 111 literary division); “Was the British Government justified in abandoning the Singapore scheme?” (between the engineering and literary division). It is , intended shortly to have an evening debate, to which parents and friends will be invited. Repairs as required were ordered to be done in terms of the report. , Mr. Murdoch’s offer of shrubs for the planting of the grounds was accepted with thanks, and the work is to be done under the control of the Grounds Committee. It.was agreed to do the work as suggested ancl report to next meeting. It was resolved to see how many new pupils could be secured. The resignations of Messrs Johnstone, Spragg, and Mills were received, and Mr. H. A. Lennon being nominated, was duly elected to one of the vacancies.

The resignations of two of the staff were received, and after some discussion it was resolved that the appointments of Mr. and Miss Holmes, who were applicants for the positions, be recommended

.Mr. T. H. Walker wrote in appreciation of the .great care taken with his son while a, pupil at the school. He added that his hoy was now doing well at the Auckland Grammar School, and this he said, was owing largely to the excellent grounding received, at‘the Hawera Technical High -School. The Director of Education wrote in regard to the proposed District High Cchool at Manaia, asking how many pupils of Hawera school travelled from Manaia or places between, and any remarks concerning the desirability .or otherwise of the establishment of such a school.—A reply was sent that eleven came from Manaia (eight commercial, one home science, and two literary). The chairman added that the establishment of Patea D.H.S. meant a loss of students to Hawera, and that ' while ■ they sympathised with the need for secondary education in country districts, so many small schools were detrimental to Hawera, as the distance was only ten miles. The hoard suggested the possibility of making arrangements for carrying these pupils to Hawera, and added that they would be willing to assist. ' *

The chairman said they seemed to be up against Hawera on‘all sides. He added that the expense of transport was the difficulty.

Mr. Lees said that plenty of children wer© wanting secondary education, hut this question of transport was a hindrance. and there were a lot of children around Manaia Mr. Murdoch said that the •. more small schools there were established the worse it would be for education, as there would be fewer masters and they would not be specialists. The chairman said that the experience of the Hawera D.H.S. had not teen good, and only when the Technical High School had been established was satisfaction guaranteed. Mr. Entwistle said it was better to give a subsidy in the matter of transport than to have new schools. Hawera had lost through Eltham and Patea, and now looked likely to do so through Manaia.

Accounts amounting to £47 16s 2d were passed for payment and the board then rose.