HON. C. J. PARR

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLI, Issue XLI, 4 July 1921, Page 7

HON. C. J. PARR

VISIT TO HAWERA.

The Hon. C. J. Parr, who is visiting Hawera, and will open the Dominion Show to-morrow, was met at the Borough Council Chambers this morning by His Worship the Mayor, Mr,EDixon, M-P., who welcomed him to the town. Later Mr-J. B. Murdoch, chairman of the Hawera County Council and. president of the Chamber of Commerce, also Mr G. H. Buckeridge, chairman of the Technical School Advisory Board, Messrs Tait and Death (Hawera Main School), waited upon the Minister.

The Minister was invited by Mr Buckeridge to perform the opening ceremony of the Technical High School. - ./

Mr Parr replied that he. would very much lifce to comply, but he feared that he would be unable Vto spare the three days that would be occupied in making the trip. It waa a pity that he. had not been able to arrange for the opening of the school during the Winter Show. ,

Mr Murdoch said that if the Minis-, ter made use of the Auckland express he need not lose more, than two daysIn that case, the Minister replied, he would endeavour to make arrangements for the visit.

Mr Parr visited the new Technical i School buildings. He expressed himself as very pleased with them, and said he thought Hawera was vey fortunate in having such a fine block of buildings for the purposes of secondary education.' After this, Mr Parr visited the present Technical school; inspecting the different classes while at work- He was informed by the' principaL(Mr Gray) that there was now a roll number of 170. Next, the Minister paid a visit to the Hawera main school. After looking at the different rooms, the children were assembled by v the headmaster (Mr Strack) in the main half. ; Mr Dixon, as the time was short j was very brief in introducing the Minister. Mr Strack said it the first time* for Mr Dixon to visit the school since he had been the member for the district, and. he would ask the children to give him a good welcome. Mr Dixon was therefore greeted in thehearty fachion of school children- - •, Mr. Parr, in an earnest, simple address, urged the children to make the best of their school life. If they wanted to be successful they would have to work hard, for in these days people had no time for the shirker or those who. went slow. The boy or girl who worked hard could! reach the highest position in the land. It was not always the most brilliant who met with the greatest' success. It was by l'hottesty of purpose and character that the most desirable positions were reached. Addressing the teachers^ Mr. Parr said he recognised the importance of their work in moulding the characters of the children and in inculcating lofty ideals so that; they* might become worthy citizens of the Empire. Speaking to the girls, he pointed out how-important it was for them to make the most of their school days, and he urged each to look forward to the time when she would be mistress in her own home. That idea should be before them in all their studies. As that was his first vjsit to the school as Minister for Education, and as the day was very wet,, he would ask that they be given a half-holiday. .

At the suggestion of Mr. Dixon it was decided to give a half-holiday to the1 Technical School and Tawhiti School pupils also. Finally, Mr. Parr visited the High School Hostel. He expressed great satisfaction with what he saw and said he hoped that before long the building %ould b4 full of boarders.

Mr. Buckeridge explained that, owing to the hostel not opening till after the beginning o.f the year, a number .of pupils who otherwise would have made use of the hostel had already made arrangements for boarding privately. He believed that next year the accommodation of the hostel would be taxied to the utmost. . '

The Mayor and Messrs Buckeridge and Murdoch had morning tea,with the Minister., after which he^left for New Plymouth. ,

The Mayor is arranging for Mr. Parr to visit the /Tawhiti school, grounds tomorrow, so that 4 he might be made familiar with certain requirements in respect to the grounds.