WEST COAST ASS'N.

Hokitika Guardian, 17 September 1938, Page 4

WEST COAST ASS'N.

OF SCHOOL COMMITTEES ' ’

At a meetihg’of the West ' Coast' School Committees’ Association GreymouW? last evening, Mr H ; . W.’ R.’ Sweney reprbSe'fited VHokitika; r i• Mr A. E. Morgan, organiser of the Dominion 'of School Coin-' mittees, was present. • ' '

Mr Sweney said' that Hokitika had tried to get 'a subcommittee for ;t,lie dental clinic but it seemed impossible to get the’schools to ' meet. He did not think there vvould be much .fchidce of forming a suh-asSoci'ation Of sclrcHOl committees.' '

Remits for the annual conference were dismissed a fid Objection' was given. to a reiiiit from; Wellington; read-’ ing: iii the event, of failure, to elect a school ’ committee,' the control of such school revert' to 'the’ Education Board,' and ri'ot.be'placed-in: the' hands of a commissioner, ! and that the Act be amended accordingly.” ;! •'

Approval was’-expressed of two , remits favouring the retirement of half of the schbol ’committee - each year, the retiring members being ’eligible for re-election. V ' : J'-h

A Canterbury remit to the conference beads': “That education he given power to close. schools for the purpose of 'consolidation,' or one school wherF iii the . opinion of the board such action'he in the >best ' interests of tlfb' particular ’district affected,” Wa'dbp'posed.' ’--v V-'y.. “That'the‘'attention of the Minister of Education and Minister of Broadcasting be drawn to ; the undesirable naturfe of some broadcast programmed put over the air. by the National Com-' inercial Broadcasting stations. This : conference ”is * defifiitely’' of the opirt--ion that American gangster,' murder,' and kindred programmes, are .detrimentaf to the morals’of the rising generation, as is ' often demonstrated by the records of crifiie amongst youth in , our police courts” was ! a reput from Auckland. ’' l

On Mr Haddock's^'motion, tlie delegate was to support . the " remit if ilie words _ “National Commercial” were deleted. ; ' • General support was given a number of remits’ favouring the exten- 1 sion of dental clinics and the provision of free dental treatment for . all ’ primary school children. ' : 'i ; The delegation was instructed- to' favour tbie‘remission of the payment of part of the nurses’ salary by. country school The secretary reported that' of the 23 schools on the Wfist Coast controlled •by the Nelson Board, one (Karamea) had affiliated to the Association, whilst five (Inangahua Junction, Reefton, Punakaiki Rotokohu, Reefton, • and' Mawheraiti), of the 18 schools in the Inangahua district had also affiliated.., A total of 43 out of 58 schools in the Canterbury Board’s, portion of the district had affiliated,, making a total of 49 out of 99. It seemed necessary to visit Buller personally to secure their support. Regarding sub-associations lie' was hopeful that it would yet be possible to form these at Westport, Reefton, and Hokitika, as this was preferable to letter-writ-ing to maintain interest. Twelve favoured the proposal, whilst two were against it, and bd'had not expressed an opinion.

Mr A. E. Morgan said that from his own observations he felt ‘ that many more would affiliate if personal contact was made.