BOARD OF MANAGERS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 304, 21 November 1935, Page 4

BOARD OF MANAGERS.

MONTHLY MEETING.

The monthly meeting of the Feilding Agricultural High School Board of Managers was held last night, Mr Jas. Knight presiding. Also present were Messrs .T. E. Barltrop, Messrs T. S. Goldsmith, A. C. Buist, E. H. Brewer, W. Challis, A. Campbell and the headmaster (Mr L. J. Wild).

A circular letter was received from the headmasters of the Franklin primary schools and the Pukekohe Technical High .School Board of Managers asking the board to support the following movement:— “To form a Dominion organisation to secure free bus transit for technical school pupils in districts affected by lack of free railway transit, petitions are being circulated to secure the support of the proposals and circulars issued urging immediate and cooperative action in districts similarlysituated.” Attached was a petition seeking the sanction of the Government to the request, and the board was asked to circularise the petition /or signature in the district. Mr Wild said there were 15 pupils at the school who travelled by bus to school—ll from Cheltenham and four from Stanway—and they paid £3 5s per week in bus fares. The question had been raised before by the speaker himself as he was convinced that with free passage double the number of children would attend the school.

The chairman felt that the board should support the request from Pukekohe, and Mr Campbell said he was only of one mind in the matter and that was that the board should subscribe to the resolution. It was obviously a matter which would benefit the school if it could be put through. A motion agreeing to support the request was carried.

As a mark of their appreciation of the use granted them by the board of the Technical School buildings in Street, the Feilding branch of the W.E.A. forwarded a donation of £5 towards the furnishing of the Technical School buildings, the donation being received with thanks. Mr Wild announced that the annual prize-giving ceremony of the school would be held on December 17, and

that Mr F. A. do la Mare, 8.A., LL.B., of Hamilton, had accepted an invitation to give an address. HEADMASTER’S REPORT. Mr Wild reported as follows on the month at the school: “The roll is still diminishing as both boys and girls are finding employment. I mentioned this in m,v last report, since which time several more good openings have occurred both for boys and for girls. The athletic sports were scheduled for October 25 and after two postponements on account of wet weather were finally hold on November 4. The weather was cold and unpleasant and the track heavy ; nevertheless one record—the 220 yards—was broken by J. Keneven in 24 seconds. The annual paper-chase or, more correctly, road race, was run on October 10. On November 1 a fete was held. It was organised almost entirely by the school council and the sum of nearly £SO was cleared, and that without unduly interfering with schoql work. The council intend to apply their funds to beautifying the grounds and improving the facilities for games. Term examinations arc now being held for the fourth and fifth forms. In tho case of the fourth form these examinations determine the award of senior free places. The University entrance examination will be held next month, as well as our own examinations for the third forms. We had teams of stock .at the Royal Show (Hastings), at Palmerston North, and at Wanganui and got a fair share of awards: For instance, at the Royal Show we obtained 1 championship, 1 reserve championship 6 firsts, 3 seconds, 6 thirds, 5 v.h.c. and 1 h.c. awards. At Palmerston North pupils made 14 entries in the arts and crafts sections and obtained 5 firsts, 1 special, and 3 seconds. Visitors to the school during the month, besides Hon. J. G. Cobbe, and the Mayor and the Mayoress, who came to assist with the official opening of the fete, have included Mrs Graham, who gave an address on the national credit of New Zealand; Mr Tanner, of Sydney, who judged beef cattle at the Royal Show, and Miss Anderson, of the home science department of the Dunedin Technical College.

“Work on the farm has been severely handicapped by the continuous wet weather. Wheat and oats early sown are doing well, but mangolds and potatoes put in three or four weeks ago are doubtful, and we are still waiting to get in rape and other fodder crops. We have completed shearing the crossbred ewes, but have not yet been able to get the -stud sheep through the shed. The Young Farmers’ Club is holding its spring show at the school in December and the committee of the Boys’ and_Girls’ Calf Clubs are arranging their judging of the children’s calves at. the same time and place. I am placing tho school hall at the disposal of the Boys’ and Girls’ Club committee for the entertainment of the children.’

Moving the adoption of the report, the chairman commended the action of the school pupils in the holding of the recent fete at the school, eulogising particularly the work of Miss N. Williamson for her splendid effort. Mrs Barltrop said the fete was a wonderful piece of organisation on the part of the children, no flaw showing itself throughout the whole day. The report was adopted and Mr Campbell moved that the board express its appreciation to the school council at its efforts which resulted in the raising of £SO towards the school ground improvements, and that the matter of a subsidy on the amount be referred to the finance committee of the board with a view to i,t subsidising th

Le sum. Remarking that the work of the

council had been very commendable, Mr Challis seconded the motion. GROUND IMPROVEMENTS.

Mr Wild expressed thanks on be--2 half of the council at the board’s' practical intimation of its appreciation of the pupils’ efforts, and stated that there were certain definite ways in which the board could assist the council in its aims. He enumerated the ; plans the council had for erecting additional accommodation at the baths, laying down extra tennis courts, improvements to the cricket field and a general effort to beautify the school : surroundings in other ways. The baths were one of the first on the list, but a matter that was giving the council much concern was the care of the cricket field. The cutting of the grass was a problem, and perhaps next year there was every possibility that the council would approach the' board with a view to it assisting in the provision of a groundsman for the cricket field for part of the year. Mr Goldsmith said the finance committee would he pleased to deal with the council’s requests at such time as they came before it. This view being supported by Mr Buist, who added that the self-help action of the council was deserving of the board’s support. The motion was carried.