Halcombe

Manawatu Times, Volume 65, Issue 307, 16 December 1940, Page 2

Halcombe

(From Our Own Correspondent.) Miss Edna Weaver, of Levin, is spending a brief holiday with her sister, Airs. L. W. A. Aliller. Airs. K. C. Anderson has returned from a holiday spent in Wellington. School Committee The final meeting of the year and possibly the last meeting to be held in the old school which has served tht district for over sixty years was attended by Messrs. E. W. Cowdry (in the chair), W. R. Powell (huu. secretary), and H. M. Budding. Alessts. Hamilton, Christensen and bterne, three members of the btanway School Committee were also present by invitation and matters of mutual interest to both school districts were discussed. Correspondence was read from the Education Board re the proposed itinerary of the btanway behool bus service from Btanway to llalcombe in the coming year. The headmaster reported that the annual school examinations had been completed , aud that a start had been made on the; work of preparing the programme for the forthcoming school concert. The price for admission to the concert was fixed at eighteenpence for adults and sixpence for children other than local pupils. New School The new building has now been completed. This wee* the painters completed their work. The work of draining is almost completed, but the ploughing, levelling and sowing of the grounds in giusa nus yet to be done. a start has not been made with tho ioncing of the grounds so fur. Compared with the old school, the new uuilding aiiords a contrast in educational architecture. The most striking features are the complete absence of corridors ami the wiuo folding glass doors which give access from tue concrete veranda which runs the whole length of the building, to the sunlit cheery rooms, three in number, and done out in pale green and cream paint. On the south side of the classroom lies the wido cloak room opening on to tho veranda. Well provided with many windows to admit the maximum amount of sunlight, this room too presents a brightatti'aclive appearance with its pale green walls and its varnished stands to which are fixed metal hangers for coats aud fiats. Three porcelain wash-basins are provided. (Jn the north side of the veiauda lies tho teachers’ room from which, access is obtained to a tidy kitchen complete with sinK aud cupboards extending from lioor to ceiling. The classrooms will be heated by cone-burn-nig stoves which stand in a corner of each. The sanitary conveniences are of a modern type anu include u septic tank and water-closets. Two roomy piaysfieds aud a bicycle sued complete a bright modern scuooi of which tiie district may well be proud. The need tor a new school has been a long standing one and taut that need lias at long last been supplied is due largely to tne unceasing persistence of tne scuooi committee aud to tho representatives made to tuo Education Board and the Education Department by the Hon. J. Cobbe, ALP. Home Guard Recently a largely attended meeting of members ami propective members or the nalcombe anu District’s Home Guard unit was held. Councillor VV. MeLuiuiau occupied the chair. Mr. E. G. Pryce, one of tho uistrict s most enthusiastic supporters of the movement addressed the meeting uud explained the functions of aud tne powers whicn were to be invested in tne committee of management to be elected by the meeting taut evening. It was decided that this committee consist of the commander of tho unit, the local representative oi the county council, the local liaison officer and five elected members and taut this committee be given the power to add other members from time to time should suen additions be deemed desirable. Eleven nominations were received for the five seats and tho ensuing ballot resulted in the election of the following:—Messrs. G. Burgess, E. W. Cowdrey, A. E. Prior, A. C. Boswell, and J. E. Fergussou. At the close of the meeting the enrolling officers, Messrs. E. O. Pryce and W. AicLonnau, proceeded with attesting of several now members. To date some sixty persons have joined but tho committee is confident that before long more than twice that number will be enrolled altogether. At the first meeting of the newly elected committee, all members were present. and Air. McLennan occupied the cliair. Air. E. U. Pryce, of Ivakariki, was elected as the member whom tho committee ricoinraended to be appointed to the position of commander of the local unit.