More Mileage For Instructor, Calf Club Group Requests

Northern Advocate, 15 November 1940, Page 4

More Mileage For Instructor, Calf Club Group Requests

Promise to inquire into the position to see if he could help was given by the Minister for Education (Mr Mason) to a deputation from the Whangarei Calf Club group, which requested the granting of additional mileage allowance for November and December to the Agricultural Instructor to Schools (Mr J. H. Dennehy).

Last year Mr Dennehy had travelled 2500 miles for November 'and December, but this year the Auckland Education Board had limited him to 500 miles a month car travel, said the president of the Whangarei Calf Club Group (Mr V. Taylor). It was insufficient for Mr Dennehy to carry out his ordinary duties and also organise the calf club activities in the sixty schools that came within the group, Mr Taylor said. Value Emphasised.

In emphasising the value of the movement he said that his two eldest children, who attended school before the inauguration of the calf club movement, were not specially interested in the farm, whereas his two younger children, both of whom had been calf club members, were keen on farm work now.

His daughter this year raised 32 calves on his farm.

Mr Taylor was supported by the president of the Whangarei Combined School Committees Association (Mr C. V. Stringer).' The calf club movement tended to counteract the tendency towards a drift to the town, he said.

Mr Stringer suggested that the Auckland board did not know either the amount of work that Mr Dennehy was doing for the calf club movement nor its importance to the district. Time was short and this prevented the matter being taken up direct with the Auckland Education Board. While Mr Mason said he was not clear on the authority he had in the matter, he undertook to investigate and help if possible.