SOUTH WELLINGTON STATE SCHOOL, WELLINGTON

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1424, 15 June 1899, Page 28

SOUTH WELLINGTON STATE SCHOOL, WELLINGTON

The above school was built to relieve the pressure at the Newtown School, and was opened in July, 1896, by J. R. Blair, Esq., chairman of the Education Board. On the opening day 280 children were enrolled. As a proof of the wisdom of the Education Board in deciding to build this school it may be stated that since its opening some 1400 children have been admitted, and that 680 are on the roll at the present time. These figures prove, too, the migrator} 7 habits of the people in this district. At its opening the school was placed in charge of Mr George Flux, as headmaster, with a staff of seven assistants. The staff has since increased to fifteen teachers. There is a fully equipped infant department in charge of Miss M. H. Craig. The accommodation first provided was for 360 children. Early in 1898 additional accommodation was provided, and a large lecture hall built. The roll at' present is 680 ; several of the classrooms are overcrowded, and on many days the attendance is somewhat in excess of the accommodation. With a view to relieve this the Education Board has formed a new school district at Island Bay, extending from Duppa street to the sea, and has let a tender for the erection of a new school by the racecourse at Island Bay. Even so, it is scarcely likely that it can be long before additions will have to be made at tne South Wellington School, as there is no part of New Zealand where the population is increasing so rapidly as in tnis part of Wellington. The school stands on a site ot tour acres, thus providing greater playground accommodation than has been possible in the case of any other Wellington city school, and indeed of most country schools. It is a splendidly healthy site, and improvements are being constantly

Ever since its opening this school has been fortunate in having energetic, progressive committees. For the past two years Mr F. W. Sears has been chairman, and the respective committees have been most energetic in improving the school, interiorly and exteriorly. The last improvement is the very necessary provision of a fine Brinsmead piano for school use. To pay for this a bazzar is to be held m the course of a few weeks, and a ladies committee and the School Committee and teachers are working together to make it a success.

proposal, but immediately put me on board a homeward bound blue nose barque. Then I said a long good-bye to comfort again. Arriving in Liverpool via Mobile I was sent adrift, to find it impossible to get

any skipper to ship me on account of my diminutive size. I succeeded in getting a ship at last, the Brinkburn, of London, for Falmouth, Jamaica. Her crew were a set of brutes, and treated me with such cruelty that I

was really glad when, on the first day of the homeward passage, she ran ashore, and became a total wreck. There was little danger, and all hands got safe ashore. After a series of adventures, I worked my passage home again in the

mail steamer from Kingston to Liverpool, seeing 30 persons die of yellow fever on the short passage. I came butt up against the old trouble in Liverpool again—still too small to be worth anybody’s money as a ship's boy.