THE GEORGE STREET SCHOOL HALL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18295, 12 July 1921, Page 2

THE GEORGE STREET SCHOOL HALL.

TO THE EDITOR. g IEj —If your correspondents are. as sincere m Uieir desire to make public tne tacts oi the case regarding me ueorge bueet School Hail, as they claim to be. then 1 lear tne letter wnueu over the nom do plume of One ol the Diggers " appearing m tills morning’s issue oi trie Daily i lines wilt tend to deieat ratlior than attain tne.r end ihe misplaced letter ot '* One ol tne Diggers” has no boanug whatever on the controversy relating to tlie George btieet School Wall, and as far as i can see, and as nil right-thinking persons should say, it involves a direct injustice to Air xnomson. Tiiere are always two sides to a question, and 1 do not wish to write one way or tne outer concerning tne hah. What 1 do object to is that a returned soldier should write such a letter with one sedisli object solely. As one who had considerable war service, I can” salely say that, to the broad-minded men tllat answered the call and lougntr for tneir King, country, and loved ones at home, tiiere was no thouglit ot ill-will to his fellow man who through divers conditions could not respond. 1 am m a position to know of the excellent war service of Mr Thomson s family and oi his own untiring work during the war to provide comlorts, which i, amongst all other New /.ealand soldieis in Franco and in hospital, greatly appreciated. Had it not been lor our people at-home, a venture to suggest that not only “One of the Diggers” but a great many otlicrs would not be here to-day to enjoy the freedom of our fair country.—l am, etc.. Honour Where Honour Is Due. Dunedin, Muly 11. Sib,—l have been interested in the controversy about the George Street School Gymnasium, and can most certainly say that the hall is not being used for the purpose for winch it was provided. My letter will at once disprove the statement that the complaints come trom one person. 1 have children attending the school and have ascertained irom mem that the hail is very seldom used, and that if the children go in they have instructions to take, otf their shoes so ns not to injure the floor I recognise, oi course, that me use ol the hail as lor gymnastics is concerned is practically a unrig oi the past; but as the place was built tor me use ot the children tney should nine the prior right, which they do not at present enjoy. The uses to which the hall might be put are many and should be apparent to tne committee. 1 append a low suggestions; Open the hall lor the children on wet days; utilise it as a lunch room lot those who take their meals; get the school band together again and Jet it practise in the hall; provide entertainments by the children in the hall. —1 am. etc., Dunedin, July 11. .Parent. Sib, — Your correspondent. “In-as-much,” asks a question which was answered in a previous letter. As he is evidently dull of understanding, allow me to reler him to the reply oi Mr Paterson (our head master), to this question:—“l ho gymnasium is not used as a playroom in wet weather. No gymnasium is so used, otherwise it would be useless lor any other purpose. Even if no dances were held in the building, children would not be allowed in during wet weather. Mho teachers know, and Mn-as-much' should know, that the first essential of physical drill, involving deep breathing, is that it be conducted m pure atmosphere, free from dust. The committee does not interlerc with the teachers’ use of the gymnasium during school hours, and if they wished to use it for the purpose suggested, they are free to do so. Hut there is no need. The commodious playsheda afford ample playing space for the boys, while the girls use the corridor and large ante-room, thus obviating the necessity of leaving the building during wot weather.” Now a word for Mr H. Thomson. First, ho says dancing has never ceased “before 10.30 any night this winter.” As a rule there is no dance on five nights out of the seven in each week, and in no week has there been more than three night’s dancing. Mr Thomson may have imagined he heard dancing on tho other nights, the same as he imagines there is a nuisance. The one is as real as tho other. Again, he says that while he was writinc his letter ‘‘there was a dance in progress. On that particular date (July 6) there was no dance in the hall. The Senior Cadets used tho hall for drill, and were out of it about 9 o’clock. Imagination again! “On two occasions after 2 o’clock in tho morning,” so says Mr Thomson, ‘ someone disturbed his household by starting a high-powered motor cycle.” The hull has not boon let more than once this season after 12 o’clock, so if those incidents did happen they could not have had any connection with this hall. But I suppose it is imagination again—in fact, tho whole socalled “grievance” is imagination. If the fiction is eliminated from Mr Thomson’s letter there are no facts left. Wo are finished with this correspondence. We have been granted the license, as the City Council rightly refuses to interfere in the matter. There is no member of the school committee who would not do his best to remedy any genuine grievance, but every member will fight imaginary ones.—l am, etc. (on behalf of tho George Street School Committee), H. S. Binoham, Secretary. Dunedin, July 11.