SEASONAL WORK

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26286, 18 October 1946, Page 2

SEASONAL WORK

EMPLOYMENT 9 OF SCHOOL CHILDREN THE BOARD’S ATTITUDE The Otago Education Board decided yesterday that head teachers of country schools should have discretionary power to allow older children leave of absence to assist with seasonal operations on farms and in orchards. This will apply from the beginning of December until the end of the school year. The board made the qualification that in general leave should not be granted to children under 12 years of age. The question was raised by an inquiry by the head teacher of the Mosgiel school. It was stated by the acting chairman, Mr D. C. Cameron, that in 1941 the board gave discretionary power to head teachers in this matter, but set 11 years as the age below which children should not be granted leave of absence. It was made clear at that time that this was purely a war-time measure. It was agreed by members yesterday that the need for all available labour for seasonal work still existed and that the board was justified in extending the arrangement. The position was not so acute, however, that it was necesasry to release pupils of town schools to go to work in the country. The chief inspector, Mr R. W. Maxwell, explained the attitude of the Department of Labour in the matter. It was considered, he said, that school vacations were designed to enable children to build up their strength and to give them a break from study and school work. That purpose was not served if they spent their holidays at factory work, or were granted leave of absence from school for that purpose. Mr Maxwell quoted an experience in which two pupils of a city school wished to work in a factory during their holidays. They were girls, one nearly 15 years old and the other 13, but it was required that he should grant them leave of absence although the period was from the school closing date until the re-open-ing. “It seemed an absurd state of affairs,” he said, “ that leave of absence for this purpose should be required for the period during which the schools were closed. I refused to give it, and the firm did not engage the girls.” Mr J. V. Riach expressed the opinion that town children should not be given leave of absence to work in the country or anywhere else, and this attitude was endorsed by other members. The meeting was attended by Messrs D. C. Cameron, who presided in the absence of Mr James Wallace, W. Jacobsen, J. V. Riach, N. H. Colquhoun, W. Cooper, J. I. Fraser, C. E Richards, H. A. Brough, and G. S. Fincham. Consolidation of Schools The board received two requests for consolidation of schools—one from the Portobello Committee that consolidation on Portobello should be considered, and the other from the Wanaka Committee that Cardrona should be consolidated on Wanaka It was stated that there was no opposition to the latter proposal. It was decidfed to invite the opinions of the Hooper’s Inlet and Sandymount Committees on the Portobello proposal, and to obtain confirmation of the mileages involved in the Wanaka plan so that a case could be prepared for the Department of Education.

As the result of a letter from the Department of Education concerning the board’s recommendation to the Minister that a school should be provided for the-Waverley district, it was decided to ask the department when the next list of urgent buildings was required the Waverley proposal would be included in that list. Teaching Changes The following resignations of teachers were accepted: Miss Irene M. Cruickshank, assistant lecturer at the Dunedin Training College; Miss Gladys M. Guy, infant mistress at the Kaikorai School; Miss Naomi I. Wingfield, infant mistress at Balclutha; Mr Lawrence Hubbard, head teacher at Stirling; Mr A. J. M. Hopper, sole teacher at Oturehua; Mr C. J. Rivers, sole teacher at Lovell's Flat; Mrs Monica M. A. Jarvis, sole teacher at Maclennan; Mr R. L. Luke, assistant at Green Island; Miss Betty G. Lister, assistant at Wanaka; Miss Kathleen L. Buchan, assistant at Lovell’s Flat; Miss Lily R. Cunningham, assistant at Tahakopa; Mr L. D. Daly, assistant at North-East Valley; Miss Betty C. Macdonald, assistant at Karitane.. The following appointments were confirmed: Miss Betty C. Macdonald, assistant at the Roxburgh Health Camp; Mr C. J. Rivers, head teacher at Stirling; Miss Isabel S. M. Hanning, sole teacher at Hooper’s Inlet; Miss Phyllis D. Moore, assistant at Patearoa; Mr E. Hughes, assistant at North-East Valley.