CHILDREN'S DEMONSTRATION COMMITTEE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2456, 17 April 1901, Page 53

CHILDREN'S DEMONSTRATION COMMITTEE.

A meeting of the Children's Demonstration Committee was held in the Town Hall on Monday. There were present — Messrs G. C. Israel (in the chair), T. K. Sidey, J. A. Fitzgerald, DLD L A, M'Nicoll, W. M'Adsun,

M. Cohen, J. Arthur, G. Moir, J. H. Chapman, U. Bemham, J. Braithwaite, J. F. M Fraser, Watson, J. W. Smith, W. Davidson, J. Hanna, and D. Murray. It was decided that the following persons be added to the committee: — Messrs P. G Piyde, O. J. Hodge, R G. Whetter, A. Braik, and Young. Mr M Fraer was appointed secretary and Mi J. A. Fitzgeiald assistant secretary. The Chairman <\ud the meeting was practically the first of the DemonsUtion Committee. The pre^ lous meeting;? held were meetings of representative^ of the S< hool Conference) and of the exeeutne, to make pifchmmary inquiries to and p&\ o the way for the meeting of the Demonstration Committee. The question of the demolish ation had become somewhat complicated by Iho proposal that the country school children be ticked to take part in the demonstration along with their children. It wouM have to b3 decided that night whether a provincial demonstration was piacticable. From the country childran's point cf \iew, the idea wa" a good one up to a certain point, inasmuch as they would get the oppoitumty of a lifetime in seeing Dnnedin under such favourable circumstances, and also their future King and Queen. The Education Board had recently sent out a circular to tho country school committees asking them (with the assistance of the head teacher) to obtain and forward answers to a number of queries, at the samo time adding any further information available, ho that the board would be in a position to judge how far the scheme was practicable. Until that information was to hand it was impossible for them to take any further steps in the matter. A3 Invercfirgill was not likely to be vipited, the Southland pe^le -would probably come to Dunedin. If the people of Dunedin had a disposition to bring in the country school I children of Otago. they might go further and include the children of Southland. If 1 it were decided to leave the children of the latter province out in the cold, the board should go a step farther and find out for tho committee how far the Inyercargill people were likely to fall in with the scheme. Roughly, the number of children in ttre country districts of Otago outside, say. Port Chalmers in the north and Mo«gie,l in the tfouth, to which places the children could 1 ba taken home the same night, was 4800. ! Ho was not counting children under the ! Fourth Standard. Mr Gaw, the railway I traffic fuinerintender.t. estimated that if the ' children in Southland were to ynn in the | scheme there would be. about 7000 children ( to be carried. When the executive first suggested the children's demonstration it was proposed to give the committee the whole of the second clay if that were desired. The idea, at any rate, was thought a good one, and the committee accepted the propopal. Later on they discoveiecl that to hold the | demonstration on the second day w ould upset j the whole of the railway people's calculations. They expected tho demonstration to take place on the first day — Wednesday, — • and that they would be able to take tha ■ country children home on the Thui'sday, and relieve the city of them. Mr Gaw j told them plainly that the holding of the demonstration on Thursday would upset their arrangements, a.s it would keep a large number of people in town on Thursday | whom they expected_ to go home on that 1 day ; consequently "the traffic next day would be congested. The executive saw the point, and agreed thai, the demonstration should take pl. n ee on Wednesday, tho first day of the reception. There would be no difficulty, (hey said, in allowing the royal I \isitor=, after opening the winter show, to pass to the ground where the demolish a- | tion would be held. Having settled the day on which it was to be helc!, the next point was what form it should take. Mr Cohen would probably give thorn some ideas on the matter, as he had already seen demonstrations by school children They eoald not expect the Duke and Duchess to spend much time at the demonstration, but the gathering itself should be decidedly interesting to both country -and city people. The weather in June was not very propitious, and they would have to make the gathering ! not too s-liort, but yet not unreasonably j long — perhaps from 2 until 4 o'clock. This j would prevent pryents and teachers feeling anxiety Mr Cohen said he could not tell them very much about the form the demonstration should take. Since last meeting he had been endeavouring to ascertain the feeling of the committees at a distance — not those" in Central Otago, but those contiguous to the railway and easily aiailable. There was a strong desire on the part of some that the demonstration should be provincial m its character, and should even include the children of Southland. The Oamaru people, however, refused to have anything to do j with the idea. The proposal all over the ■ south met with a good deal of acceptance [ by both teachers and members of commit- j tees, who all seemed desirous of doing their j share of the work of looking after the ehil- . dren when in the trains and in Dunedin. i The Railway department was prepared to make liberal concessions. The children would be brought into town at picnic rates, and a proportion of adults would be allowed j to travel with them at the 'ame rates. As I regarded thp accommodation, thp department ! could only promise that they would do the j bf3t that the traffic on tho-p daj s pprmittcd. ! The railway people s-aid further if it were intended to bring children from Central Otago^ they would have to come on the | Saturday previous to the arrival of the Duke and Duchoss, and on the Monday they would bring in those In ing contiguous to thp main lines of railway. On thp Thursday the school children would return home. The department wished to be frpe to bring in and take back the adult population on Fridaj'. Regarding the demonstration, he thought it should be on the linos of that | in January last at Sydney on the occasion of | the Commonwealth celebrations. Mr Cohen j then read a description of the demonstration mentioned, and said they shoald, as far as the time, circumstances and their ability permitted, arrange one on .similar lines. Mr Braithwaue supposing the weather is wet and the attendance so c mall that there is a los=. who will stand it' The Chairman said they made it clear to the executive that they were to be allowed £500 or £600 for the expenses of the demonstration. Mr Braithwaite said that ho believed that the demonstration phould be provincial in its character. He would move accordingly. In reply to Mr David=on. thp Chairman said it was hardly possible for the country school children to take part in the gymnastic exhibitions. They could join in a march past or the pinging of the National Anthem. Mr Cohen said lip had eppii many of the country pupils going through exercises, and he would not be a^honed of them. The southern people were very anxious for thenchildren to take part. He would also like the coaunittQe to seek the co-operation of '

the adult gymnastic classes of the city, a-nd arrange for an exhibition by those who had passed through the schools and become finished gymnasts. Mr Braithwaite' s motion was then put and ! carried. I On the motion of Mr Cohen, it was dej cided to hold the demonstration on the Caledonian ground. Mr Raima pointed out a difficulty if the country schools were to take part m the gymnestic exhibition. He said the style.3 taught in the schools varied a lot. It world bp a pity to "-noil the exhibition just for the sake of including a few. To get the I town children into line, a few rehearsals ! would bo necessary. He believed a thoroughly good display could be given. Messrs Chapman and Davidson also spoke of the necessity of rehearsals. Previous deI monstratious m Dunedin had been spoilt for • want of them. j Mr Da% klsoii then moved that a sub-com-mittee, consisting of Messrs Israel, Hanna, ! Smith, .Fitzgerald, Hodge, Murray, Braik, 1 and the mover, be appointed to draw up a ' full programme of exercises and music : tli3 same to be presented on Friday night to the committee." — This was carried. The question of the charge for admission wa*; discussed, and it was decided to make it Is for adult? and 3d for children under 15, performers to be admitted free. A discussion then took place in regard to th-> «c'nooi examinations. It was stated by teachers present that the oreparations for the demonstration would without doubt have ' a disturbing effect upon the children's | studies, and would militate against their ' success at t+ic examinations. | It was eventually deeidecl, upon the motion of Mr Cohen, that the School Committee"' • Conference be asked to urge upon the board { the advisability of suspending this ypar in I the province the annual examination of the ! ! children, with the exception of the Sixth Standard pupils. Mr Braithwaite moved, ?.nd it was carried — " That the board be also asked to communicate with the Southland Board askine that body to approach the Southland school i committees on the same lines as the Otago j board had approached their committees." I I Mr Cohen said there were very anxious inquiries about the billeting scheme, espej cially with regard to the girls. He would ' like to hear Sir Fra3er on the subject. In | some plices it was proposed to take a vote 1 of the parents on the matter at the annual j irppting of householders Some of the J country people favoured the idea if they could cet an assurance of proper arrangements being made in the city. Mr Fra^er paid the scheme when approached closely was found very difficult. He went into the matter very fully, and stated his opinion that it would bo J better to keep the children together in ! parties, putting- them up at schools or halls j under strict supervision. Mr Braithwaite moved — "That a committee, consisting of Messrs Prvde, Sidev. Frassr, Cohen, and Braithwaite, be appointed j to draw up an alternative scheme of housing ! and feeding visiting children, and reporb at I next mep.ting.' — This was carried. Mr Murray mentioned that in Victoria parties of children had come in to \isit industrial exhibitions at some of the inland cities, and had been put uo in halls for one of two nights. The scheme on these occasions w6rked well enough. It was decided to ask from the executive the sum of £600 for the demonstration expenses. j It was further decided to solicit' su»I scriptions through the srhools with a \ipvr to making tho Duchess of York a. present cf an album of New Zealand scenerj-. Mr T. Para t a, M.H.R.. availed lnm=elf of tho opportunity presented last week by the opening of the Native Hall at Henley to take steps to settle the representation of tbe MaoFis in that district in the Native gathering which 13 to take place at Rotoru-i at the time of the royal visit. Ho has, also been communicating with the other Native settlements in the South Island with regard ', to the selection of their representative*. At | present it is settled that live representatives ! from Henley and two from Port Moh"ii,n\ will be included in the gathering at Ro:orua. The suggestion has been thrown out that a framed address should be presented to the Duke from the South Island Nati\r.=, the frame being composed of greenstone, and tins has been favourably taken up, the different settlements in Canterbury. Otago. and Southland having expressed their wil- [ lingness to co operate with tin* object, and i to meet thp expense that the preparat on ai d framing of the address would involve. ; A "Wellington telegram gays. — Tt is officially announced that all person= present by invitation at any function attended by the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall shall bo required to wear half-mourning. The Government commissioner (Mr D >S Lambert-, of Wellington) is to prepare the address to be presented by the Premier to the Duke of Cornwall and York at Auckland. It ;■> understood that Mr F==her. of the Public Works department, approves of the pugge'Stion of tho Dfcorations Committee that the Government arch m Dunedin, en the occasion of the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, should be erected in the Octagon. At Oamaru on Sal unlay e\eiiing there v. .is a conference of jchcol committees ai.d teachers to consider the proposal to hold a piovineial donion'harion of State, scholars during the vi«it of the royalties to Dunedm. Tho fceope of the proposed demonstration having been explained, there va' a consensus of opinion against tho practicability cf sending the North Otago children to town on the occasion. Both teachers and torn mil tees declined to accept any responsibility during the time that the olnlchen were on th« tram, or while they were in town. It was further pointed out that as far as could

i be ascertained the parents in Oamaru and tho country districts were a\eise to rending their children away from their hom°s for such a lengthy period as four whole dajs.