IN TOWN AND OUT

Southland Times, Issue 21073, 3 May 1930, Page 6

IN TOWN AND OUT

NEWS OF THE DAY. Malicious False Alarms. At the monthly meeting of the Invercargill Fire Board yesterday a ejause in the superintendent’s report referring to the recent malicious false alarms came under discussion. Members agreed that it was a most dastardly act and stated that the matter had been put in the hands of the police for investigation. # * ♦ #

Fires in Invercargill. At the monthly meeting of the Invercargill Fire Board yesterday, the Superintendent, Mr F. Simpson, reported that since the last meeting of the board the brigade had attended a total of eight calls. These comprised three dwellings (slight damage in each instance), two chimney fires, and three malicious false alarms. * * $ * Power Board Revenue. The revenue of the Southland Power Board has made a good start for the new financial year, which commenced on April 1. The ordinary revenue from the sale of electricity amounted for the month of April to £S,O3S, as against £5,453 for the same month last year, while the advance payments in April reached £4,153 as against £2,200 for the same month last year. * » * *' Anti-Knockers Club. Speaking at the Invercargill Orphans' Club last evening, Mr Percy Shaw, who is visiting Invercargill from Auckland, advised the people of Southland to organize, with some hefty men as its chief officials, an anti-knockers club, to exterminate quietly all those people who belittled Southland’s achievements. “You have the Ranfurly Shield,” he said, “you have the K. Cup, you have the best Orphans’ Club and easily the best Operatic Society in New Zealand, and yet many of you sit back and belittle them or allow others to belittle them. Get along, and of you can’t push the province along yourself, help those who are pushing it along and exterminate the knockers.” * -X- * Cup for Horticulture.Advice was received by the Southland Education Board yesterday that Messrs Skenes, Ltd., of Invercargill, had donated to the Southland branch of the Horticultural Institute two cups for the advancement of horticulture in Southland. The institute had decided to donate one cup for competition among the primary schools of Southland having sole teachers. The conditions governing the trophy are as follows: The Skene Cup is for competition by schools of grade 1 and 2 (one teacher only) and is to be awarded to the school which upon the decision of the judge shall have attained the greatest improvement during the year in environment (including school gardening) and to be held for one year. The Agricultural Instructor (Mr T. Matthews) will be sole judge. The name of the winning school for each year is to be engraved on the cup and the teacher in charge of the school for the time being holding the cup will provide for its safe custody. Messrs Skene, and T. J. Daniel waited on the board yesterday and explainer! their reason for the firm’s having donated the cup and the conditions attaching to it. On behalf of the board the chairman (Mr A. W. Jones) warmly thanked Mr Skene for donating the cup.

* » « » Corporal Punishment in School. At the meeting of the Southland Education Board yesterday the chairman (Mr A. W. Jones) said that members would no doubt have noticed that the chairman of the Otago Education Board had received complaints regarding corporal punishment in schools. He himself had received a number of complaints and would give notice that at the next meeting of the board he would move a resolution based on the following by-law of the Otago Board: “While not prohibiting, corporal punishment the board enjoins teachers to have recourse to it sparingly ’ and with due deliberation. Its frequent infliction is always to be accounted an indication of defective discipline. The board views it as a serious offence to strike a pupil on any part of the head. Girls are not to be subjected to corporal punishment unless in exceptional cases. The headteacher shall be held responsible for the discipline of his school and for the manner in which punishments are inflicted. In no case shall a probationer be permitted to inflict corporal punishment.” Mr Jones said that his resolution would be a modification of the foregoing. He wished to make it clear that in bringing up the matter he realized that 98 per cent, of the teachers in Southland fully studied the pupils under them, and gave not the slightest cause for complaint. It was very gratifying to sec the affection the children of Southland had for their teachers.. But there were a few teachers who abused their privileges. He had heard of 24 strokes being given to a child, which was altogether unreasonable.