RETURN OF POPULATION

Southland Times, Issue 21431, 27 June 1931, Page 8

RETURN OF POPULATION

POSITION IN HAWKES BAY. ATTENDANCES AT SCHOOLS. An indication of the extent to which the population of Hawkes Bay has returned since the earthquake is given in figures submitted to the Education Board by the secretary, Mr A. L. Dunn. The figures showed that the average attendance for the last term of 1930 was 15,393, while the average taken on the last three weeks of the first term this year was 14,427. In addition to this, the secretary stated, he was of opinion that there were quite - a number of very young children in the town whose parents were refraining from sending them to school on account of the distances they would have to walk to attend schools which are now not so conveniently situated to their homes. "The attendances may be regarded as exceptionally good under the circumstances and as an indication that the children have settled down almost to normal,” said Mr Dunn. “As attendances for the last term of any year are almost invariably the highest in the year, comparison should properly be made with the corresponding terms in each year and from such a comparison with the first term of 1930 it will be seen that the school population is rapidly recovering in numbers. There is every reason to think that on the advent of the spring term and the occupation of new school buildings in Napier and Hastings the attendance figures will practically represent the normal school population of the district.”