PRIMARY SCHOOLS

Southland Times, Issue 22896, 22 May 1936, Page 4

PRIMARY SCHOOLS

COMMITTEE MEN MEET WORK OF ASSOCIATION REVIEWED

At the annual meeting of the Southland School Committees’ Association last evening there were present 20 representatives of town and country schools. Mr T. Walker presided.

The chairman submitted the following report:— “During the year three quarterly meetings have been held and I am sorry to say the attendances have been disappointing; nevertheless the committee men who have attended were no doubt interested with the discussions on various subjects. This association was represented by myself at the annual conference’ held in Palmerston North. The matter of finance is a hardy annual. Owing to the sending of a delegate to the conference our finances were heavily taxed, but I am pleased to report that we can show a credit balance of £5 5/-. The interest of country committees is lacking in this association and it seems a great pity that they cannot interest themselves sufficiently, as whatever reforms we get through the efforts of the association the country as well as the town schools will benefit. I think another effort should be made in the coming year- to aim at getting some more committees into the association. In comparing the North and South Islands, the North leads the way in affiliations of country committees. This matter will have to be discussed in the near future. Since the conference there has not been much progress by the Parliamentary committee on remits passed at the conference owing to a change in Government. While in Wellington recently I interviewed the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee and he assured me that while not having made much progress with the Minister so far he predicted big things in the future. He was certain the present Minister was quite sympathetic with our remits and he is arranging a meeting at a later date to go into all the matters relating to primary education.” Lack of Interest. The secretary, in speaking to the annual report, referred to the lack of interest shown by a number of committee men, and said it was time something was done to revive the enthusiasm of country committees. _He pointed out the benefits to be gained by linking up with the association, and ' said that whatever had been achieved in the past had been shared by all schools, whether they were members of the association or not. The membership of country schools, however, would help to strengthen the association and he hoped they would realize this.

The report and balance-sheet were adopted. The following office-bearers were elected:—President, Mr T. Walker; vice-presidents, Messrs F. G. Stevenson and F. G. Henderson; secretary and treasurer, Mr W. H. Laytham; committee, Messrs W. Grieve, W. Carswell, J. J. Stott, J. Gibson and C. Beaton. It was decided to send the following remits to the annual meeting of the New Zealand Federation of School Committees Associations:

(1) That the rules of the federation be altered so that each association will have one vote only at annual meetings; (2) that the annual meeting be centralized in future and that the Southland Association supports Wellington as the venue of the meetings.