HAWERA NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 December 1924, Page 6

HAWERA NEWS.

TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL.

BREAKING-UP CEREMONY

A POPULAR PERFORANCE.

(From Our Own Reporter.) Hawera, Dec. 19.

The very large and keenly interested gathering of parents, friends and pupils of the Hawera Technical High School, which attended the breaking-up ceremony in the Lloyd George Had of the Winter Show buildings last night, clearly demonstrated that me school is coming into its own and is- gaining th e serious attention of the people of a wide district. Mr. R. S. Sage (chairman of the Board of Governors) presided, and associated with him on the platform were other members of the board, the school staff, and a number of prominent citizens of the town and district. The boys and girls were ranged on each side of the building in front of the official platform and a space in the centre was reserved as a stage for a fine programme of musical and elocutionary items and physical drill. The body of the big hall was crowded with’the public, who gave the pupils and the speakers a warm reception.

Mr. R. S. Sage (chairman jof the Board of Governors) extended a warm welcome to the public, and expressed th e thanks of the board to the Winter Show Company for allowing the use of the hall. With the increasing knowledge of the school and the attendance of pupils they felt justified in launching out on a larger scale and securing a bigger hall for this function. They wanted to make known what the school was doing, for Hawera, but as for this the work of the pupils was sufficient. In conclusion Mr. Sage expressed his appreciation of the work done by the staff during the year. Mr. Harold Trimble, chairman of the Stratford Technical School Board, congratulated the Hawera school on th e work done during the year. It was very satisfactory to see so many young people taking technical courses all over the Dominion. The expenditure of money on such schools was causing some people anxiety, but he personally was glad that they had to find more and more money, for the children brought into the secondary schools the greater would be the intelligence of the general community, and they vanted an intelligent and educated community above ail things. Mr. L. A. Bone (Mayor of Hawera) congratulated the pupils and teachers on a very successful year.

Mr. J. R. Corrigan, M.P., in presenting the prizes won during the year in the field of sport and in the school, congratulated the school on the work accomplished. THE ANNUAL REPORT. In his report for the year the principal (Mr. A. Gray) stated; — "I am able to state confidently that this year’s report shows the greatest development that we have ever had to record. The numbers on the rolls of the various classes are: Literary 92, commercial 61, special agriculture and dairy science 9. engineering 36, home science 14; total 212. "Despite the popular plea for the abolition of examinations, successes in this direction must always form an important section of the report of any school, and our record this year is noteworthy, both on account of its numerical strength, and because of the great variety of examinations attempted. Practically every section in the school lias successfully prepared candidates*for the departmental, university and city and guilds of London examinations. We have thus accomplished our aim of so arranging our programmes of work that, | no matter what course of work a student takes up at the school, he may be prepared for entrance examination into various trades and professions. In this connection greater elasticity in the matriculation syllabus, and more correlation between the university programme and that of departmental examinations would be of great benefit. The following examination successes have to be recorded:

1923. —Literary, matriculation, sol., gen-, med., prel.. 1; partial pass matriculation, 2; Public Service i entrance, 3; intermediate examination, 3; senior free place, 43. 1924. —Engineering (City and Guilds of London Institute): Mechanical engineering, div. 1, grade 1, pass 2; mechanical engineering, div. 2, grade 1, pass 1; commercial, shorthand, third class theory certificate, 20; second class theory certificate, 15; speed, 80 words per minute, 3; 90 words per minute, 1; 150 words per minute, 1; Government shorthand and typists examination, 3. Maxwell Gray obtained a university bursary. The standard of work reached by the senior commercial and engineering students is a very high one, and will be found to compare very favourably indeed with any other school in the Dominion. This year, for the first time in the history of the school, the dux on the girls’ side has come from a division other than the literary. At the beginning of the year Mr. W. Thomas, 8.A., joined the staff, and during the year Miss D. Britland, M.A., and J Mr. R. Reward also joined. The school congratulates Mr. Reward on obtaining his degree of Bachelor of Agriculture. records in SPORT. The year has been a most eventful one in the world of sport. Mainly I owing to the coaching of Mr. Thomas our football and cricket teams have put up notable records. The senior football team won the South Taranaki fourth I grade ehampionship, while the second I fifteen was runner-up in this competition. The third and fourth .teams had many interesting games with the primary schools of the district. Our tour- ’ ing team had a fine victory at Feilding, I where the hospitality of the residents I made their visit a memorable one. To I the local football club particularly, to I Mr. D. J. Goodwin, our thanks are due I for help during the football season. AlI though beaten for the Silson Cup the | cricket eleven is leading for the junior championship of South Taranaki. We

heartily congratulate Feilding on winning the cup. Swimming was heartily taken up by the boys undA Mr. Larkman’s supervision, anti good progress was made in that important branch of sport. On the girls’ side the hockey team was coached by Mr. Walton in the early part of the year and by Miss Karl and Miss O’Rorke later, while the basketball team was coached by Miss Clay, who left the staff to be married, ami by Miss Britland. All the lady members of the staff take a keen interest in the girls’ tennis. The annual sports j proved a very great success. The con-] tests for the various championships were keenly fought out.

A special word of praise is due to the Hawera Amateur Athletic Association for its ncourageiuent of school sports. I have never known a sports body to take a keener interest in boys’ athletics, and our very great thanks are due to Mr. A. Grant (president), to Mr. G. Weir (.secretary), ami indeed to the whole of the members. Our greatest track triumph of the year was the win of the school relay team over Hawera and Wanganui teams at the electric light, carnival recently. A feature of our athletics has been the running ot the girls, who have among them some very fine athletes indeed. AGRICULTURE AND DAIRYING. Every boy in the school who takes science takes agriculture and dairying. In addition we have a course which is somewhat unique, viz., a special agriculture and dairy science course. As with all highly specialised classes the numbers are not large, but splendid work has been done during the year. At present and for next year we are paying particular attention to intensive farming. In this connection the school has to thank the senior partner of the firm of Wilton and Co. This gentleman, now in England, has shown a most keen interest in our particular work and, besides sending us very valuable literature has put us in touch with experts in the Old Ocuntry, by whose help we are keeping pretty well up to the times in farming ideas.

During the year the boys of the agriculture class were privileged to listen to two very valuable lectures, one by Mr. A. Bayly, M.R.C.V.S.. on “Diseases of Animals,” and the other by Mr. S. Turner on "The Marketing of Our Dairy Produce.”

Mr. Bayly has kindly offered to give a series of lectures next year. M ith the assistance of such experts as these, 1 feel that our boys are getting firstclass and first hand information. The home science class has done some splendid work during the year. On them has fallen the responsibility of preparing afternoon tea and of entertaining generally, and they have done their work really well. During the year they gave demonstrations of cookery with gas ovens, and also with electric cookers. ,The artistic furnishing branch of the work, made possible by the kindness of Messrs Purser and Suisted, is probably the only work of its kind yet taken up in the Dominion. Great interest has been taken in debating. Several very fine debates have been held between the various divisions, while one evening debate was attended by a large number of parents. The debate on the abandonment of the Singapore scheme was splendidly carried out. The boys were most emphatic in their condemnation of the abandonment. and subsequently the British Government decided to go on with the work. WORK OF OLD PUPILS. The work of the Old Girls’ and Old Boys’ Associations has gone steadily on during the year. The Old Girls’ Association is to be commended on its special activity in raising funds for the girls’ tennis courts. A sum of £l5 has been handed in, and the present girls are delighted with this proof of the enthusiasm on the part of those who have passed through the school. A feature of the Old Boys’ Association has been the application for badges from boys at a distance. One old boy wrote

from Canada enclosing his subscription ami asking for a badge so that he might wear it.

We also have to thank the following ladies and gentlemen for donations and special prizes:-His Worship the Mayor (cup for swimming); Mr. S. C. Tonks (junior athletic cup); Mr. J. R. Corrigan, M.P. (dux medals); Mr. R. S. Sage (special prizes for literary division); Messrs Purser and Suisted (special prize to home science division); Messrs \\ ilton and Co. (special prize to agriculture division); Mr. E, Evans and Mr. H. S. Bollond (special prizes to engineering division); Messrs Hopkirk and Co. (spe-

cial prize to engineering division); Electric Company (special prize to engineering division); Messrs Bennett and Sutton (special prize to engineering division) ; Messrs Gyde and Barringer (special prize to engineering division); Mr. C. W. Allen (special prize to engineering division); Messrs Duffill and Gibson (special prize to engineering division). THE HELPING SPIRIT. Tf there has been any special tendency more noticeable than another among our students during the year it has been the development of the ’helping spirit. Perhaps our school motto may have something to do with this, but in any case it is a splendid thing to observe the growth of an unselfish and helping spirit among the young. I would like to make this my final word for the year. Let us work for success by all means ambition is a fine thing—the fighting spirit is a grand thing, but the greatest and grandest thing of all is the helping spirit —that sublime lesson taught over nineteen hundred years ago by the greatest Teacher of all the ages.

THE NEW HOSPITAL. PROTECTION AGAINST FIRE. A .special meeting of the Hawera Borough Council to-night granted the Hospital Board permission to connect a 4-inch water main to the new hospital for fire-fighting purposes only. The council had previously given permission for the connection of a 3-inch main, but through the representations of the fire brigade superintendent the board decided that a 4-inch main should be the absolute minimum for safety and the order for the 3-inch pipe was cancelled. Some councillors thought that an even larger main should be provided, but it was pointed out that the hospital main would be connected with another 4-inch main, but if necessary the hospital board could bear the cost of connecting with a larger main further away. The example was quoted of the inadequacy at a recent fire at Auckland, even with a pressure of 120 pounds, and, it was asked, what would be the position with the low pressure in Hawera. PERSONAL. Mr. J. Corrigan, who has been accountant at the Hawera branch of the Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd., for 54 years, has been promoted to the position of accountant at the Dunedin branch. He leaves Hawera on Christmas Day. Mr.

Cameron has been the popular president of the Hawera R.S.A. Club for some time and on Tuesday night he will be entertained by club members.