CHILDREN’S OWN CLUBS

Taranaki Daily News, 13 November 1934, Page 6

CHILDREN’S OWN CLUBS

SOUTH TARANAKI SCHOOLS PUPILS SHOW THEIR INTIATIVE. BOYS AND GIRLS THE OFFICERS. ORGANISATION OF COMPETITIONS. Clubs in the boys and girls’ agricultural clubs movement in South Taranaki were in the past almost without exception clubs in name only, the central organisation being the only body that actually functioned. There has been a recent move to form real clubs at each school and evidence of the progress made was seen when the calf judging party visited Ohangai, Whakamara, Meremere and Mokoia schools yesterday. At each a flourishing club was found. In figures, perhaps the most successful was Meremere. There the club,, which was started on September 7, with the executive officers all children of the school, has already held a concert, on October 16. From the gathering, no- less than £2 6s 6d was taken at the door, and 15s 7d was made by selling sweets. Exactly £3 was handed to Mr. Syme for the movement by girl officers of the club - • „ . v Though Meremere s success has been in its short career so'brilliant, the other schools have not been backward. At Ohangai, competitions, organised without the teacher, Mrs. Sangster, having the slightest knowledge of their existence, were judged yesterday. For the girls (and boys, too, if they liked) there were cookery classes and for both handwork classes. The cooking was delightful and though the handwork, especially the woodwork, lacked the finish of trade shops, it was honestly and successfully done. As a sign of the times, most of the woodwork models were of aeroplanes. The enterprising officers of the club when distributing morning tea made a charge of 3d. The Whakamara club raised funds by charging 3d admission to the ground. At Mokoia, signs of activity were plentiful. Competitions had been organised by the children and prizes were allotted from club funds. Some of the work was really good and deserving every encouragement. The decentralising of control has been found to achieve good results and there are better expectations. According to an executive officer, it undoubtedly helped to encourage initiative among the young people and the criticism that the movement tended to encourage children to cheat for prizes, had been refuted by the spirit of comradeship and co-opera-tion existing in the child-controlled clubs.