UNWANTED HOLIDAY

Taranaki Daily News, 7 August 1935, Page 4

UNWANTED HOLIDAY

HALF-DAY GIVEN BY MINISTER. CHILDREN AT AUCKLAND SCHOOL. By Telegraph—Press Association. Auckland, Aug. 6. The unusual happening of children at a school declining to accept a halfholiday occurred to-day. The Minister of Education, the Hon. S. G. Smith, who is visiting Auckland and inspecting schools, adopts the practice of asking children to hold up their hands if in favour of a half-holiday. Yesterday he visited the various grammar schools and found the pupils unanimously favourable to the half-holiday idea. To-day he went to the primary school at Pakuranga, but when he took a vote there only four tiny children in the front row raised their hands and quickly lowered them on observing that the older children had not raised theirs. The Minister indicated at a later stage that the school would have to take a half-holiday for he had previously arranged at the neighbouring school of Howick for a half-holiday. The Pakuranga children would have to take their medicine, as it would not be fair not to give them a holiday when the Howick children would be getting one. It may be mentioned that the voting at Howick was riot unanimous, one youngster having looked round and lowered his hand again. The Minister commented: “You should make up your own mind; I have seen men in Parliament do that.”