WANGANUI EAST SCHOOL COMMITTEE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXVI, Issue 18163, 27 April 1921, Page 7

WANGANUI EAST SCHOOL COMMITTEE

The annual report presented to the meeting of householders on-Mon-day night was as under:— During the year regular monthly meetings have been head, at which each member, except Mr. J. S. Clarke, has made almost the maximum number of atendances. Unfortunately we lost the services of Mr. Clarke in October of last year, [ owing to his removal from the dis- j trict. Mr. Clarke was one of the most energetic and cheerful members of the committee, and we wish to place on record our appreciation of the good work done by him. From December to March, in addition to the regular monthly meetings. special meetings were held to deal with baths fund business, which meetings were also well attended. The attendance for the first quarter of this year as compared with last year shows a marked improvement on last year's figures, which are as follows: 1920. —First quarter: Roll number: Boys, 222; girls, 262. Total, 1482. Average attendance: Boys, 196; girls, 229. Total, 425. Second quarter: Roll number: Boys, 228; girls, j 1257. Total 485. Average attendance: ! I Boys, 203; girls, 225. Total, 427. (Third quarter: Roll number: Boys,! 246; girls, 269. Total, 515. Average attendance: Boys, 198; girls, 216. I Total, 414. 1921. —First quarter: Roll number Boys, 242; girls, 249. Total, 491. Average attendance: Boys, 219; girls, 224. Total, 442. The school site has been enlarged by the purchase of a quarter-acre seclion in-Kepa Street, which now gives us a block of three and a-half acres lor school purposes. The school has been visited monthly and all repairs attended to promptly, and it is to-day i-‘- as satisfactory a condition as circumstances permit. The need of funds has made it impossible to carry out anything like comprehensive improvements, but your committee has outlined and adopted a scheme for the improvement of the grounds, which, if carried ’to a suigessful conclusion, will make the environment of the school more desirable. Already. 114 loads of soil have been procured and delivered on the ground for the purpose of topdressing the playing area. At this stage the work has been held up for five months pending the draining of the ground by the Education Board. But for this delay the children should have had a well-drained lawn to play on instead of a rough-grassed paddock. The scheme in hand includes the laying out of the lower part of the ground as a shrubbery. Considerable levelling, grassing, and asphalting is also included in the scheme. To do this the co-operation of parents will be required, but the ready assistance given in the past leaves no doubt as to the future of this scheme for improving the school grounds. Following up the work of previous years your committee took up the task of raising funds so -that adequate swimming baths could be provided for the school before next summer. To arouse the interest of householders it was decided to start a weekly euchrS party to meet in the school. This means brought a large number of friends together, and made it possible to organise for a big effort to raise sufficient money

for the work in hand. As far as can be ascertained this movement was the biggest ever undertaken by a school committee, and resulted in raising a sum several times greater than has ever been raised by a school committee in a similar time. The large amount of money raised (over £l9OO to dale) is due to a succession of efforts in which all sections of the community participated. School concerts, Christinas tree, sale of surprise packets, Queen Carnival, innumerable entertainments, street stalls, etc., wind-; ing up with the recent carnival, have! given opportunity for each to do their j share, and right well has every section of the community responded, and tonight your committee desires to place on record its appreciation of the loyal support deceived from the householders and friends of Wanganui East. While lamenting the parsimony of the Govern- > ment in confining its assistance towards! the provision of baths to £1.50, thus making it necessary to adopt all manner i of methods to raise funds for this essen- i tial purpose, as a community we can ! congratulate ourselves that by our own ' effort we have raised the necessary, money and made the provision of ade-! quate swimming baths possible. Your' committee is now considering the advisability of securing a separate site, ad-. jacent to the school, for the baths, thus i conserving the already limited play-1 ground for the use of the children. Wo; feel sure that you will commend this step, even if it makes it necessary to raise a further sum of money for the I purpose. Tiie fact that the additions to the schoo have been completed and the children removed from the Town Hall will give satisfaction to all. The fact that such building as the Town Hall have to • be used for long periods for school purposes is a grave reflection on the Gov- ; eminent whose first care should he for ' the children. Even with the additional ! rooms- there is no acoommodation to I spare, and with the steady growth of the i school, further additions will soon have | to be provided. With this in view it is j necessary to call attention to the fact ! of the Education Department to a stand- j that the present financial stringency has ; apparently brought the forward policy : of the Education Department to a ■ standstill. The present Government! adopted a policy which ensured, at least. ; that the provision of accormodation for schools would not grow worse, in fact ; there was just a gleam of hone that imslow and gradual, might be expected, but with t’he present financial , strain the department notifies that only in very exceptional cases will grants be made for schools. Education is again to he the first thing to suffer owing to the fluctuation of the money market: it is, marvellous how Parliament is prepared, tn trifle with the future of Young Yew Zealand, and yet it is the fault of the people. What the people demand Parliament will grant-—every concession from Women’s Franchise to a 44-hour week for workers, has come as a result of the demand of the people. You will, therefore, be given an opportunity tonight to express your disapproval of the Goveri\ment’s attitude in this matter. ; In handing back the trust that you placed in our hands a year ago. we desire to express our appreciation of the work done by those members of the committee who are not seeking re-election, and we trust that whatever committee is elected to-nightj a vigorous campaigning of improvement will be conducted throughout the year, so that before the ! next annual meeting of householders the i baths will be an accomplished fact, and I the school and its surroundings what it j should be, the beauty spot of the district.