CORRESPONDENCE.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXXI, Issue 12189, 10 June 1907, Page 7

CORRESPONDENCE.

Infants and the District High

School.

TO TIIK JCniTOK

Sir,— l read 1 1u two leitoifs which M})jieaied iv your pa] or last we?k hi^u»-:1 by "Mothei" a id "Another Mother. " Nov., when inolht'in take in) the pen to w-rito lo the papers they imisl have good cante to do ho, and I think it is quite tiroe florno of the lathem tooks the matter up. and went to work fully determined to get »vhat they want. We have, I believe, nt tho District Hiorh School everything that is> reiiuireJ to carry on «ucce«?tully an infant drpar'm c ut, and we had evidence that tho nun cm •'n! would h? fliicc?s->fiil i\.far as the children being *ent thc-re viat> concerned, as duringr the short lime it v.a* ope a a number of infants went there. Now, the parent* want their infants to go to that school, so that they can have the pro' or lion of older brothers and a'.ste'R, and others because it is nearer. Why should these little children be compelled to tiamp past a 6chool to tro to nnothr" school? And. a^ain, is it not better fo" a ehi'd ty go to one school and keep rig;ht oh there, and not br coinpfilcd to Vsvn to change wh-n it reaches Standard 11.1'lheu, again, ,» it f^ir to the teachers of that school--' If it improves the teachers' position* hv ha^iuj intantx at that school, so much the lietfei- for them; bnt 1 «,iy give the leachei* * cl'uuce to niako the school whnt it should be as n mixed «chooi, oud if parents want the iul'anlx to go to that school lef them send them there. What iv the School Committee doing in thin matter? I understand thai as a mixed aoliool it should be open to ull chiljiau of school age. If thin i« bo. perhapu the Board of Education or thoSrhool Committee can tell us w-by the Eclncat'on Act in nut beinj carried out in this ca<*<\ And m the iiea; hiture I hop? to sm children ot the on- kiniily all brinjj instructed at linn school. — I am, etc.) A FATHER.

TO TIIK KDITOJt

Sir, — K« yoiu' footrilf 1o letters of "A Mother"' afndf "Another Molher" i>> infant* at the D-sfrict High School, I fvi\i this haidly r prceits the true position. It it an open secret that tue chairmna of the rducati.JH Board lje;tr; no lore to the headmaster of the District High School, and any apparent ly leyiiimatc mean« oi "getting at" Mr Aitki-n i^ not Insl snjht of by Mr I'iiaiii. This le«itni':il- rrtans, ut tln> present time, oco\u*> in the i!• • 'l profidiiij; for the accommodation oi the whole oi the c-bildreu ut ptf«=out attending the Infant .School at the Queen's Park School. One would naturally hare thought thnt, seeing that the present Infants' School i* coudemucd and new accommodation hds to ba prorided, the time in exceedingly opportune for the Education Board to »oriou*ly consider the advisability of eatablichiug an infaut dojKJrtmen! at the Di»tr»>t High School. I am alive to the fact that the wishe* of the people of YVungttmii are of «mall coinideration to tha chairiiiuu, but I should be sorry to think that the Education Board as a whole are go supine an to be entirely under the control of its chairman. The Board cannot bnt be alive to the fact that thei* i* a strong feeliu; in Wanganui that as infant department should be. established at the District Higrh School. I would have thought that common sense would have suggested to the Board the advisability of deferring calling for tenders for additions to Queen's Park School until after the proposed conference with the School Committee over the question. If tho tenders for this proposed addition to Queen'B Park School are accepted before the question of an infant department at tho District High School i* settled, the probable result will be that the committee will be told by the Board that no further concession can be made so far as the Distiict Hiyh School is concerned, as ample accommodation is being provided for infants at the Queen's Park School. The parents immediately interested in thiß question should be "'up and doing" at ouce, as tenders are due for tho work at Queen's Park on 19th inst. An infant department is absolutely necessary at Queen's Park, but one is also absolutely nec-ea.«ary at the District High School. — I am, etc., JUSTICE.