SHELTERS AT SCHOOL

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 5, Issue 29, 16 March 1942, Page 5

SHELTERS AT SCHOOL

DEPARTMENTAL SANCTION REFUSED E.P.S. APPROACH MINISTER Continued refusal by the Director of Education and the Edu- - cation Board to aillow the local Emergency Precautions Committee to construct trench shelters at the Primary and High. Schools caused 1 considerable criticism at the meeting of the Whakatane E.P.S. Committee last Friday evenilng. As an upshot of the discussion the secretary (Mr D. V. Saunders) was instructed to write the' Minister on the matter urging that permission be granted. In a letter to the committee, the Director stated that it had been the policy of the Department not to provide protection for the school children except in the larger centres . The Chief Warden, Mr B. S. ' Barry, said he had conferred with both the school committee and members of the staff, respecting the dispersal of the children in the event of emergency. Dispersal arrangements had been perfected which would enable children to be safely taken home in the event of a 'warning.' Apparently the Department ■ considered there could be no raid Inside school hours. The dispersal would be carried out by the teachers who would take charge of drafts in different localities. The individual young children would then lie taken home by senior pupils. Rehearsals in this connection would be taking place almost immediately. Parents were requested not to rush to the school in the event . of am emergency, but wait quietly at home until their children were delivered. Any panic action would dislocate the arrangements which would come into force.

Special provision had also been made for those children Avho went home by bus. If there was no possibility of engaging the 'bus at the time the children would be sent to the homes of friends. A lengthy discussion showed the whale of the committee of the opinion that trenches should be constructed. It was pointed out that possibly the first indication of a raid would be by the explosion of bombs, of the report of machine guns. How then could children be expected to carry out the dispersal arrangements. The first and most common-sense action would be to give them adequate shelter for protection, and it was up to the E.P.S. to sec that that protection was assured. The secretary was instructed to write the Minister of Education, stating that it was the unanimous opinion of the E.P.S. and #ie School Committee that shelter trenches should be built at the school, that the matter Avas urgent and that permission be granted.

"N.Z. Free Libraries There are now 44 free libraries in New Zealand, compared with 29 a year ago. All of the 15 public libraries which adopted the free library service during the year are participating in the Country Library Service. The school library service, which' is to be adminstered by tlic Country Library Service, Avill provide thousands of books of an excellent standard. The scheme will be in operation within a few months. This was stated in the report of the New Zealand Library Association, -presented to the annual meeting in "Wellington.