SCHOOL AFFAIRS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 62, 12 April 1946, Page 5

SCHOOL AFFAIRS

NEW COMMITTEE ELECTED RECORD PUBLIC ATTENDANCE A record number of householders attend the biennial election of the Whakatane School Committee, which took place on Wednesday evening at the High School. The some seventy persons who cast votes represented the highest number for ten or twelve years, and is indicative of the growing interest of parents in educational matters.

Prior to the election, the Chairman of the Committee (Mr J. W. Wilson) expressed his pleasure at seeing so many present. This, he said, was, in his opinion, due to two factors, one being the fact that for the past nine months, the committee meetings had been reported in the Beacon, and the other, the newly constituted Parent-Teacher Association. He then presented his report for the past two years, and that of the First Assistant teacher, Mr J. E. Bigelow, both of which recorded marked progress in the school and the activities with it. In reply to questions, the chairman stated that the attendance of members at committee meetings had been very good, on the majority of occasions, the full committee being present. The finances of the committee also had been in a very healthy condition, over the past two years, when a policy of never spending all funds in hand had been adopted. It had been the policy, to keep a reserve sum of £SO in hand. At the moment, the figure was slightly below this, but it was the first occasion on which it had been.

“I would also like to apologise for the very bad conditions under which the children were forced to attend school last winter,” said Mr Wilson. He continued to outline the manner in which a new part had had to be secured for the school boiler—a part which was unobtainable in New Zealand and had to be ordered from England. Great difficulty was experienced in this respect, but he was now able to assure parents that the school heating arrangements would be satisfactory this winter. The committee had a quantity of coal, coke and firewood already in store.

Election of Committee

The election of the new committee of nine, was then proceeded with, the seven remaining members of the old committee plus Messrs. Frank Clarke -and G. E. Mahy, and Mesdames Petty and Carr standing. The election resulted in the new committee being constituted as follows: Messrs. H. G. Dainton, F. Clarke, W. Whittaker, W. E. Armstrong, T. C. Johnston, J. W. Wilson, G. Mahy, H. D. Paterson and F. W. Lysaght.

Mr G. Markland and Mrs Gart-

shore acted as scrutineers.