IN OTHER CENTRES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 43, 14 November 1907, Page 9

IN OTHER CENTRES.

AUCKLAND.

„„ . „ November 13. I lie necessity for keeping alive the milU .tiiry ardour-engendered by the formation of - cadet corps in primary schools was referred ' tn" at the Education Board to-day by Mr lair, who thought that the-. Board should urge upon the Department the necessity for .continuing, the work commenced in the cadet corps after the boys have left school. Alter leaving, the boys got no further in- ' Btruotion in military drill or musketry, "with the result, that a great portion of the work accomplished by the cadet corps was : wasted. The boys learned their drill tiJl •"''• twelve or thirteen, and their dropped out; '~ homo means should be devised for keeping . up the training., and the Minister for De- ""'' fence should , take the matter up. Y6mir '• miitwial was trained by the Board. They got the boys to take a.-keen interest in tho -[■ work then the whole thing-was dropped, >„ 'instead o which hey should" be trained ill ??. military drill until they readied the ago of"'*" v i eig iteeir,- when they wero (]iialified to join '": Vpluuteer.eorps; Tie moved that the Board urgo the for lOducatiou and Do- .-' tcilce to take steps to this effect.- This'was '"' adopted. " ... ■ ••:■;

Epidemics-and School Attendance,

'-. tp!denncs,.dm-inglast winter bad a deprea. "•"" -,?'iV5: , c W' fi t.-upon-' tho attendances -of -the : ' .schools throughout .the province, with a con- -■•'■• •scqaent reduction, unless the special circum- "'•""'. Stunccs ot- tlfe case he taken into account '"' -.by- fchoDopai'tmont, in' the salaries of the '■•' ■«;iohprs,ajid the number of the staff of each ■.:>■' school. ;TO.npilsly affected. ' Sinco the New ' ; leal- will see the former attendances reverted to, the reduction of stafrVisMn.no way-de- ' /; su'alile and ways and means of meeting the " ■difficulty were dismissed -.'at-- flic' Auckland -" JWunation Board to-day. The Secretary (Mr, \: i'u Jvice) stated ■thatineight.v-nve schools ' ; " the attendftneo liad been- most seriously ■•>■■- aftected during the past two quarters. The ■■-» average attendance for the June quarter was '■■■■ lower than th'at for the March quarter, and ' ' tho ■ total average- attendance for the Sentomher quarter showed a falling-off of 1800■-•■■/■' from tl.Hit,.of..tho, June- quarter. -As epidemics '" v liad now'.reached the outlying districts, it i »' ; ,wijs. probable that a large number of country "'." ■ schools would bo similarly affected for the "'" December quarter. Hn had written to the department ; stating. that; .therp- ;W.ere several schools in which it could be shown'on tna ' ~coS t |(|cate of tho district health .officer that ( thc':atteiidaiice had been affected to the ex. ; > i .tent of-10'itar cent, or moreof the children "' '■of school age,-and that the schools were en- ' r ' titled to tho operation of. the regulations :, 1 - : regarding salaries, substituting; the average of the othnr.quarter for'not more than two "' "■ quarters when the attendancc'had been ! -'■ raliectod by the prevalence of epidemics. The • '"' Board asked the Department for instruotionii - ■■ as to tlie form in which such claims should h()_made. In reply, the Department asked -■"' tlie Board' to instruct its teachers to prepare. "' ■'" ■ for , .eiich;:.quarter.",.a.:list of the childrea O J alrect«l lw the-'; f,orni,. requiring the dates,-.-:-.duration, and nature■ of the,'illness,and other V->-eyideiice/iii'siipijort,' such as a note from the . { '.'' parents sent at tlie time or a doctor's corti-'i "'- ■hnate,ora parent's note certifying that the ■■■'■»■ child was.absent through, illness. Mr, itien •>." pointed out'that in a school of 500 children-...,■' it would be- iinpos'siblc for teachers to get ' '. such certificates from parents. It would '"' take so -long; that,- tho .teachers > would say,"-.- .' "Spare us and :.reduce. our..salaries." The ••;"'! -Education' Institute iiskcil the Board to urge' v. ■'Sipon -the" Minister for Education in staffing" v ' scliopls.aiid. paying salaries,for 1008 to dm-' ' "'■ ■'regard .the average for the present year, and ■• ■■:* ■.retain .tjie aycrage for, .1906, in all those , schools ;_whqsn grade would be'reduced. 'JL'his, ..." lib* considered,' would' he' a reasoiiablo'solu- : tiou. : Mr;. G-. ■ J'.- Garland l moved that,'in: •'■• Viflw of tl|« prevalence of epidemics through- ''.u out- tho education district during tho greater ..„ poftion of the present.year, and of the ex- ; ceptionakde-ertiase in the school attendance arising ■therefrom;-the Minister.be respect-' "-'■ fully asked, to. amend the existing regula-ij,,, tions so as to enable the yearly 'average for , ■15)06 to bo substituted for'that'of 1007 in" nil. "' schools affected thereby.- The resolution was adopted.

CHRISTCHURCH,

' ' November 13. . Jlie tramway : returns for ' the period' "' covered by Carnival. Week ' afford further' ■"■' proof of,the. great number of visitors that .. thronged the town, the' takings for' the .-» nine days amounting to' £455G, as against £4435 last year, when, in addition to the ; (•aces-, and the-show,-the Exhibition was ■'■'. drawing onormous crowds. At α-meisting of ■■;.£ the. Tramway Board, Sir. Recce, the ex*-, '■<>', chairman, drew attention to tho .urgent need ..'.*' for moro rolling stock, tho cars being! at 'i* present quite. inadequate', to deal with ' tho '■'■'* increasing traffic, There wero not, he said, ' '-<. pearly enough cars to -allow of those'which •.,,;' ■ivanfc' -repairing being: loft long enough. in, : '.". the repair-.shops, and it' was false economy .': ,"'■ \o have to overload- the proson't electric cars ' '"'•■ in the way. that they had to bo overloaded, •'■'?■ for such a course resulted in a greater. ex» ,-■;' pense for repairs than would otherwise 'be . '/ the case. He-hoped that the Board would " adopt a policy for tho future of adding so •" l much .rolling-stock to its plant each year. j Tho , Board, decided to call for a report on ,-:>. the subject from the traffic "superintendent ~,,-,-.; and engineer. ' ' : . ;• j

Mper Station,

:. Neither. Christchurch nor Lyttelton, as may ' : ■■-- 'be- . welcome the .prospect of a'-,-,-leper station being'established iii Lyttelton,.,,,; '.Harbour." : It- appears, however, that the . J ■chief objection to the proposal that such a , '" , station would , he a grave, danger to the • '■■' health of tho community is not valid. As z. ■:>'' medical man told a-Press interviewer yesterleprosy cannot bo communicated cither to manor beast if proper precautions, such;-; an will undoubtedly bo used at the Quail -{ Island station, arc employed! In fact, >.ho ! ... .declared .that: a' leper station might : witli " : '.pCTfi'ct. safety., bo established- in the' centre ■■■'■< .Of'.Qhr.istnhurph- But another doctor' es- 'f.'j pressed Vfigret ~that the Government fi'pijt'onipKato converting, the island into 'leper'"station, because it is wanted for &o . ,'." :ni'an,V:,othef purposes. For "instance, he said, ■''''". the .boys, from ; ; .-thiv Burnham Industrial ■■'•-■-! School and .tho girls from the To Orauga,Vii--? 'Hpmo. jiro'.taken, to tho island.for their, an- ;.;,,' liiriil hplidiiy, aiid'tljnre is no other place in •,,', X'a'iiterbury -so suitable for' the ' purpose. :,, ( Quail Island) moreover, is the only island we have in ..Canterbury, and !it should not bo > ■';' jdst, to. us for.all tiino by.being turned into '.p'-. "Jr.lleper station.; ~.lt.,bas.,;tho special advan- • ...'i. .tiijjes pf'()eing very suitable as a- health.;:-'-' rosort,'coirtbinkl with tho isolation necessary .._-., for social 'or'discipline purposes, and.it is,'-' 1 ,;! .imjiossiblo'to say now to what use'it niicht'- "-. profitably andi-properly be putin» : tbo futiiro.-- "•.'. 'Tbi,'i'p ; -9ro .ploijty of.islands north■ of-Auck-. :.'•' laud tliat could bo used for tho isolation of., j lepers .without,.taking frpin us tbo .only island wo have. ,; - • • ■; Telephone.System. ■ ... . • v .„ '- Tbe.-Prcss,- referring to the establishment ■'" of, the common, battery system in connection wjth the tplepljones, urged ; that the Depart- ■■- mpnt adopt the plan in operation in othor ■..■.> comitrins of 'cbniiecting large steamers at 'V the:chief ports \rith the telephone system. '" J'Within half , an lioiir of the time that a ■ passenger-.iiipr has-been , cleared by tho .... healtli officer.in Naples a telephone js fixed' ,' up bit ' boards and it |s possiblo-.to ring up .. liotnls to .inako arraiigpnieiits :ilmut accoin- : ■', iiiodation or to coh)muiiicato with friends in '.' any part of llic city. If the Telegraph J)o- '■■'•' ]):irnioiit does, not take tho matter in baud, wo would suggest to the Harbour Boards in . > the chipf ports that they .should press thia .., comparatively small hut desirablo reform on ...;' the iaftciitiotiOf tho Government."