HUTT AND PETONE NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1117, 3 May 1911, Page 6

HUTT AND PETONE NEWS.

HUTT. VALLEY TEAMS.. (From Our Special Correspondent.) .The proposal of ■ the Hutt Tramway Boar.dto borrow ,£oß,ooo.for installing a. tramway system in. Hutt and l'etoiie, will bo submitted to' a poll of ratepayers on Wednesday,. May 31. . The scheme contemplates an electric tram service eight miles in length, and a special tramway bridge, across the river at Lower Hutt. PETONE TECHNICAL SCHOOL. The monthly meeting of the managers of the l'etone Technical School was held last night. There were present': The. Eev. A. Thomson (chairman), Messrs. Southgate, M'Keiizie, Hope, Wood, Trueman, Duricau, .ami' Castle. .

' Lieutenant Robinson, organiser of. the senior cadets, wrote inquiring if it would not.be possible to form a. senior, cadet corps, or evijn half, a company in connection witli the school. The director. (Mr. Lyiiskey), reporting"on the matter, pointed out that there-were at present. some ■10 boys of senior .cadet. age at the school, and, as these would be compelled to undertake-' drill,,'the adoption of.the scheme would be a wise one. Suitable arrangements would have to be made, however, so a? hot to interfere with the'school timetable. Mr. Soiithgate.moved: "That this board sanction the-formation- , of-a cadet corps, and that the director be instructed to confer with th'e authorities regarding the matter." In speaking to the motion, Mr. Southgnfe said that he had been under the impression that military training was guing to interfere, seriously with technical schools, but, since reading the communication from .Lieutenant Robinson, he' had altered his views. A. corps such as this was,..he thonght, a l>enefit to the school.' .The chairman and Mr. Castle also spoke in appreciative terms of the scheme. The motion was; carried. The Petoiie District High 'School Committee advised that they were prepared to meet the board in conference in reference to tho establishment of a technical day school.—Received. Mr. G. A.' Pearson intimated that he would be prepared to give a lecture on steam, as a school benefit. On the motion of the chairman,'' it. was resolved,' that, when the date of the lectuap had been fixed, it lie advertised as a public lecture. ~

The resignation of Mr. H. Baldwin, as a member of the board, was received with regret; The Education Board's inspection reportori the workings of the school showed that tho number .of .pupils .in. each class was'small. Owing to the surroundings' this could riot be helped. The instruction in elementary chemistry, electricity, and magnetism was carried out on the right lines and due- attention was paid to expeririiental work. Certain features were noticeable in the electrical class.which..pointed to impending improvement in,: tho work. A natter which must be termed a success was the attempt to get students, to take some.subjects of .the group allied to,, mechanical drawing. It was suggested that, instead of confining the instruction to. drawing (two hours) and steam (two hours) in, each week, the course should be arranged to include hi : struction in elementary mathematics an* elementary applied mechanics. Probablyone hour per week for these subjects would suffice. The report concluded by calling tho attention of tho managers to sub-Section i of Section 181 of part VII of the Education Act, 1903, referring to the working .of tho registers, which, through inadvertence, appeared to have been marked, iu many cases, at any tune during the progress of a lesson. Mr. Castle mov«l that if the attendance of certain, classes did not . exceed eight in number they should be dropped. He expressed regret, that such a motion should have to be.mo'ved, but, to his mind, it was. the only way out of the difficulty. —Carried.

* JOTTINGS. The Mayor of Petorio has arranged for a, meeting at Koro Koro en Thursday next for the purpose of considering tho requirements of the settlers. Mr. E. T. Silyerwood, of, the Petono Telegraph Office staff, has been transferred to Featherston. Prior to his departure, Mr. Silyerwood was made, the recipient of a. travelling trunk from his colleagues. The.Rev. H. Cottom will reply to criticism by tho Seventh Day Adventists on a pamphlet, written by. him, at the .Ranfurly Hall, Petone, on Friday evening next.