DISAPPOINTED SCHOOLS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1475, 25 June 1912, Page 6

DISAPPOINTED SCHOOLS.

NO HOLIDAY YEPTEUDAY. '■ '~:'.The-:ipermissivc '.' littie * word • "may,"' in one ot tho clauses of iho. Wellington Edu* ?cati6n; Board!?.; regulat ions .was'responsible; for j. co-nsiderable. I !?misunderstanding ■' in" -connection' with.'the'observance '.of the IvPrineo of Wales's : . Birthday yesterday. The date of. the event fell on Sunday last,but in official circles, by municipalities, ['warehouses; etc., the holiday was observed yesterday. It is stated in tho board's regulations that : this particular holiday, amongst others, "may" be observed on the Monday if the date falls on a Sunday, and several of the city school committees accordingly made arrangements to close, availing themselves of the permission con- ■ veyed by tho little word "may." • The secretary for tho Education Board (Mi. G. h. Stewart), after consultation with the chairman of tho board (Mr. Robt. ■Lee),■'caused an announcement to bo inserted in the press stating definitely that tho : s-ehools would not close. It may be mentioncd that .tho. schools "in the Wellington . district,-'' wore closed for the term holidays; which fall during the last wosk in May. Bv this time, however, 6evcral of;the, city,.schools had made arrangements fi> : 'close,-and following upon representations, which were made bv a number of local headmasters, who called at the ' board office on Saturday, the decision not ,'.tb\clos<hyesterday was revoked by a paragraph-, which' appeared'in the columns of 'our evening.'cbntc-uiparary on Saturday afternoon>'.But. as. the children had been dismissed' at- 3 o'clock oil Friday for tho 'usualweek-end' : .reces_s,. the paragraph announcement'authorising the holiday bono'fitedi; only.', those-'.who' .chanced to see it. .'Consequently/-while:' tho city and suburb-an',-schools'bbserved-'.;-. the ■ holiday, the ;schools-; in:. the'. : country, districts—even as • near, hand, asjKaitoke (beyond the Upper Ilutt), kept open.. . . . .. ,