TRIBUTES PAID

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20120, 14 December 1939, Page 2

TRIBUTES PAID

EDUCATION IN N.Z.

WORK OF GOVERNMENT (Special to tbe Herald.) i T WAIROA, .this day. Two tributes to the work of the Hon. P. Fraser as Minister of Education and to the Government.for what it was doing for education were paid at the annual parents’ day function at the Wairoa District High School yesterday. The first reference tt> the work of Mr. Fraser was made by Mr. C. R. Sainsbury, a member of the Hawke's Bay Education Board. Mr. Sainsbury said he was a “hoary-headed dyed-in-the-wool conservative.” He had lived one and he would die one, but nevertheless. he would say that the members of the Hawke's Bay Education Board had never had a Minister oi Education to deal with who could measure up to Mr. Fraser. "And that goes for the. present Government so far as its work foi education is concerned, and I would kick them out to-morrow,” concluded . Mr. Sainsbury. whose remark caused considerable merriment. The other tribute came from the Mayor of Wairoa, Mr. H. L. Harker, who stated that he also wished to express appreciation of what the Government, and particularly Mr. Fraser, had done in the cause of education, although all would not agree with the amount of money spent by it. He made particular reference to the exceptionally fine type of building being erected at the schools. Mr. Harker concluded by expressing the district’s thanks to Mr. E. I». Cullen, M.P., for what he had done in obtaining improvements at the Wairoa School.

In his speech Mr. Cullen thanked Messrs. Harker and S'ainsbury for their remarks. He stated that the education system in New Zealand was deep rooted. It had been organised and worked for many years and he desired to pay a tribute to past Ministers of Education for what they also had done.