BAN MAY BE RELAXED

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 206, 16 September 1937, Page 9

BAN MAY BE RELAXED

-Press Association.)

Teachers and Smoking at Schools AUCKLAND PROTESTS

fBy Telegraph-

AUCKLAND, Last Night. "I am honestly sorry for teachers if this prohibition is to jeopardise their sense of loyalty," said Mr. T. D. Wells, cliairman of the Auckland Education Board, when the board was giving further consideration to the ban on teachers smoking at school, at its meeting to-day. The matter was raised hy numorous lctt§rs of protest from school committees aud teachers' associations. Mr. Wells' reference was to a letter from the Auckland branch of the Educational Institute which statcd that the ban had caused discouragement if not resentment aniong teachers and this was likely to react to the detrimeut of the wider fields of voluntary service undertaken by teachers. It was suggested that the board should reconsider its decision which was jeopardising the loyalty and co-operation which anirnatfed the service. The chairman remarked that, judging by the amount of protest, smoking must be much more prevalent among teachers than when he retired some years ago. He conceded that, after consideration of the ban, he found that perhaps some hardship was being caused to school eommittees and to teachers who went to school early to prepare work or stayed after pupils had gone home. If it was the wish of the board, he was willing to give notice of motion permitting smoking in these cases. This was a retraction of previous steps, Mr. Wells added, and ignored the grounds on which the ban had been first imposed, namely, the danger of fires. Teachers should not set an example of smoking to children. He said the speetacle of a teacher stroiling around a playground smoking was not permitted in well conducted offices. Hon. A. Burns, M.L.C., suggested that the matter would be scttled harmoniously if smoking was forbidden only in the presence of children, thus relaxing the ban in the common room. In reply, the chairman remarked that teachers should be out patrolling the playgrounds. He classed smoking, with drinking and card playing, as things that, altholigh they were sometimes permitted in a home, should be discouraged as part of a teacher 's duty. Mr. W. J. Campbell stated that he had nothing to say until the chairman 's motion was considered at the next meeting. "I know what is at the bottom of all this and I intend to expose it," he said. "There is too much back scratching on this board and it has been going on for some timo. ' ' Mr. W. I. Bowyer: "I hope you are not referring to me." At this stage the chairman called the meeting to crder and the matter will be considered at the next meeting of the board. /