THE HUNTLY PRESS. PUBLISHED WEEKLY AT 1 P.M. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1916. District High School for Huntly.

Huntly Press and District Gazette, Volume 4, 18 February 1916, Page 2

THE HUNTLY PRESS. PUBLISHED WEEKLY AT 1 P.M. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1916. District High School for Huntly.

SOME little time ago we urged the need of a District High School for Huntly, and Dr. R. C. Macdiarmid in a strong letter backed us up from a health point of view, but there the matter drojjped. Some years ago the local School Committee tried to get a District High School established here, but was unsuccessful, because the Education Board required a guarantee of a certain number of pupils, and this could not be got. We believe the number was 20, and if this is so, and if this was the only obstacle to the establishment of a school here we believe that the obstacle no longer exists. At last examination nearly 40 pupils presented themselves from Huntly a:: ! surrounding districts for examination, and most of these obtained profinieny certificates. A number of the Huntly pupils are now attending the District High School at Hamilton, but by reason of the railway time-table, children from

outdistricts cannot avail themselves of the higher education unless they are prepared to board away from home. We need not here enlarge on the weariness and ill-health inflicted on the children by reason of their having to travel at such unearthly hours as they do, for this is well-known and has been much commented upon,. but we do say, that with the large number of pupils, in and around Huntly, who could attend a High School if one were established here, it is the duty of the local Committee to make some move in the direction of ascertaining the position,and if circumstances warrant it, setting up a strong agitation with the object of rectifying the present deplorable state of affairs. In a former article, we dealt with the effect which the travelling and long hours has on the health of unfortunate children who have to obtain their higher education at such a cost, and it is quite unnecessary to go over that ground again, but there is another aspect —the moral one, and anybody who is condemned to travel either in the early morning train, or the late train from Frankton, will know that the present system does not conduce to the better behaviour of the youngsters travelling. It is a well-known fact that these children pactically take charge of these trains, and any adult who ventures to remonstrate with them for their horse play, noise and generally unseemly behaviour, gets a bad time. This rough behaviour, is so pronounced, that some parents hesitate very much before letting their children travel by those trains, and if they cannot afford to have their children board away from home they think it best not to send them at all, believing that the moral loss by travelling will more than counter- balance the educational gain by going to the school. We believe we have the people with us in this, and any action which the School Committee may take will receive strong backing from the whole population. We trust the powers that be will take this matter up at once, as it is sure to be a matter for consideration at the annual meeting of householders in Aptil next, and naturally people would like to have full information laid before them.