CORRESPONDENCE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 2411, 30 March 1922, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

(To the Editor.)

Sir.—Can yon tell me why Foxton always--.'behind in everything? Fancy having a school picnic at this time of the year. Our poor children look forward the whole year to their pjjcnic, then it is put, off until all-the good-weather is over, when it is impossible for. a mother with little Ones to go/Why should the worker he cut out of it? There is a. public holiday for the business people when the poor worker (who keeps iJM . the business people) has to stay at home. Take Main Street. I do not . think there is orie dozen children in . the whole street. Take the street £:/•,-! where the .workers live (Union ' ' Street), there is, I think, about four dozen or. more. The-ones who are managing the whole affair should / have a dozen children each, with one . pair of hands to keep all their mouths full, then they would know that, the workers and their children need a holiday as well as the business people. Thanking you, Mr Editor, for space,—l am, etc., A WORKER.

Sir. —I beg leave to utilise a few lines of your valued paper to com-

pliment the school authorities and those officers in charge of arrangej ments on the brilliant attempt they ''"made to hold a picnic, but unfortu- \ nately, like many other “halfhearted” plans, it fell How was it, I should like to know, that the children had no local merriment, as advertised in previous issues, in the event of inelement/weather?- It is simply disgraceful that hundreds of children, of whom can only avail themselves of an ont- * inp: under excursion rates, sliouM b.e thus disappointed, while dozens of parents have needlessly spent time money baking to have things —— just right for “the day,” which is now to he somewhere in February, 1923. What a disappointment for ' those children;' and for many parents! Hmvever, pan something not ; be done to give the children that one » day during the year to which they all‘look forward? Are the people of Foxton so far behind the times that they (who have one of the latest and most up-to-date primary schools in the' Dominion) cannot put sufficient energy into a onee a year effort, or must- they have two years, in. which to complete'the arrangements in the ’interest of the J “ • children. No wonder bur children have an example of thoroughness to . copy when things are so. How-

ever, hoping that all folk who have supplies of extra, cookies on hand " \ will 'hv some means be aWe to nre- . serve them to enable authorities to A?a;np!p same when the picnic does come, —T am, etc., • ' stale run.

[IT is waste-of energy to flog a dead horse. We can assure our correspondents,' however, that the L Committee were as keenly disappointed as were the little ones and \ parents in having to abandon the excursion and picnic. Fixing a date for the outing this year was .. beset, with difficulties consequent changes in administration , ; and other causes over which the Commit-tee had no control, t Fur- . ther, train arrangements’ cannot ' be abandoned at a moment’s notice. To compromise with a feast locally would not have been a wise procedure. Cnnt phrases rand harsh criticism is poor recompense for honest endeavour in the l V w of unavoidable circumstances and the elements. —Ed.H.]