SHANNON SCHOOL COMMITTEE

Shannon News, 4 February 1927, Page 3

SHANNON SCHOOL COMMITTEE

MONTHLY MEETINO. Tbe above meeting was held in the schoolroom on Wednesday evening. Present: Messrs A. Blackwood, E. Butt. W. Christian, J. Bowler, W. Brown, C. Cronquest, J. Roberts. . The chairman (Mr R. .L. Tippler), who has been indisposed and is at piesent recuperating in Wellington, forwarded a telegram apologising foi his absence. ' , £ ' Mr A. Blackwood in the absence or the chairman was appointed to preside j over the meeting.. i APPOINTMENTS. j Notiiicatic.il was received from the , Board of the appointment as assistant mistress of Mrs M. Ik Armstrong. There were fourteen applicants for the posi- I tion. —The committee confirmed the appointment. SHELTER SHED AND SEPTIC TANK. The acting-chairman (Mr A. Blackwood) stated that no advice had been received from the Education Board in respect to the erection of the new shelter shed or the septic tank. He reeom- ] mended that a letter be forwarded to i the Department asking what progress has been made in respect to these two j matters. This was agreed to. ■ - 1 SCHOOL PICNIC. Advice was received from the Rail- < way Department that they would run i a special train on Saturday, February 1 19th, for the Shannon and Linton schools 1 picnic at Plimmerton. . The train will 1 leave Shannon at 8.24 a.m.. arriving at Plimmerton at 10.36 a.m. On the return trip the train will leave Plimmorton at' 4.26 p.m. reaching Shannon at 6.15 p.m. The fares will be:—Scholars under 15 years, 2/-: senior scholars over 15 years and not -exceeding 19 years, 3/-; teachers and adults, 4/6 The chairman stated that .the subcommittee appointed to deal with this matter, had*notified the Department } -agreeing to the date . 1 A committee was appointed lo make h the necessary arrangements for refresh- p meats, etc. I

With a view to raising funds towards the cost of the picnic, subscription lists will be taken round by the children, while each committeeman will have a list and Messrs Blackwood and Butt will make a canvass of the' busi ness people. The committee decided to meet again on Tuesday, February 15th, to make the final arrangements. * TEACHING THE CHILDREN TO SWIM. Mr W. Brown asked the committee to move in the .’natter of providing baths or a swimming pool at the school, whereby the children can be taught to swim. He drew attention to the largo number of lives lost every summer owing to persons being unable to swim. In Shannon, he said, there were practically no suitable places for children to learn to swim. There was plenty of room in the. school ground for baths, and he thought they should try and meet the situation, as he considered that every child, as they passed through the school - should be able to swim. He said he was fully aware ' that the stumbling block to a public baths was not the cost, but its upkeep. If they could not see their way to erect baths at the school, the committee should form a working bee and with very'little excavating a portion could be dammed off, into which either the town water or the water from artesians nearby could be run in and cut every day. He considered a 50ft stretch, 15 to 20 feet wide and about 3ft 6in deep would be sufficient in which to teach the young children to swim. Mr Blackwood said he understood the Government had a scheme under consideration whereby the teaching of Swimming would become compulsory. If it came to anything probably the Education Department would bo compelled to assist in providing swimming facilities at schools. The committee were fully in accord with Mr Brown that something should be done. On the - motion of Mr Roberts it was decided to bring the matter forward at the householders ’ meeting which will be neld in April.