STRATFORD SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVII, Issue 81, 4 August 1915, Page 7

STRATFORD SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

j MONTHLY MEETING. The adjourned monthly meeting of the Stratford School Committee was held last night, when there were present—Messrs Skoglund (chairman./, r\ 'A. Cramer, W. McDonald, b\ J. McJ)onald, H. Sanderson, h. Hancock, S. Ward, and T. C. Fookes. HEADMASTER'S UEPOIVf. The headmaster Mr V. Tyrer's) report, dated July 2U, was as lollows: — , lows : "It is a matter for congratulation that the Council ol tUlucation has approved of the establishment of a lug" school at Stratford. There arc so many initial details to be settled in connection with this matter, however, that in my opinion efforts should he made to have a grant set aside by the Minister ol indication for the School without delay. The matter, to me, seems piercing, and 1 think your committee will in: wise to discuss the advisability of sending a deputation to wait on the .Minister of lulueation in .Wellington in connection with it. Once la grant is allocated, tiie question of site, etc., can be settled locally, so that as soon as money is available, the 1 actual buildings can be begun. Our Borough Council recently 'gave a 'grant to Mr Gray for Technical purposes. The result of this donation is the establishment at oui ', Technical School of a line class in plumbing. The cost of a plumbing class is always heavy. Even at cost price (our material lias been procured at cost price through the kindness of McMillan and Fredric) the cost of the material us'ed by students is heavy, and yet th'o ifees charged in our classes are\los ikt [term for practical work and lUs per term for theory. These fees compare favourably with those charged in the big centres. Mr Herbert Smart, of

'New Plymouth, is instructor, and a very able one. ami we have space lor two more students. .Mr Foley, pro'priotor of tiie Picture Palace. has kindly given me twice during the last fortnight 18 passes for his Saturday matinee show—these passes to be awarded to a hoy and a girl from each division in the primary school. The [films screened by Mr Foley at these ,matinee performances are all of educational value, they are well censored, and if judged from what I saw are well worthy of patronage. The agricultural plot of ground in Broadway South is being worked by the Education Board, and our school children will visit it only in common with children from other schools. The grounds are now ready for ploughing, and this will he undertaken as soon as the weather breaks. The gates and fencing are being attended to, and the Board's foreman has been instructed to build an accommodation room, a play shed, and a tool shed., The Inspectors of our Board are anxious to specialise as far as possible in the work of dairy science and agriculture, 'and their wish is to use this plot asa central one for the surrounding district. I wish to express my pleasure at the action of the Stratford Agricultural and Pastoral Society, which recently passed a resolution asking that school children he taken free on railways when visiting special eenrres for agricultural purposes. J am notified that the school children are to he ex-

amined in physical training to-mor-row.''

The Chairman, in speaking on tlie establishment of the Stratford High School, said that the site should he selected as soon as possible* as ill the near future it may ho difficult to obtain a suitable site. Mr Fookes then moved: "That the Chairman he asked to go to Wellington by the committee to forward the claims of the establishment of the Stratford High School, to work in conjunction with Mr It. Masters, the Education Board's delegate. The motion was carried on the voices.

In dealing with the dairy class established at the school, Mr P. J. McDonald said he would be pleased to have tlie pupils for two hours a month to give them practical work at the factory. Mr McDonald said that last year 30 pupils availed themselves of the opportunity, and general satisfaction was felt at the instruction obtained.

Mr Ward's motion "That Mr McDonald's offer be accepted with thanks," was seconded by Mr Skoglund and carried.

The Chairman said that the plumbing class was doing good work, and there was a vacancy for two more pupils.

VISITING COMMITTEE.

The Visiting Committee'e report was as follows: —"Yuur committee have to report that they waited on the Bor--1 oujj;h Council at its last meeting, and asked that the water tables might be cleaned out in front of the school, and a crossing put in at the lower gate so that the scholars could cross over from Orlando Street without getting wet. The Council acceded to your committee's request, and since then the work has been completed, and a real good job has been made of it. The. spouting on the south side of the school has been removed. The wire screens for the gymnasium windows have arrived and we are awaiting instruction from the committee as to how they shall be erected. The school grounds are in fair order, .seeing the recent bad weather thai has been* experienced lately.

A lengthy discussion took place on tin- fitting of the screens on the gymnasium wi.ndows, and the following motion was passed:—"That the question of fixing the window screens and the mending ot" the High School windo ; s be left to the Visiting Committee with power to act." It was

r.ho resolved "That the Education Board's attention be drawn to the broken window cords in the wqodcu portion of the High School."