MATRIC TO-MORROW.

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 297, 30 November 1936, Page 4

MATRIC TO-MORROW.

STRATFORD CANDIDATES Increased Entries Reflect Better Times. The wide scope of the matriculation examination has been severely criticised in recent years and efforts have been made to have it confined to prospective university students, but as far as Stratford is concerned the examination is this year in a stronger position than ever. At the Parish Hall, to-morow, 35 candidates will begin the examination, under the supervision of Mrs. E. H. Young. This is an increase of over 30 per cent, on last year’s figures. Little effect is made by the school certificate examination, as its subjects coincide with those of matriculation and candidates can sit the two examinations for the one entry-fee. Only five candidates will be sitting for the school certificate independently of matriculation. Commenting on the increase in the number of candidates for the matriculation examination, Mr. A. H. R. Amess, principal of the Stratford Technical High School, told a Press representative this morning that he attributed it largely to the fact that there was far more money available this year. During the depression the entrance fee of two guineas had kept many students from sitting for the examination. This year, however there was not one case of a pupil refraining from sitting the examinatioc for financial reasons. Signs of business recovery were reflected in other activities of the school. Recently there had been a keen demand for pupils for positions in offices, indicating that firms were either doing increased business or were making preparations in anticipation of an exceptionally good Christmas period. The introduction of the basic wage was having some effect on the re, quests that were received for pupils of the school to take up commercial positions. Some firms, whose ees w'ere under awards, were anxious to get pupils younger than matriculation age. Although noticeable however, this tendency had not so far become very widespread and there was at present no difficulty in finding positions for matriculated and senior commercial students.

Shag Attacks Duck. From the Wainui-o-Mata district is reported a fight, in a pool of the stream, between a domestic duck and a shag, which was watched by two harrier hawks. A farmer’s daughter was compelled to intervene, after the duck was considerably damaged. An interesting que/stion t is whether the two harrier hawks on the bank of the stream were there as spectators or as probable participants in a meal. Trout are reported to be scarce in this lower part of the Wainui-o-Mata stream, and many shags are reported to be there. Christmas Day Pictures. Permission to screen pictures on Christmas Day was granted to three picture theatres in the borough of the Mount Albert Borough Council last week. The theatres are at the Mount Albert terminus, at Sandringham and at Kingsland respectively. The programmes are to be approved by the Mayor, Mr. H. A._ Anderson, and the Town Clerk, Mr. T. R. Congalton, while two further conditions are that no employee should be made to work on the day, and that whose < who do shall be paid an adequate ’ wage. Age No Bar. To be labelled industrially unemployable because they have reached the age of 60 years is frequently the fate of many men, but the State placement service has, in hundreds of instances, proved that this is a conventional belief as fallacious as it is unjust, writes an officer of the Labour Department. The returns from almost every placement office each week record the reinstatement in their usual work of men from 55 to 65, an outstanding example being the transference from relief to permanent full-time standard-rate private work of eight men in the Hutt Valley ■whose ages ranged from 59 to 68. Clerical workers and bush mill-hands well up into the sixties are giving re,ally good service after long absence from tjheir respective occupations, and it will be interest mg to watch the reactions of three men recently placed by the Auckland office, one of these being a bodybuilder aged 67, another an enginedriver aged 69, and the .third a bush worker aged 71.