STRATFORD.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 November 1922, Page 6

STRATFORD.

DAILY NEWS AGENCY. Advertisements and items of news for publication in the Taranaki Daily News should be left nt the office of our local representatative, care Mr. W. H. Humphrey, Broadway.. Straiford. Orders for papers may also b# left svltix him. THE HOSPITAL BOARD. MONTHLY MEETING. Nov. 14. The monthly meeting of the Stratford Hospital Board was held this morning. Present: Messrs. C. D. Sole (chairman), P. Thomson. E. Marfell, J. O’Neill, W. H. Were, G. P. Harkness, and C. R. Finnerty. Leave of absence was granted to Mr. J. T. Belcher. The Hawera Hospital Board wrote stating that it bad from time to time made claims upon various boards for maintenance in hospital of persons arriving from other district's, as provided in rhe Act. and the board had al«o received similar claims from other boards. It had been found in many cases that difficulty was experienced in determining the liability, and disputes had arisen. The Hawera Board was prepared to enter into arrangements with the Stratford Board for the reciprocal treatment of patients from the respective districts, or. in other that each board should take no cognisance of the provisions of the Act in this respect. It was pointed out that this should not apply to cases sent for special treatment, or to persons .maintained in old people’s, homes or separate institutions, or to cases of charitI able aid. ! It was decided to agree with the Hawera Board’s suggestions.

The Maternity Ward. The chairman reported on his recent visit +0 Wellington, where he interviewed the Health Department with reference to the proposed maternity ward . and the additions to the nurses’ home. He had succeeded in securing the re’Pstatement of the kitchen plains of the additions. The department would do all it could to have the maternity ward established. He had been successful in assuring the necessary finance from two sources. The board was no longer up against a dead end, but could go ahead and call tenders for the buildings in the near future. , On the motion of Mr. Marfell it was decided to raise a loan of £5500 from the Public Trust at 6 per cent, for 21 years for the erection of the matermtv ward. It was pointed out that no part of the loan would be required before January or February. General. The medical superintendent (Dr. D. Steven) reported for the month that 24 patients had been admitted to _ the hospital. 18 were-discharged, and 25 remained in the institution at the end of the month. Twelve operations were performed under anaesthetics, and there were three deaths. Two cases were in isolation. The Whangamomona district nurse reported that during the month she had eleven medical and surgical cases. Fee<s totalled £3 2s 6d. The Whangamomona Medical Association forwarded a. cheque for £OO. being a donation from the association towards the nurses’ salaries. The deputy Director-General of Health (Dr. J. P. Frengley) wrote stating that he was not in a position to give any guarantee that the department could secure the necessary legislation to make the subsidy on interest on hospital loans £f for £l.

GENERAL ITEMS. The Taranaki Education Board has finally decided that the Stratford Borough Council must remove the high tension electric lines from the High School grounds. The electric light committee waited on the Model Farm Committee' with reference to the deviation of the lines on the farm. The farm committee wrote to last night’s meeting of the council stating that any deviation of the lines on the farm must approximately follow the course of the river. On the motion of Or. Rutherford it was decided to approach the Education Board asking that the council he allowed to divert the line along the easterp boundary of the High School grounds, or. alternatively. to take the line along the eastern boundaries of the High School grounds and the model farm to the river. The works committee recommended to last night’s meeting of the Borough Council that a tar-sprayer be put on order for delivery in December, and the recommendation was adopted. Nurse E. L. Symes has resigned her position at the 'Stratford Hospital for health reasons. Al to-day's mooting ot the Hospital Board the resignation was accepted with regret. Miss Averill Larsen. of Uruti. was added to the list of waiting probationers. An address entitled “Measuring Intelligence” was delivered by Mr. A. IT. it. Amees. director of the Stratford Techinical School, last evening at the primary school. The address was given under the auspices of the Taranaki School Committees’ Association. Although the attendance was small, the speaker was given an attentive and appreciative hearing, and was accorded a vote of I thanks. I An art union is being launched by the Mardi Gras authorities in the course of a few days. The first prize is a oared of gold nuggets, to the value of £25. and these are now in the keeping of the local branch of the National Bank of New Zealand, having arrived from Reefton last evening. Tickets are expected to be available in the course of a dav or two, and, considering th? value of the first prize, a large demand will probably be made by purchasers. Announcements concerning coming MarSi Gras events of importance are made in the advertising columns. ST. MARY S SCHOOL. ANNUAL SPEECH DAY. The annual speech day in connection with St. Mary’s School was held yesterday, when a large number of visitors were entertained. The Bishop of Auckland (Dr. Averill), and a number of i clergy, including Archdeacon Evan*, were* present. A programme of musical items and chamter sketches wag given

by the girls, all showing evidence of careful training.

In her annual report the principal (Miss Stanford) stated, inter alia: “The past year has been one of steady progress from every point of view. The health of the girls has been excellent. The number of pupils on the roll is quite satisfactory, and when competing in various outside examinations the percentage of passes has been very high. It is recognised that Taranaki has been, and still is, suffering under severe depression, and. it is a matter for thankfulness that our numbers have been maintained and that new pupils are already applying for vacancies after Christmas. The kindergarten department is one of the utmost importance, because the habits of concentration and alert obedience learned in the earlier stages help the girk throughout the whole of their school life. Miss Bates and Miss Rhodes are leaving the school at the end of the. year, Miss Rhodes to take up a position in a larger .school, and Miss Bates to be married. Miss Bates has been with me for six years and her good influence over the girls and her unswerving loyalty have been of inestimable benefit to St. Mary's. I am at present in communication with other mistresses to fill the vacancies. With the consent of the Board of Governors I have given up the , half-term exeat and its accompanying | holiday, but the girls may, if they wish, j spend one week-end away from the I school during the term. ’ During the I winter months ten of the elder girls I attended Dr. Gordon’s lectures on home I nursing and all were successful in ob- | taining certificates, Marjorie Pease i gaining the highest marks of the 20 candidates who sat for examination. Ten candidates were successful in pass-, ing the practical musical examinations in the various grades of the Royal Academy and Trinity 'College, and all who sat passed in all the theory of music. Beulah Wickham received the silver medal for the highest marks in her practical grade for the Stratford centre.

The school grounds have been steadily improved, and now St. Mary stands oil eleven and a half, acres of land, which enables us to be self-supporting with milk, butter and eggs. The girls worked during the winter months for a sale of work, the proceeds of which paid for the pond. I consider swimming and life-saving of great importance. The girls have taken a keen interest in their games, basket ball in winter and cricket in summer. Our asphalt tennis court enables tennis to be enjoyed from January to December. Deck tennis and croquet are also played. We purpose to hold our annual sports and prize-giving on the last day of the term. This ! year, for the first time, a valuable ■ memorial prize of books has been presented to the school for the girl who iis best all round. I express my thanks to the Board of Governors, the staff, who have worked loyally with me. and the prefects.”

Mr. W. H. H. Young (chairman of j the Board of Governors) congratulated Miss Stanford on the progress the school had made. He thanked the Board of Governors who had so ably assisted him throughout the year. The Rev. H. C. Howard, vicar of the parish, emphasised the individual attention each pupil receives at the school. St. Mary’s School was better staffed than anv other school he knew of in the Dominion for the number of pupils it taught. The Rev. E. 11. Strong said he greatly appreciated the help and encouragement the school hal given him while , he was in the lovely Tonga Islands. ( The residents of Stratford and district i are notified that Ernest Davies, the 1 London qualified sight,-testing optician, . visits Stratford every Tuesday, and may ( be consulted at Mr. Gaffaney’s, Broadway. Hours: 9.30 a.m. to 4 p.m. I All ihe latest Magazines and Periodicals, ' Fashion Books, the “Best Way” series, etc., etc.; Collins’ Diaries for 1923; now on sale at W. H. Humphrey’s, Broadway, Stratford.