South Taranaki News

Taranaki Daily News, 29 November 1926, Page 2

South Taranaki News

(From Our Own Reporter.)

Telephone No. 596.

P.O. Box 133

CARE OF CHILDREN’S TEETH WORK OF DENTAL CLINIC. CATERING FOR COUNTRY SCHOOLS Since the institution of a dental clinic at the Hawera Main School six months ago a great deal of valuable work has been accomplished by Nurse Whittington, who is in charge of the clinic, in regard to caring for the teeth of children attending the school, and country schools throughout the district, realising the value of the clinic, have been agitating, for an extension of the service to provide for the inspection and treatment of children attending the more remote schools. At the meeting of the Hawera Main School committee on Friday, the chairman (Mr. J. W. Harding) gave some- interesting information on the subject, and in an interview on Saturday, further explained the position. As an outcome of a request to the Education Department by the Tawhiti School for the provision of dental treatment, Mr. R. Elliott, inspector of dental clinics, visited Haw-era about three weeks ago and interviewed Mr. Harding on the matter, asking whether the Hawera school: committee would agree to Nurse Whittington extending her work to Tawhiti School. | Mr. Harding assured the inspector that, the | committee would raise no objections but j would rather encourage the idea, providing it would not overburden the nurse. Mr. Elliott explained to Mr. Harding that the nurse’s maximum capacity was I 1000 children and when this number was • reached the clinic would be entitled to an assistant. < Mr. Harding stated that since Mr. , Elliott's visit Nurse Whittington had' "charted” the Tawhiti school children and' would be able to treat them at the clinic on obtaining the consent of the parents. All the children will be treated at the Hawera School on certain allotted days. Mr. Harding stated that the Tokaora and Whareroa schools would probably be attended after the charting of the children at the Tawhiti School. In the event of these schools being catered for it was anticipated that a separate committee would be formed, comprising representatives from each school served by the clinic. If it were necessary for the nurse to treat children at their own schools Mr. Harding thought the committees of such schools would be required to provide the means of transit for the nurse and also suitable accommodation. EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE. SOUTH TARANAKI BRANCH MEETS. A meeting of the South Taranaki branch of the New Zealand Educational Institute was held at Hawera on Friday night, Mr. F. A. Bates, headmaster of the Hawera school, presiding over about 50 teachers front all parts of the district, including Stratford and Eltham. The senior inspector for Taranaki, Mr. N. R. McKenzie, was also present. The discussion centred chiefly on the proficiency examination. Two resolutions were passed and were referred to the syllabus committee set up by the Education Department. They were:— (1) "That this branch of the Education Institute strongly recommends the elimination of almost all formal grammar from the primary syllabus.” (2) "That the examinations in primary schools should be brought up-to-date in accordance with modern ideas.” The opinion of the meeting was that the proficiency examination had exercised a wholly undue influence on the work of primary schools, particularly limiting teachers’ powers to classify pupils according to their ability. After the meeting supper was served by the teachers of the Hawera school and a short musical programme was given. The meeting was the first held in South Taranaki in the evening for some years and it is intended that similar meetings shall be held in the future, the next either at Stratford or Eltham. FETE AT KING EDWARD PARK. PROPOSAL OF COMBINED CLUBS. For the purpose ol electing joint subcommittees of ladies and men to organise a fete at King Edward Park some time in February to raise funds for both clubs, the Park Bowling Club held a meeting in the i Winter Show buildings, on Friday, and the Park Tennis Club met in the Borough Chambers. The sub committee set up by the bowling. club is as follows:—Mesdames W. Grant, G. Villars, W. Adams, E. Thurston, J. W. Harding, A. Murdoch, G. Ashton, F. Brown, S. Parkes, C. W. Curtis, C. Crutch and Messrs. F. A. Quinn, C. W. Curtis, C. S. Mahoney. AV. R. Butler, H. Kendall, A. Murdoch, G. Ashton, A. E. Wainwright, F. Brown and S. Parkes. The tennis club appointed the following sub-committee:— Mesdames Goodwin, Davy, Barker, Burgess, Rudge, Hunt, Knightbridge, Spragg, Misses Reid, Kirk, H. Foster, and Messrs. H. H. Bramwell, C. Winfield, W. A. Newton, F. Bernard, E. Yearbury, J. Kirkpatrick, J. Petersen, Freeman, R. Thomson, T. Kururangi, L. Billows and D. Burgess. WATER FOR NOLANTOWN. A meeting of the ratepayers of Nolantown was held in the Tawhiti School on Friday evening, and a delegation from the Hawera Borough Council attended for the purpose of explaining the position as regards the Nolantown water loan. The Mayor, Mr. E. A. Pacey, presided at the meeting, and others present were Councillors AV. Page. W. G. AA’alkley, AV. R. Butler and the town clerk. Mr. H. S. Elliott. Both the Mayor and the town clerk went into the details of the position, reviewing the financial arrangements necessary. After considerable discussion the meeting closed with a vote of thanks to the chair. GENERAL ITEMS. Although the bowling matches for the ferns and buttons competitions at the Park and Hawera greens and the tennis fixtures were postponed on Saturday on account of the rain, the cricket fixtures were played. Early on Saturday morning there were several heavy hailstorms and again on Saturday afternoon heavy showers of hail fell.

PERSONAL ITEMS. Mr. E. P. Beauchamp, stationmaster at Hawera, resumed his duties on Saturday after several weeks’ absence on leave, during which time Mr. T. H. Tuohy has been acting-stationmaster.