MASTERTON SCHOOL EXCURSION.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8368, 26 February 1907, Page 6

MASTERTON SCHOOL EXCURSION.

For the first time for a number of year's the pupils of the Masterton District High School held an excursion to, Wellington yesterday. A y special train left Masterton for the < city at 6.15 a.m., carrying nearly 500 excursionists, of which over 250 were children, the remainder being adults, including the teachers at the school, excepting those who are absent in Christchurch with the Cadets, Mr W. H. Jackson (Headmaster) and Messrs R. Brown, E. H. Waddington, G. Townsend and J. Carpenter, members of the Masterton School Committee. A large number of children who expected to board the train at Kuripuni were sadly disappointed, as through some misunderstanding with the Railway Department the train did not stop at that station. Arriving in Wellington about 11 a.m. the excursionists set about enjoying themselves in the best possible manner for the few I hours they had in town. Some visited Island Bay and other sea-side resorts, while others visited the wharves and interested themselves in the shipping. At the invitation of Mr A. W. Hogg, M.H.R., who had made prior arrangements, a large number' of the children were shown over Parliamentary Buildings, the Library and the Town Hall. The train left on the return journey at 4.25 p.m., and arrived in Masterton about 9 o'clock. A large number of relatives and friends were on the station to meet the chikher. who, though tired looking, had all apparently enjoyed the outing. During the journey to and from Wellington | Messrs Jackson, Brown and Waddington distributed among the., younger pupils fruit and biscuits, which had been donated for the purpose. Speaking to an Age reporter last I evening Mr Jackson said that he had made complete arrangements whereby the pupils could not possibly meet with any accident. In each carriage there were a certain number of adults and teachers, who had care of the children, and again in the city the various groups of children were accompanied by adults, with whom all responsibility for the care of the children rested. There were no accidents of any kind, and the conduct of the children was admirable. Mr Jackson spoke in complimentary terms of the manner in which the Stationmaster (Mr F. Hill) had made arrangements for entraining the children, and the comfortable cars that had been allotted for the journey-