MASTERTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9076, 28 April 1908, Page 6

MASTERTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

ANNUAL MEETING,

The annual meeting of householders for the purpose of selecting the Masterton School Committee for the coming year was held in the Drill Hall last evening. Mr R. Brown occupied the chair, and there were about thirty-five householders present. THE ANNUAL REPORT. The annual report was presented as follows: —

Your Committee have much pleasure in subitting the following report for the past year:— Including the Main and Side ; Schools there has been an average roll number of 812, with an average attendance of 724, and a percentage of attendance of 89. This percentage is slightly lower than last year's record, an epidemic of maasjes having been the cause. In addition to the above, the secondary classes have had a roll number of 80, with an average attendance of 75, the percentage of attendance being 94. Under the able management of Mr W. H. Jackson, who will this year complete his twentieth year as Headmaster, your school has fully maintained its excellent reputation. Probably no large school in the dominion has such a long record of excellent management and etliciency. The Inspectors have again awarded the marks "Very Good, and "Good," for efficiency, order, discipline, and tone of the school, a result most gratifying to your Committee, and most creditable to the Headmaster and his excellent staff.

The Deparfcmant has again done well in the Matriculation, Civil Service and Scholarships examinations. In the Matriculation examination six pupils passad, in every case with credit, that is they obtained passes in the Solicitors' General Knowledge examination on their marictilation work. Seventeen pupils entered for the Junior Civil Service examination, and all qualified, fourteen of them with credit. Two of the successful , bays, have received Civil Service Cadetships, at £65 a year, and all are entitled to Senior Free Places, with free secondary education until they are 19 years of age. In the Senior Scholarship examination nine pupils entered, and all passed, the fourth highest on the li3t winning scholarships. Ten scholarships were competed for. Of these the Wellington Boys' College took one, the Masterton District fligh School took four, and other D strict High -School the remaining three, the highest, position on the list being won by a Masterton pupil, who was placed 70 marks ahead of the second successful candidate. In the Junior Scholarship ex--amination nine pupils qualified, the highest winning a scholarship. "Your Committee is of opinion that a merey statement of these facts, wilhout comment, is amply sufficient to show that yoi'r District High School '3 second te none in the dominion.

The Masterton Trust Lands Trustees have granted a £lO scholarship to each of" the maitriculated pupils from this school, with an extra £3O to the boy Syverston, to enable them to continue their education at the University at Wellington. Your Committee desires to record its warm appreciation of this assistance to the University students from your school.

The inauguration of municipal j swimming baths has enrabled swim- i ming classes for boys anJ girls to be established in connection with your school, in which classe&.four hundred | j pupils reguarly receive tuition. In | j connection with the girls' classes your committee wishes to very gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance rendered by Mr 3J. W. Blackraan and Mrs H. E. Moore in the work of teaching. The classes in elementary agriculture have done a good year's work under the careful, painstaking teaching of the Headmaster. The course comprises a study of the botany and chemistry of plant life, and practical gardening operations, and will prove of very high value in after life to those boys who go through the classes. In spite of the recent drought, the boys made a meritorious display at the Agricultural and Pastoral Show, and secured ten prizes. Your Committee is indebted to Mr j G. S. W. Dalrymple for the idea of a school drum and fife band. The very handsome donation given by that gentleman enaDled the band, instruments to be bought. Your Committee has been fortunate in securing the services of Mr F. W. G. McLeod as conductor and instructor, | and under his able tuition the boys | are receiving a good musical educa- j tion, in addition to their training as J members of the band. Your warm-1 est thanks as parents are due to Mr Dalrymple for the very kind interest { he has taken in your boys' band. j For some time past there has been a considerable degree of overcrowding at the Main School. The Board's Inspectors have, time after time, in their annual repots, drawn attention to it, but the Board has endeavored to defer the consideration of this important matter, until it was seen what effect the poposed school at Lansdowne would have on the attendance at the Main School. Your Committee, satisfied that the Lansdowne school will have but very little effect on the attendance, have made such strong and persistent representations to the Board, that the latter body is now moving; plans have been prepared, and there is every reason to believe that very shortly a much needed room will be added to the Main School. In addition to the new room, a door at the northern end of the school was found to be urgently needed in order to facilitate the more rapid ingress and egress of the infant room pupils. The Beard has agreed to put in the new door, and the work will be commenced very shortly. Dur : ng the year your Committee has endeavoured to enlist the help of the Board in establishing classes in advancing sewing and dressmaking for girls, but the difficulties in the way of providing an adequate salary for a teacher have not yet been overcome. The cookery classes, under the able teaching of Miss Talbot, are recognised by your Committee as being of the highest value to the girls who are privileged to attend them. Similar classes in advanced sewing, to be carried on during the time the cookery classes are not held, would be an addition to the girls' education, that would be welcomed by parents. The frequent and unnecessary changes of schhool books has been felt by ycur Committee to be a very heavy tax on parents, and strong representations have been made to the Board, the Education Department, and the Minister, and your Committee hopes that something will be done to relieve parents of thi3 impost. The abstract of accounts to be laid before you shows the income of the Committee, including the balance from last year, to have been slightly over £4OO. As a large part of the amount is made up cf grants from the Trust Lands Trust and the Government subsidies of £ for £ upon them. Your thanks are due to the Trustees for the generous support they have given, year by year, to your school. These Trust Lands grants and subsidies have enabled your Committee to supply the school with much that otherwise would not have been possible, and it is not too much to say that without them your school would not occupy the premier position it now does. During the year sixteen meetings have bee.i called, two being special meetings, fourteen being regular meetings or adjournments, and the attendance has been as follows: — Mr Brown 16, Mr O'Leary 15, Mr Cork 14, Mr Buttle 12, Mr Waddington 12, Mr Perry 11, Mr Townsend 11, Mr Fenda'.l 11, and Mr Carpenter 10. The balanee-shaet showed that the receipts for the year amounted to £399 3s, and the expenditure £402 7s 3d, there being a debit balance of £3 4s 3d. The report and balance-sheet were adopted on the motion of the Chairman, seconded by Mr Hider. Votes of thanks were accorded Mesdarnes Blackman and Moore, Mr Dalrymple, and the Masterton Trust Lands Trust for the valuable assistance they had rendered the school. A similar compliment was paid the headmaster, Mr Jackson, and the teaching staff, for the excllent results they had shown at the school during the past year. ELECTION OF COMMITTEE.

There being ten candidates for election, a ballot was held, which resulted in the re-election of last year's committee, excepting Mr J. H. O'Leary, who was replaced by Mr A. VV. Chapman. The following gentlemen comprise the committee: —Messrs K. Brown (chairman), J. N. Buttle, J. Carpenter, H. H. Cork, C. Perry, G. A: P. Townsend, E. H. Waddington, and A. \V. Chapman. Mr Easthope was re-elected secretary and treasurer.

A meeting of the new committee wns held subsequently, when a hearty vote of thanks waa accorded Mr O'Leai-y. Eulogistic reference was made to the good work done by Mr O'Leary during the fifteen years he had been a member of that body, and general regret was expressed that he was not returned. It was resolved to adhere to the standing orders of the past year's committee.