MASTERTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3174, 27 April 1909, Page 3

MASTERTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

ANNUAL REPOR'I. The folk wing is the annual report presented to the meeting of householders last evening:—Your Committee has pleasure in presenting the following report on school mattei'sfor the past year. The attendance has been good as the table herewith shows Main School, average roll, 1653; average attendance 589; percentage of attendance, 90. Side School, average roll, 189; average attendance, 172; percentage of attendance, 91. Secondary Classes, average roll, 80; average attendance, 75; percentage of attendance. 94. The total average number on the roll in all three departments has been 922 scholars, while the staff consists of the headmaster, 15 assistants, 6 pupil-teachers and 1 probationer. The Main School, the Side School and the High School have been conducted in a manner thoroughly satisfactory to your Committee, and highly creditable to the Headmaster and his staff. The Inspectors' reports show that your school, in all its departments continues to maintain its prestige. The highest marks lor efficiency and discipline, have again been awarded by the Inspectors on

the annual examination results. Your High School has again done an excellent year's work, and the examination results obtained have been most gratifying. In the Matriculation examination four pupils passed, all fo-ir obtaining a pass in the Solicitors' General Knowledge examination also. In the Junior Civil Service examination 10 pupils passed four being placed in the Credit List, l ln the Education Board's Senior Scholarship examination for 10 scholarships, ten pupils qualified and four of the scholarships. £4O a year for two years, were awarded to the pupils of your school. In the Board's Junior Scholarship examination, nine pupils qualified, and three scholarships, £4O a year for two years, were awarded to pupils of your school. At the present time there are no less than twelve students attending the New Zealand University, all of whom matriculated from your school, and all of whom are receiving from the Trust Lands Trust grants towards their University expenses. One of the pupils who passed the recent matriculation examination has won a Theological scholarship of £25 a year. The opening of the new school at Lansdowne, at the beginning of the year, drew about twenty scholars from each of your schools—the Main School and the Side school, but this number was more than made up by new scholars entering the school. After many months ut strenuous endeavour your Committee succeeded in injuring the Education Board to build a much needed room un the south owing of the Main School, and this addition j has made the two wings level. Your j Committee is of opinion that the I time has come when the Masterton

School, like all other modern schools, should be provided with an Assembly Hall, wherein all the pupils can be gathered when occasion arises. As the two wings are now level your Committee thought the space between could be roofed over at small expense and thus form the Assembly Hall Your Committee approached the Buard, and the Board asked the Government to provide the necessary funds, but met with a refusal. When the Minister for Education —the Hon. Geo. Fowlds, visited Masterton, your Committee invited him to the School and renewed ils request. The Minister, however, . pieaded that so much had been 3oent recently in the Masterton district—nearly £3,000 for the Lansdowne School —that the Government could not see its way to provide the £SOO or £6OO required for the Assembly Hall, and the matter was bung up. Your Committee will not let the matter drop, but will seize the first favourable oijjjorlunity ] to renew its request for an Assembly ; Hall. Your Ccmmitte regrets that j so far it has not been able to estab- ! lish Advanced Sewing and Dress- j making classes. The Board has j been urged to appoint a teacher who \ would visit the various schools and j teach classes in Advanced Sewing and # Dressmaking, in the same way that Cookery is taught, but it appears the provision made for the payment of such a teacher is inadequate, and nothing can be done uitil a different method of payment is adopted. Your Committee believes that it would be of great advantage if the elder girls could have a thorough course of advanced sewing and dressmaking, and it will continue to agitate for this very desirable object. The Cookery Classes, under Mifs Tablet have been continued with the usual excellent results. The graceful ' act of the Borough Council in granting free bathing for the schoul children has been taken the fullest advantage of. Nearly 500 of ( the children attending your school are receiving tree tuition in swimming and life-saving. For some years past the school playground has been in an undesirable condition during wet weather. To remedy this your Committee has arranged with the Borough officials to grade and asphalt a large part of it, with a view of having it all done as funds permit. The work will shortly be taken in hand, and to provide money for its payment the Committee has carried forward a credit balance which will be sufficient for the purpose. Yotir Comrr ittee has again to asK you to join'it in thanking the Trust Lands i Trustees tor their generous grants--I grants which make your school the envy of the whole Education District, and which enable your Committee; to provide advantages quite beyond the reach of less favoured schools. The Technical School Managers have given the Hall Street Technical School, and the Trust Lands Trustees have agreed to remove the building to a site adjacent to the school gardens, fit it t up and hand it over to your Committee for use as a School Museum. Your Committee desires to express its gratitude to both Boards for S such a magnificent i onation and will make every effort to develop the museum into a really useful educational institution. Your Committee has pleasure in reporting that a branch of the Navy League has been established in your school. The branch has grown very strong and enthusiastic, over 100 of the senior boys and girls being enrolled as members. , It is most desirable

that' the sentiment of patriotism should be fully developed in our children, and that a knowledge of the greatness of the Empire of which we form a part, and of the m ight and power represented by the fiag we all delight to honour should be Imparted to the rising generation, and perhaps no better means have been devised of attaining these objects than by means of the Navy League. In July last Mr W. A. Fendall left Masterton and resigned his seat on the Committee, and Mr H. J. O'Leary was called to fill the vacancy. Your Committee regrets that it is also to lose the services of the Rev. J. N. Buttle and Mr H. 11. Cork, both gentlemen having left Masterton, and wishes to place on record its very high appreciation of the work dene by these gentlemen on the Committee. Your Committee also deems it right to express its appreciation of the promptitude, efficiency and care with which its Secretary, Mr W. M. Easthope has discharged his duties. Twelve meetings of the Committee have been held during the year, and the attendance has been as follows:—Mr Chapman 11, Mr Cork 11, Mr Brown 10, Mr Carpenter 9, Mr Buttle 8, Mr Waddington 8, Mr Townsend 8, Mr Perry 7, Mr O'Leary 5, Mr Fendall 4.