H.M.S. NEW ZEALAND.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 11 April 1913, Page 5

H.M.S. NEW ZEALAND.

THE PROPOSED EXCURSION. < A DIFFICULT POSITION. Mr T. Ronayne, manager of the New Zealand Railways, has telegraphed as follow* u> ili- G. R. Sykes, .\l.i\, concerniJig the proposed -school excursion to Wellington on the occasion of tho visit or H.M.B. New Zealand : I "Re schools: Position very difi'i- ' cult in view of conflicting infoi illation as to number of children who will travel. Can you give near approximate of total number of children who will travel from schools in your district If you say up to one hundred adult* aro permitted to come by school excursion train, at of course, ,i.ho ordinary holiday escursion- jaud in the event oi such arrangement being foufld practicable, will tho School Committees undertake to allocate the ordinary excursion tickets to the adults, so that parents from each school may , be proportionately represented according to the nlumber of children from the school"-' You will readily understand that the Department could not undertake to do this. At the same time we are desirous of getting the position as far a s it is practicable so to "do."' Mr R. Brown, chairman of tho Masterton School Committee, has re- | ceived the following telegram, on the same subject from Mr Ronayne: — "Have wired Mr Sykeg fully regarding position, and, on hearing definitely from him, the Depart- ' ment will advise as to how far it can meet the position that lias arisen. It is, of course, desirous of 1 assisting as much as practicable." i Mr Sykes this morning telegraphed j to the Railway Manager that the proposal entertained in the telegram *was impracticable, and that hundreds of children could not be left stranded in Wellington after the train for parents goes, nor could the committee undertake the job shirked by the Department of discriminating .between' parents to be permitted" to travel with their children and to go by other trains. If the Department would provide a Masterton school excursion there would be over 400 scholars and 1 200 parents and guardians for tiia '• same, but if the parents were not al- ' lowed to travel by the train there; ' wonJd be 150' scholars and 15 teachers. ' The odium of depriving a large num- ( ber of children of seeing the battle- j ship must rest with the Department. . Outlying schools seem to be left out " of consideration altogether, and it is i feared that much dissatisfaction will - result. ( ■— - 1 DISCUSSED BY SCHOOL COM- : MITTEE. | A RESOLUTION PASSED. At the monthly meeting of the Mas-. terton School Committee last evening the question of the proposed vtsll of [ Masterton school children to Wellington for the purpose'of seeing H.M.S. New Zealand, was discussed. ] Tlie Chairman explained the present position and read the various communications that had passed between the Committee and the Department, and stated that the latest communication came from the Railway Department, through the local statimaster, artd read as follows: "Please arrange to see Chairman of School Committee at once, and tell him that in view of the fact that the Government has now decided to issue free tickets to scholars and teachers, the Department wants to know at once how many children we are going to have from Masterton schools, and schools in that district. Advise chairman that unless we get this information now, we cannot make provision for carrying the children." Mr. W. H. Jackson, who was present, stated that it w<*uld be impossible for the teachers and' members of the Committee to manage such a number of children as would be likely to avail themselves of the free tic* ets. Another important matter was the distribution of free tickets. He would certainly like this matter to be undertaken by the Committee. Mr Pragnell said that it seemed as if tlie Department was hanging th? matter up as far as Masterton was concerned, and the Committee should ; take a firm stand in the matter. Mr : Pragnell then proposed that the Eail. w.iy Department be asked for a s-pe- ,; cial excursion for the Masterton School, to 'iucrtide children, tenders, : committeemen and parents. Mr Thread well seconded the motion, and agreed with tho mover that the Committee should take a firm .stand in the matter. ; Mr Kemp said that unless tn ■ ' wishes of the Committee were wanted, it would be better for the matter to be dropped altogether No doubt - other Dreadnoughts would visit the • country, when an opportunity would » be..given to visit them. > Mr Hyde thought the proposal of I the Department was impossible. H<-. f oould see no reason why the wishes of • the Committee could not be met sat- • asftctorily. ft would be impossible to f. discriminate in distributing- free tickc ets. He thought a strong protest f should be entered. Messrs Chapman. Falconer and I Gov.rlay supported the motion, and - endorsed the remarks of the* previous 1 speakers. i The motion, on being put to the . meeting, was carried unanimously, e and it wa3 decided to immediately in- - form the Railway Department, a through the local station master, of '- the decision conic to by the Commit- '• tee. cr " A MINISTERIAL EXPLANATION. ■'- CHILDREN TO TRAVEL KRKB. (By Telegraph. — Press Association.) I WELLINGTON, Last Night. ~ "There seems to'be si:me misunderstanding about the arrangements for ' the transport of countrv children to the battleship," said the Hon. W. H. . Hemes, "Minister of Railways, to a p pressman to-day. "The children will |. be carried by special trains as far as .p possible at what are known as 'day school excursion rates,' and as far as the Railway Department is con- . ceraed. T understand that Mr Bell's | s Department is .prepared to reiimburse