NAPIER NEWS.

Waipawa Mail, Volume XXI, Issue 3899, 18 May 1899, Page 3

NAPIER NEWS.

(Own Correspondent.) , , Yesterday. As I anticipated in my notes Isit week tbe Harbor Board have filled tbe vaoont secretarial position by a rearrangement , of the staff, Mr J. P. Kenny who bas i been in tbe offioe from a boy being ap pointed secretary at a salary of £250 per t annnm. Under tbe new arrangement tbe Board will save £350 a year in management expenses. Repairs to the damaged portion of the breakwater are progressing slowly owing to the continued high seas. I have it on good aotbority that when the big gap is filled hp the works will be "shat down" for an indefinite period, the stated object being to thoroughly test tbe structure as far as it bas gone. The real reason, bow ever, is that the exobcqner is getting extremely low, and tbe present prospeota of raising a new loan to carry on the work to completion are so remote that the Board consider it unwise te tempt fate. In this case perhaps the Board will be able to spare a little time to the consideration of the Whare o maranui reserve, with a view to making it return a substantial revenue. It would bo time well spent Mr G. D Cameron, a very old and valued servant of tbo Postal Department, died at hie residence to day after a pain ful illness extending over six months. That dread disease cancer was the cause of death. Tbe dooaased, who had oocu

pied the position of chief clerk at tbe local post offioe for the past five years, had been in the postal service fer just on thirty years. There is considerable feeling in local scholastio circles relative to the recently established pupil toaohers’ training school, aud the aotion of tbe Board yesterday io deoiding to boy a half-acre seotic.n adjoining tho training school for fHture extension has accentuated that feeling. Those connected with tbo main school consider that this is likely to provo detrimental to them, that an extension of the training sohool will meau a corresponding decrease in tbe attendance at the main school, aßd thus lead to a reduction in salaries. This at first glanoe, appears decidedly unfair, but consideration of tbo qaestion from all standpoints leads on; to believe that tbe right coarse is being pursued. Tbe idoa of tbe training school is to give the pupil teachers thorongh experience iu tho management of classes, but it stands to reason that that experience will be somewhat limited if they havo only in all about 250 pupils to supervise. As to the main school thero are between 800 and 900 pupils there, wbioh means that the classes mast be very large, and in some instances totally b-.yond the management of one teacher. Thus it will be seen that something approaching equality at the two schools would unquestionably be to the benefit of the children—they would not bo so crowded

and would receive better super vision and more complete tuition. The action of the Board will, I think, be commended by the majority of thinking people.