OTHER PEOPLE’S IDEAS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 November 1942, Page 2

OTHER PEOPLE’S IDEAS

USE OF COLLEGE HALL (To the Editor) Sir,—“One of the Boys” has a queer idea of fair play. Fair play is bonny play—the College Assembly Hall was made available to men of the armed forces because of conditions of emergency. It is admitted it is not a dance hall, yet these men (not all of them), who talk about fair play and squeal about mud and living under canvas, lose all sense of proportion and belittle the other fellow for objecting to their defiling (for that is what happened) a building and grounds primarily provided for our children and intended to maintain that, dignity which is associated with our school life. As a parent with sons in the fighting forces I am prepared to accept the view that our soldiers are to have the best time it is possible to give them, but I do think that there is a time and place for most things. Were the Act-ing-Principal to close his eyes to what happened at this particular dance, and were the Board of Governors to condone such behaviour, then they would be lacking in their duty to the parents and the scholars at the College. Not for one moment do I believe that this particular unit has been used as a chopping block to overcome any embarrassment on behalf of the College authorities and the Acting-Princi-pal is to be congratulated on his fearless protest. The people of the Wairarapa have extended to the armed forces a wonderful hospitality and they will continue to extend such, but those men who fail on such occasions to respect other people’s property leave themselves open to deserved criticism.—l am, etc., PARENT. Masterton, November 20.