Hardworking truants

TWO reports from the Otago Education Board’s truant officer were laid before the meeting of the board yesterday. In the first case the details were: Boy aged 13 years, in Standard III at a city school; gets up at 4 a.m.; meets milk cart at 4.30 a.m.; delivers milk till about 8.30 a.m.; goes home to hurried breakfast, and is at school shortly after 9. After school (at 3.30) starts off again at the milk delivery, and works on till about 6.30 p.m. At 7 p.m. he attends the vaudeville to make up lollies, fruit, etc., which he sells during the evening. After the

performance he settles up his cash, and arrives home at about 11 p.m. Summary: Working day, 18 hours 30 minutes; sleep allowance, 5 hours. The Truant Officer comments: Needless to say, when he arrives in school he is quite unable to do his ordinary school lessons, and is naturally more inclined to sleep. The second case concerned a boy of the same age, who was in Standard IV. at a suburban school. The details were: Works for a milkman, and has to get up at from 3.30 to 4 every morning to milk cows; has to be ready to leave with the delivery cart about 5.30 a.m.; arrives back about 9.30 a.m., and as a rule is late for school. (The boy had stated also that some mornings, when the cart was delayed, he left the cart at the school, and had to go without any breakfast). After school has to wash the milk cans, etc., bring in the cows and milk them, and do odd jobs up to bed time, between 8 and 9 o’clock. For this he receives 10s a week, which, the inspector reports, he gives to his

father. Summary: Working day 16 hours; sleep allowance, 7 hours. The comment by the truant officer was that these were not isolated cases.

The Chairman of the board (Mr D. L. Fleming) said he considered this was a very disgraceful state of things, and it was regrettable that neither the board nor the truant office had any legal powers in the matter.

On the motion of Mr Wallace, it was resolved to write to the department, asking if anything could be done.