The Hawaiian gazette., 1918-08-27
SCHOOLS WELL OPEN
0NSCHEDULE TIME
Request For Extension of vaca-
ton Period Turned Down;
Education Is Paramount

g Hawaii s government schools will
open for the Iols ~ school year on Mon
dav, September lG, next" said Henry
W. Kinney, superintendent of public
instruction, yesterday while discussing
round about request from Kauai
sugar plantation that the public schools
be kept in vacation until October ]
20 that the mill Of the corporation
could finish its years harvest
"Tbc school wear term dates are
Rxcd by the commissioners of cduca.
ton annually at their meeting in June
and those for tho coming school year
we're finally determined at the meeting
held in June, ;ast, - continued Mr.. Kin
mcv. There will be no deviation from
the ruIc and, rain or shine Hawaii s
public schools will begin their year s
wOrk on September 49,"
The request that the opening of the
schools he deferred to October | came
to Mr.. Kinney yesterday in a letter
from s. q. Halls Of the Hawaiian Su
gar Planters Association, Mr.. Halls
profering the request on behalf Of the
Nakee Sugar Company of Kauai, Su
peTintendent Kinney explains.
commissioners Consulted
On the receipt Of the request, Mr..
Kinney. as matter Of courtesy, got
in tonch with n number of the school
com missioncrs who were still in the
city Yesterday, and asked their opinion.
| One and all decided that nothing of
| the kind could or would he done The
thing was settled right then and there
and there is absolutely no question or
uncc rtainty regarding the subject, says
he superintendent.
That Mr.. Hall s request in behalf
nf one particular sugar corporation was
but q "feeler' cmanating from the
inner circles Of the Hawaiian Sugar
Planters Association, is the opinion OF
several Of the local board of education
officials. Were the request of the Ma
kce people granted it would be but
an entering wedge, it is said, and such
other corporations now short of labor
would, naturally, feel that they were
entitled to the same consideration. Thus
requests would 60 to the board Of edu
cation from such plantations as are
affected with a shortage Of labor, that
the schools in those particular dis
tricts remain in vacation until thu
sugar crops were all milled.
Guard the Schools, Slogan
"PhiIander p. Claxton, national com
missioner of education, said Mr.. Kin
ncy yesterday, "has since the begin
ming Of the war with Germany i'm
pressed on the educators Of the who'll
country the necessity of being on thu
watch to oppose any movement tina
would impair the work and usefulness
of the schools.
81 remember seeing several of hi
interviews on this subject published il
the school page of The Advertiser anC
in these Mr.. UlaxtoB made ii. plain tina
it was the earnest wish and desire o.
President Wilson and the admfnstra
tion that the schools should, during
the period of the war, be unhampcrcc
in all respects and that every cffOr
should be made to increase their eff
cheney and usefulness, for the war will
be waged only for limited time whil'
the schools and the country will las
for centuries at least, it Is hoped.
"WC must consider the rights o
the children to proper education, ,
continued MI Kinney, "and no temp
oraIy embarrassment Of the sugar plant
Crs or other interests, however i'm
portaut they may be, must be allow g,
to interfere with these rights. Th
country owes duty tp its childrcr
far more important and this duty mus
be performed. One month in the scho"
life of child may seem little matter
but it is not. The children need every
hour Of study that is coming to then
and, aS far AS this department is con