AUCKLAND GRAMMAR SCHOOL BOARD OF GOVERNORS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6758, 16 July 1883, Page 6

AUCKLAND GRAMMAR SCHOOL BOARD OF GOVERNORS.

THE SCHOLARSHIP QDESTION. A special meeting of the Board of Governors of the Grammar School was held on Saturday (noon), iu tho office of the Secretary, Shortlami-street. Mr. P. D. Kenton in the chair. Preaent: Tho Mayor (Mr. J. M. Clark). Colonel Haultun, Rev. C. M. Melson, Messrs. Laishley (Chairman of the Education Board), Tyler, and Mackechnie. The Secretary read a letter from the ' Minister of Education, enclosing the following question, on the Order Paper of the House of Representatives "Mr. Dargaville to ask the Minister of Education whether the Government will introduce a Bill, during the present session, to amend The Auckland Grammar School, Act, 1877, so as to empower the Board of Governors of that institution to grant scholarships to boys of the public primary schools in the Auckland Educational District, the Board of Governors biwing been recently advised by their standing counsel that they are now, and. have been for some time past, exceeding their legal p nver in granting such scholarships. And the following inqniry directed to m made on behalf of the Government, with memorandum annexed If the opinion is such as is stated, and whether the governors concur in the proposal that a Bill should be introduced during the present session of Parliament to amend the Act, so as to empower them to grant scholarships to boys of the public primary schools in the Auckland educational district. It was also suggested by Mr. Dargaville, when asking his question, that the Bill which he proposed should be introduced should contain clauses altering the nature of the trust, so as to make the Grammar School more available for the public generally. It may not be expedient for the Government to interfere in this Bill. Mr. Dick would he glad to know if the governors concur in Mr. Dargaville's suggestion."

The Chairman said the object of the spocial meeting was to deal with the questions relating to scholarships now pending between the Board of Governors aud the Board of Education, and "any cognate matters relating thereto." Mr. Laishley wished to state, for the information of the Board of Governors, that Mr. Dargaville was not put in motion by the (Education Board. Mr. Tyler said Mr. Dargaville in his question disclosed the idea that these scholarships should be more in accord with public opinion. Mr. Laishley : Holding the opinion I do that the position is not affected by such consideration, I beg to move the motion of which I gave notice on a previous occasion :—" 1. That this Board recognise that the utmost facilities should be given to scholars from the primary schools —who have gained scholarships—to obtain free tuition at the College." "2. That in order to prevent any question as to the mode of granting such free tuition, an intimation be sent to the Board of Education, that in consequence of an opinion received from the AttorneyGeneral it will be necessary in the future that a request be sent with each scholar coming from the primary schools that he bs granted free tuition at the College during the term of his scholarship." The Mayor : I bed to second the proposal. It does not tie down the governors of the Grammar School because it is asking thom to do not quite so much as offered. I do not think it is necessary that it should be put on a footing that the Board of Education should make a special request for each boy. We might make a generai arrangement. Seeing that I have confidence in this Board that it will grant every facility when asked to give free tuition to boys, they will do so. Colonel Haultain : I shall support the resolution if it ia sufficient to answer the purpose. Tho Mayob. : While speaking on this matter of an arrangement, I would refer to a leading article in the Herald, which I read with some degree of pleasure, because it was written in a kindly spirit, and suggested a compromise. What I understand by a compromise 13, when two public bodies find themselves stopped iu action, each one, without changing its opinion, gives way ;i little so that the work may go on. There- is no such block between the Board of Education and the Grammar School governors. The governors of this institution retain their opinion 1 : the only dispute is one as to the age at whioh boys shall come from the primary schools to the Grammar School. If the governors said, "We will not take in yonr boys unless you Bend them at that age," then there would be a block, and the necessity for a compromise must arise. All the governors say is: "They ought to be younger, but we will take them at any age you send them." I think there is no necessity, therefore, to force any arrangement. I consider that as long as there is no injury sustained by any public interest, each body is entitled to hold itß own opinion. At the interview which I had with the Board of Education on this question, it appeared to me, from my own point of view, that it is impossible to make an arrangement that would satisfy everybody. The main point with the Grammar School governors ia a question of the efficiency of the school, and the benefit which the boys themselves coming from the primary schools would get. The existing regulations, it would appear, not only disturb the school, but the boys themselves do not get the same advantages that they would obtain if they came younger. We timply say to the Education Board " We tike every opportunity to bring our views before your body, and we hope you will come round to our opinion." Mr. Mackechnie : Is not the age fixed by the Education Act ? Mr. Laishley : It is ; we can do nothing. Mr. Mackechnie: They must be governed by the Act, as I understand, up to the age oi 16 or 17. The Mayor : In two large educational districts -they give junior and senior scholarships, the former limited to thirteen years of age and the latter to fourteen. If the Board of Education had thought it desirable to have expressed its wishes to this Board, the governors would have discussed the matter on the basis thus laid down. Mr. Mackechnie : I see no legal difficulty in the matter. Kov. Mr. Nelson: -The only difficulty was, that we desired to have the boys much younger than they name to us. One cure suggested for thedifficulty was that wo should abdicate our office, and that the Board of Education should succeed to it. But in what way that would be a cure I fail to see. The game reasoning would apply to the Board of Education and the University College. And, if the assumption of our office by the Board of Education would remove the difficulty, I should be glad to see how that can be done. Jlr. Laishley : I should ■ like to say a word or two with regard to the remarks of the Mayor. He said that when the Board of Governors should refuse, then the necessity for a compromise would arise. I may may state, for the information of this Board, that the Inspector of Schools thinks it rather a misfortune than otherwise for the boys to go to the Grammar School at all. That officer has been eager to arrange for another mode of education for these boys. The Mayor is under a mistake when he says that if they are not admitted then there will be a necessity for a compromise. I think the matter must be determined before that time arrives. The Mayor : Or some other action. Mr. Laishley : I do not agree with the Inspector's view. With the complete machinery which the Grammar School possesses, I think it would require a very great and strenuous effait to establish High Schools that would ba equally efficient, i may state that both Mr. Clark and myself were very eager and very willing that a compromise should be arrived at. 1 was willing that we that we should not ask for free tuition, and that we should be prepared to pay for the extra time needed or tho extra master required to teach these boys. Mr. Clark said that nothing would do except a complete surrender of the question with respect to age. But that matter has been determined by the Legislature. We must not run our heads against the statute. We must take the Education Act as the concentrated wisdom of she Legislature. I hold that the view taknn by the statute is the correct view. I do not say that on particular grounds I would not be prepared to yield my own judgment in the matter of age ; but it appears to me that is a question for experts, to be decided by men who have devoted the whole of their lives to the consideration of such matters. I told the Mayor that I was quite willing that the question might be put to experts whether either Board was right on this question. I think with regard to what Air. Nelson has said, the question was whether secondary education as well as primary education should or should not be considered as a part of national education.

The Mayo 3 : Referring to this matter of experts, it must not bs understood that I was opposed to that, because I considered that any further information we could get was desirable, and therefore it might be a very proper thing to do; but this Board is not in a position to say that it would accept the judgment of experts when it was given ; but now we are yielding to tho Board of Education. Mr. Laishley : Precisely so, because these boys are our wards. The Mayor : This Board has yielded the whole question as to what is actually done as [ regards the Board of Education. Mr. Mackechnie : I want to know whether this is a properly convened meeting. The rule is that every member nhould have two days' notice (standing order No. 2). The Chairman : If that be the case we shall have to break up our meeting. Colonel Haoltai.n" : That is a mere matter of form. It would be absurd to break up the meeting on such technical grounds. Mr. Tyler : It is not a mere matter of form; it is a matter of substance.. It would let in a dangerous precedent if you were to depart from your standing orders. Mr. Laishley: But there is something more' than that. There is also a rule that no resolution of the Board can be altered within Bix months after pissed, unless with the unanimous consent of the Board, and unless notice of intention to alter the same be given at a previous meeting. lu the3e circumstances it is not competent for this meeting to give any answer to the question. Mr. Mackechnie : I do not care to express any opinion on Mr. Laishley's motion, for I do not think it carries us a bit further. Therefore, I call attention to standing order No. 2. Every member hia not had two days' notice. Colonel Hadltais* : It is absnrd to prevent business being done in this way. I must say I think we are going on in a fair way to bring the Board into disrepute. The Chairman decided that the objection raised under standing order No. 2 was fatal, and no business could bu done. Tho meeting was adjourned to four o'clock on Wednesday, the 18th instant.